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| ReadyOne: On A Mission to Protect and Inspire |
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| Friday, 02 April 2010 14:02 | |||
 ReadyOne Industries, based in El Paso, Texas, a leader in the manufacture of apparel and related products, is unlike any other clothing producer. The company, one of more than 600 nonprofit agencies across the country affiliated with the AbilityOne Program, does not assemble the latest Paris fashions or stitch clothing for major brand-name retailers. It has a much more important mission: designing and manufacturing protective garments for the military, which are produced by a hard-working and proud group of employees – 75 percent of whom are blind or have significant disabilities. The AbilityOne Program provides a source of employment opportunities for people who are blind or have other significant disabilities by procuring federal contracts for goods and services.Protecting the Warfighter ReadyOne produces two key chemical and biological protective suits that are in widespread use across all branches of the military – the Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology (JSLIST) and JC3. Joint Service Lightweight Integrated Suit Technology The backbone of ReadyOne's business is the JSLIST chem-bio suit, which was developed in the early 1900s to safeguard soldiers against the threat of weapons of mass destruction. ReadyOne has manufactured the JSLIST suit since 2001 and, today, it produces about 80 percent of the Department of Defense's (DOD) requirement for JSLIST overgarments. The JSLIST is an all-Service, two-piece base garment that uses charcoal filter technology to provide both vapor and liquid protection from biological and chemical agents, as well as radiological particles. Over the years, ReadyOne, with cooperation from DOD designers, has vastly improved JSLIST from previous iterations, making it lighter and more durable, and improving the overall fit. As a result, it has replaced earlier protective systems, such as the Battledress Overgarment (BDO), the U.S. Navy Chemical Protective Overgarment, the U.S. Marine Corps Saratoga and others. ReadyOne produces about 24,000 JSLIST suits per month. Each of the labor-intensive suits is comprised of nearly 300 individual manufacturing operations, from pockets to cuffs and buttons that must be incorporated into production. Additionally, ReadyOne manufactures two different versions of JSLIST overgarments: Type II JSLIST has a hood and is used for most combat applications; Type VII, used by Special Operations teams, eliminates the hood and adds a stand-up collar. The JSLIST suit has a shelf life of three years unopened. Once opened, the suit can be worn for 30 days and laundered up to six times. In addition to securing contracts with the military to manufacture protective garments, ReadyOne also has a strong, innovative research and development team that actively designs new products to better protect today's soldiers. The most recent example of the company's innovation and partnership with its customers is the newest chem-bio product, the JC3 suit, which is specifically produced for armored vehicle personnel. Based on feedback from the military, the U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center (SSC) in Natick, Mass., learned that the confined space of an armored tank made it difficult to put on the standard JSLIST jacket and pants, particularly in an emergency. Further, the two pieces of the JSLIST configuration often snagged on equipment and made it difficult for soldiers to get in and out of the tank quickly. Using the JSLIST technology as a foundation, SSC, with the assistance of Gore, Group Home and ReadyOne, worked together to design an improved JC3 suit – a one-piece overgarment – that enhances ease-of-use and convenience. It also offers more mobility due to the JC3's GORE-TEX® lining, which allows soldiers to move more freely compared with the charcoal lining of the standard JSLIST. "This is where we differ from other garment manufacturers," said Tom Ahmann, CEO of ReadyOne. "We have a professional and educated group of engineers, who participate in product development, and the military has great designers and engineers but they don't have production. Working together we can produce better, more chemical-resistant and more efficiently sewn garments to ensure the best protection for the warfighter." The Stakes Are Higher Producing protective garments for the military requires an unwavering commitment to the highest product quality standards. Even the slightest error, such as a malfunctioning jacket closure, could have significant consequences for soldiers. "If we make even the slightest mistake, we know what the repercussions are, so we take our product very, very seriously," Ahmann said. "Every product has to be perfect every time. No exceptions." Consequently, ReadyOne has one of the strictest quality control programs in the industry. Quality at commercial garment manufacturing facilities is measured in "defects per 100," and a five percent defect rate is considered to be "excellent." ReadyOne's rate is less than two percent. Cynthia Deharo, director of products at ReadyOne, says that the organization achieves such low defect rates because of a very structured