Posted on 12/11/2004 10:48:39 AM PST by NormsRevenge
LODI -- Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld apparently doesn't know they turn the lights off each night at Lodi's R.E. Services.
Rumsfeld recently told disgruntled National Guard troops in Kuwait the reason there isn't more armor on military vehicles in Iraq is because it can't be made fast enough.
"There's no capacity is what Rumsfeld said," said Mark Frater, chief executive officer at R.E. Services, which began making lightweight armor for military vehicles earlier this year. "I'm just running one shift. I've got capacity. I could run around the clock if they gave me the orders."
Frater's company makes laminated plates that stop armor-piercing bullets, shrapnel and fragments from roadside bombs that have taken a toll on U.S. troops in Iraq. He's attached it to Humvees sent to Lodi and had it shipped directly to Iraq for installation.
The Army said Friday that it has entered into negotiations with an armor manufacturer in an effort to accelerate production of armored versions of the Humvee to get them to the troops more quickly.
Army Secretary Francis J. Harvey spoke with officials at Armor Holdings Inc., based in Jacksonville, Fla., who told him Friday they could increase production by up to 100 vehicles a month.
Frater said he's received reports through American Defense Systems, the New York-based company with military contracts that hired his firm, that the armor his company makes already has done its job. Iraqi insurgents typically use armor-piercing bullets fired from AK-47s, Frater said, but the attacked vehicles are still in use.
"We've taken 20 hits on 12 vehicles and we've had no failures," Frater said. "We haven't lost one soldier in our vehicles."
R.E. Services makes its bulletproof laminate by pressing different materials together under high heat.
A typical laminated plate made by the Lodi company combines layers of steel, ceramic and a woven material such as Kevlar, while standard armor is made of three-eighths-inch steel.
Bullets strike the composite armor's steel surface first, then the ceramic tile layer. By that time, the bullet is slowed down and fragmented. The Kevlar catches the remaining fragments.
The new business marks a turnaround for the 25-year-old company, which started in Sunnyvale making parts for digital clocks and watches. With the growth of the personal computer market in the 1980s, R.E. Services began modifying circuit boards for high-tech firms, and in 1994 the firm moved to Lodi to open a manufacturing plant with 280 jobs.
The high-tech bust of 2000 led to big layoffs and a bankruptcy filing, Frater said.
"By 2001, we were trying to figure out how we were going to reinvent ourselves," he said. "We had a bad name around town because we had a hard time paying our bills."
But Frater found a new use for his machines. R.E. Services began making a waterproof laminate that could be attached to wooden window frames to protect them from the elements.
Then Frater realized his machines were suitable for making bulletproof materials. He was considering getting into the armor business when one of his suppliers visited in November 2003. The supplier noticed R.E. Services' machines were suitable for producing a lightweight armor. He suggested Frater get into the business, which by this time was growing with the conflict in Iraq.
A few calls to major companies and the Department of Defense led to more business leads. In January, R.E. Services became one of seven subcontractors for American Defense Systems, which outfits military vehicles with armor and bulletproof glass.
Curtis Taufman, American Defense Systems' chief operating officer, said the armor produced by the Lodi company is far stronger and lighter than normal steel armor. He said standard armor plate for a Humvee weighs 1,500 pounds, but it doesn't protect the undercarriage or roof. Nor does it stop armor-piercing rounds.
Composite armor, which stops the bullets, weighs 1,150 pounds and additionally protects the Humvee's roof and floor. Just about anyone can install the armor in less than four hours, Taufman said.
"I feel the same way as Mark," Taufman said.
"We could produce a lot more. But to tell the truth, it's hard for us to get these contracts. It shouldn't be. We have a terrific product that's recognized by the Army, Navy and Marines."
Some of R.E. Services' armor is being used on new military vehicles, from Humvees to backhoes, but the biggest market is for vulnerable vehicles already pressed into service overseas.
Soldiers in Iraq have complained that many casualties could have been avoided if more vehicles had been armored. On Oct. 13, 17 U.S. Army reservists in Iraq refused to take part in a convoy that some described as a "suicide mission" because of their vehicles' poor condition, lack of armor and the likelihood of an ambush attack.
Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Tracy, whose district includes Lodi, said the Pentagon should expand its search for armor.
"It's important our military have the best quality gear, and we've got contractors here in our own back yard willing to produce more armor," Pombo said in a statement released by his office Friday. "If these contractors meet the federal criteria, they should be considered."
Frater said the armor business has allowed him to boost his work force from a low of 50 to 90. He said he could hire even more people if business grows.
But he's been through boom-and-bust cycles before and knows this upward trend won't last forever.
The good news is that, unlike the circuit-board business, this manufacturing niche isn't shifting to China because of its role in national security.
