Setpoint Systems Signs $11.9M Contract with ATK Small Caliber Systems

 

Contract to be completed in early 2012 calls for four new back-end case manufacturing systems

April 15, 2011 defpro.com

OGDEN, Utah | Setpoint Systems, a leader in design and manufacture of custom lean automation solutions and manufacturing equipment, announced a new $11.9 million contract with ATK Small Caliber Systems to provide four additional .50-caliber ammunition case manufacturing systems for the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant at Independence, Missouri. The contract, part of the U.S. Army's initiative to modernize its ammunition facilities, is set for completion in early 2012.

This project follows Setpoint's innovative work on a previous contract to design and build a prototype .50-caliber case manufacturing system utilizing lean manufacturing principles.

The new systems bring dramatic changes to the production of ammunition cases. Currently used equipment at Lake City has been in service for seven decades. In general, ammunition case manufacturing has changed little since World War II, utilizing many manual processes to produce and inspect the brass cases. The Setpoint case manufacturing systems utilize lean automation philosophies designed into the automated manufacturing equipment to improve quality and consistency, and enhance the reliability of the overall manufacturing process.

“This is a new way of looking at case manufacturing,” said Clark Carlile, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Setpoint Systems. “With these systems, every case is automatically inspected through critical in-process checks that the old system can't do. This translates into the best ammunition for our troops who are out there in harm’s way.”

The .50-caliber Browning Machine Gun (BMG) cartridge has been a staple of military arsenals since World War II. It was conceived by legendary firearms designer John Browning, who was born and completed most of his groundbreaking work in Setpoint's hometown of Ogden, Utah. The connection is not lost on the Setpoint team. “This is a unique opportunity to follow our town’s firearm legend, make advancements to the process of manufacturing his invention and help facilitate its use in modern weapon systems. We're honored to be a part of the effort,” said Carlile.

Setpoint has also been a supplier of solutions for other areas of the Army's modernization at Lake City. Previous contracts with ATK provided eight 7.62mm case manufacturing and annealing systems, five .50-caliber primer handling systems and five .50-caliber cartridge waterproofing systems.

ATK’s Armament Systems group is the world’s largest manufacturer of military ammunition. ATK Small Caliber Systems operates the Lake City Army Ammunition Plant, which produces more than 1.4 billion cartridges annually.