process to identify and fix any potential problems before they affect the entire production line. "In most commercial factories, the quality team acts as a police force to point out the things that are going wrong, but ReadyOne works with production employees to find the root cause of the defect, correct it and move on. We look at what we can do to help people." This team-based approach has been critical to helping ReadyOne build a solid reputation within the military. The organization is endorsed by Special Forces. It is also part of the alternate release program (ARP). Companies participating in ARP must meet certain quality criteria, which authorizes them to ship products without government quality assurance representatives on-site. "The military is a long-term ReadyOne customer because they trust us and recognize our abilities," said Ahmann. "They know that we set the highest possible standard for manufacturing protective garments and, because multiple quality programs simply can't co-exist, everyone follows our lead." Prominent commercial apparel brands have also acknowledged ReadyOne's superior commitment to quality assurance. Both Gore and Patagonia, which are very selective about their manufacturing partners, have given the company approval to produce their military apparel and sew their labels into products made by ReadyOne. A Truly Dedicated Workforce ReadyOne's industry-leading quality assurance process sets it apart from other manufacturers; however, these standards would be meaningless without a team of dedicated employees who are committed to upholding them. As part of the AbilityOne Program – the largest source of employment opportunities for people who are blind or have significant disabilities – ReadyOne employs more than 1,100 individuals across a number of business units, including document management, packaging, fleet management and warehousing for the United States government. More than 700 of these employees are responsible for sewing garments, including JSLIST and JC3. "We're really shifting a paradigm here," said Deharo. "It may be unexpected, but people with disabilities are producing chemical and biological protection garments – life-saving garments – that thousands of soldiers rely on every day to stay safe, and we're doing it better than everyone." ReadyOne employees who are new to the apparel manufacturing division undergo a very robust training program specific to a workforce of people with disabilities. They must participate in training which, depending on the severity of their disability, can last anywhere from 16-24 weeks. Once they complete the program, they are assigned a specific operation, a training instructor and a supervisor. Regardless of the pressures of this work, the uncompromising quality assurance requirements, and the demanding level of precision that each protective garment requires, ReadyOne has a very happy workforce, said Ahmann. "When visitors come to ReadyOne, our employees are eager to discuss their responsibilities and show what they can do. They are incredibly proud to be part of something that is so critical to protecting the health and well-being of our soldiers." Future Innovations In addition to producing JSLIST and JC3 for the military, ReadyOne is also actively developing new products to protect the warfighter. The company is working with commercial partners and the military on a hybrid sleeping bag and a new Army combat shirt that will be more cost-effective than the current garment. ReadyOne also played an integral role in developing an all-Service, flame-retardant suit, called Level 9. Over a two week period, 21 Special Forces troops wore prototypes of the Level 9 suit during their training drills and provided recommendations to change the fit, comfort and functionality of the garment at the end of each day. Every night, based on this feedback, a team of ReadyOne employees created an entirely new set of suits that reflected the soldiers' input, working over the weekend and even Mother's Day to perfect the garment. During this time, ReadyOne manufactured more than 200 uniforms from scratch. The company is now working on a modified version of the Level 9 uniform for SWAT teams. "It took three and a half years and 20 designers to develop the Army Combat Uniform and it still wasn't quite right," said Ahmann, "But, our team has successfully contributed to a product design that meets the diverse, yet highly specific, needs of the U.S. Marine Corps System Command, U.S. Army Aviation and Troop Command, U.S. Naval Sea Systems and the U.S. Air Force Material Command. It was truly a pioneering effort because, as far as we know, this was the first time combat uniforms were developed in this way and the first time anyone ever asked a soldier to help design a uniform." According to Deharo, development of the Level 9 suit is another example of ReadyOne's focus on product innovation. "ReadyOne is committed to evaluating what we can do to improve an existing product or how we can fill the military's need for a new item, all while pursuing our mission to provide better performance and enhanced protection to soldiers on the front lines."
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| Last Updated on Friday, 02 April 2010 14:12 |
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