"We believe our window is four or five years," Frater said. "This new threat we have, where we don't know where are enemies are, isn't going away."
Why not precut the steel here and ship it in country and have them undate units there now?
Oh how I wish Halliburton could do this.
Send them a Purchase Order. And they will perform.
Halliburton is a particularly flexible and responsive company. They would buy the leading and undervalued producer and put their accountants and managers into squeezing maximum productivity out of the factory.
They aren't the biggest and best because of favoritism. During the oil bust of the '80s, they turned around and found other work to do. At a profit.
/john
I suppose that cynicism comes with age and experience.
I can and do believe that at the federal level, it is quite common and acceptable to view "trading a few military lives for ___________________" (fill in the blank): international brownie points, promises from terrorists, saving a few bucks, giving terrorists enemies a few additional days to decide (or rearm), the list is endless. I think it is a criminal tack, first establishing "acceptability" during the Korean war. I have rejected and hated that doctrine since. It fuels my hatred of "diplomats", and it cheapens my view of "leadership". It is nothing short of criminal.
Proportionality has no role in war; never has and never will. Prior to Korea, we fought wars to win, not to cower from potential enemies no matter how strong. The fruits of that blunder are still with us today.
We had the opportunity to send a clear and unambiguous message when our embassy was "taken over" by "students" in Iran. Unfortunately, we had a peanut brain (where the conduct of war is concerned) for president.
Some men are born great leaders, some have greatness thrust upon them. On a historic national level, some are born failures, some consciously walk into the failure pit.
"He was considering getting into the armor business when one of his suppliers visited in November 2003."
So as recently as one year ago his company was not tooled for manufacturing, much less fitting the materials they are ready to produce now. Welcome to the party, but you arrived too late to be complaining that you now have additional capacity that you did not have when the purchasing contracts were being filled.
=== At a profit.
I know I feel better knowing there are those who manage to Profit from war.
Here's hoping they -- and theirs -- never profit SO much that the prospect of war becomes appealing.
/john
You live in Galt?
I don't knlow where he lives, but I live in Ione, about 30 miles from Lodi.
The castle and Tilly's bar come to mind. Best wishes from a former Elk Grover.
=== they are profiting from rebuilding a country recovering from the ravages of Saddam Hussein.
If our military's done the job they were supposed to do, I assure you that the "rebuilding" ongoing is the result of our handiwork, not Hussein's.
Additionally, as has been the case elsewhere, certain private contractors also profit from servicing those awarded exclusive contracts to capitalize on the markets opened up by our "liberation" efforts.
As Brzerzinki so rightly observed in 1999, "Kosovo is a model of what the world is about to be."
Unless you want to contend Halliburton would have work in Iraq -- particularly on the "rebuilding" end of things or, at Gitmo, in the fabrication of million-dollar penal accomodations -- absent War, indeed they do and shall continue for the next thirty years* profit from conflict.
* (the conservative projection of Cheney in 2001 for the WOT's duration)
I can't believe how many of you so-called republicans are falling for this phony armor story. We increased production on the humvees from about 20 per month to 400 over the last year, we don't want to just add on armor, this is called type three armor and is not preferred at all. The type 2 armor is the kit that is manfactured and bolted on and the type 1 are the humvees that are being built from the ground up with armor. Most of the vehicles in Iraq have been armored and you should not take the MSM so seriously. Where were you when they were making all the phony allegations during election? are you guys really republicans or just wanabees? Do you really think our gov is going to let our guys die if they can prevent it? Even if they weren't concerned about the troops they would sure as hell be worried about what the media would say. The media phonied the question to start with and then went looking for other things to add to the fire and you guys are falling for it like a bunch of Dems. Think I will stop hanging out here. What dopes.
This is an education forum....the way this is working out.....
If you're going to start defending Haliburton/Cheney then I must take issue. The reality is that there is this very valid and time-honored concept known as "the appearance of impropriety" - and that among honorable people this is to be avoided at all costs. In the past leaders in industry have resigned or been fired due to the appearance of impropriety.
So, if Haliburton has some necessary services to render in the war the answer is simple - award them the contract simultaneously with Cheney stepping down.
The appearance of impropriety is important in a civilized nation. Here in the US we tolerate it because, basically, we're no longer particularly civilized or honorable.
They are doing that:
See this:
Special Defense Department Briefing on Armored Vehicles ( Text )
But that only gives Level 2 protection....
mini-opus rejected. But certainly Not an uncommon thought by many here of late, including myself. ;-)
(Why can't the moderate pond-scum and their green invertebrate relatives start their own damn forum and quit trying to enlighten the rest of us as to the errors of our ways in believing that conservatism is not a religion but a way of life?)
But if folks like us leave, then the terrorists will have won. :-)
Ernest, To educate and inFoRm,, sounds like a fine motto to me. lol
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