Industry Interview: Northrop Grumman Technical Services
INDUSTRY INTERVIEW
Dave Werkheiser
Vice President and General Manager
Life Cycle Optimization and Engineering Group
Northrop Grumman Technical Services
Dave Werkheiser is vice president and general manager of the Life Cycle Optimization and Engineering Group in Northrop Grumman’s Technical Services sector.
Werkheiser also served as deputy to the vice president for engineering, logistics and technology in the company’s Integrated Systems sector. He joined Northrop Grumman in 1975 and has more than 30 years of worldwide experience.
Q: How has Northrop Grumman become a major player in the military logistics arena?
A: Northrop Grumman formed the Technical Services sector in January 2006 to aggressively grow our market share in the services business. We consolidated key company programs into a critical business operation base that is focused on integrated logistics and sustainment service offerings. We have developed risk sharing partnerships with both our customers and suppliers to ensure best values solutions, while providing our customers reach-back into the greater Northrop Grumman enterprise.
Q: What are the primary business areas of Northrop Grumman Technical Services?
A: Technical Services is comprised of three business groups: systems support, training and simulation, and life cycle optimization and engineering.
Systems Support provides infrastructure and base operations management. With more than 70 years of experience in base support and civil engineering work, and more than 40 years of expertise in military range work, the Systems Support Group areas include construction; combat vehicle maintenance; protective and emergency services; launch services; and range-sensor-instrumentation operations. The group’s broad customer base includes the Department of Defense, NASA, Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security and the intelligence community, both domestic and international.
Training and Simulation provides realistic and full spectrum training support to DoD and Department of State peacekeeping forces. A leader in designing and developing future conflict training scenarios, the Training and Simulation Group has been providing warfighters and international allies with live, virtual and constructive training programs since the mid-1980s. They have supported the training of America’s senior battlefield commanders for every major contingency beginning with Operation Desert Storm through Operation Iraqi Freedom. The group brings extensive experience and offers diverse training applications ranging from battle command to professional military education.
Life Cycle Optimization and Engineering [LCOE] provides complete life cycle product and weapon system sustainment and support. Focused on providing direct support to warfighters, the LCOE Group delivers supply chain management services; warehousing and inventory transportation; field services and mobilization; sustaining engineering; maintenance, repair and overhaul supplies, as well as on-going weapon maintenance and technical assistance. Global Hawk, Joint STARS, UK E-3D Whole Life Support Program, Hunter, U.S. Postal Service and B-2 are successful program examples where we are providing supply chain management, sustaining engineering, global field services, and depot maintenance services.
Q: What distinguishes your team from other technical services departments in other defense industry services companies?
A: Northrop Grumman Technical Services was created to deliver “best value, low cost” MRO, sustainment, and performance-based logistics/supply chain solutions to our customers, while providing reach back to the greater Northrop Grumman enterprise. We are aggressively expanding our logistics and sustainment service offering portfolio to additional government and international customers and in support of other OEM weapon systems.
As an example, our Lake Charles Maintenance and Modification Center is aligned perfectly to meet customer needs and, as a result, has become our large aircraft overhaul Center of Excellence. We have the capability and capacity to support major weapon systems, such as Joint STARS, and have been doing so for 15 years with hangar facilities, support equipment and back shops supported by a registered ISO 9000 quality system.
Our strong partnerships with the state and local communities support mutually beneficial growth objectives, specifically by keeping the non-recurring and daily operating costs low and offering more value to our customer. These partnerships are based on trust and common vision, while leveraging shared core capabilities to ensure our Nation’s Warfighters are provided the best value solution at the lowest cost.
Q: What are the main challenges facing your team in keeping with your company’s strong military logistics focus?
A: One challenge will be the ability to stay ahead of the global operations support requirements and deployed sustainment customer needs driven by an evolving national security threat environment. The ability to rapidly deploy, sustain and support diverse global missions will continue to expand in the future. We are targeting some strategic captures to solidify our operations base and program portfolio. Given the need to attract and retain a skilled logistics and sustainment work force, these new pursuits will provide a significant avenue for career growth for our employees. ♦