Area firm rebuilds military machine shop

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by Steve Wiandt

Reporter

Cuyahoga Falls -- Thanks to a company in Cuyahoga Falls, U.S. forces in Iraq will continue to have needed tools made while they wait.

Ultra Tech Machinery Inc. on Remington Road hosted a deployment ceremony June 25 to mark the completion of a "reset" of the Mobile Parts Hospital, a "machine shop" which is going to be shipped to Iraq on June 30. The MPH manufactures parts for a wide range of equipment and vehicles used on the ground, in the air and on the water. Trained machinists operate the MPH, making whatever is needed on the field of battle in two hours or less.

"Reset" is another way of saying "make like new -- zero miles, zero hours," said Jim Uribe, the program manager for the U.S. Army's Tank and Automotive Command Industrial Base Operations, or TACOM-IBO, in Rock Island, Ill. The Mobile Parts Hospital is a steel box that measures 8 feet wide by 8 feet tall by 20 feet long. Inside is a rapid manufacturing system that includes a lathe manufacturing machine, material handling module and a flat-rack generator set.

"Our MPH technicians, with support from our engineers, have also been able to create parts that previously did not exist to support soldier readiness," said Uribe. "The MPH team in Southwest Asia has made and designed parts for the Mine Resistant Armor Protective vehicle, the HMMWV, helicopters, tanks and a wide variety of tactical vehicles and small arms."

Uribe said the MPH team has provided support to the Air Force, Coast Guard, Marines and Coalition forces. "The value added is our technicians," he noted. "We provide the manufacturing solution at the point of need." Uribe said Ultra Tech did an "outstanding job" and it will be a "pleasure" working with the company in the future.

"It's a real pleasure to be associated with Jim and his team on this project," said Ultra Tech president Don Hagarty. "We believe in what they're doing to support the troops ... it's something we believe in strongly." Hagarty said his company was responsible for rebuilding the MPH's interior.

Ultra Tech is under contract for just under $1 million to reset this and two other MPHs, said Uribe, adding Ultra Tech may be contracted to reset a fourth MPH. Ultra Tech's work is commissioned by Alion Science and Technology as a subcontractor to Honeywell in support of TACOM.

The MPH that was rebuilt here was in Kuwait for three years before coming back to the states for restoration. Uribe said the military wants to get another five years out of it. Uribe said Mobile Parts Hospitals in Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan have manufactured a total of 77,051 critical parts.

"What a fabulous crew Mr. Hagarty has," said Kevin Ksiazek, materials and manufacturing division manager for Alion. "Everybody stepped up to the plate ... you all played a very, very good part to this mission." Ksiazek said every employee at Ultra Tech made it possible to meet the 14-week deadline.

Founded by Hagarty in 1984, Ultra Tech has 30 employees. Ksiazek, who works in Detroit, Mich., said he wanted to deal with a company in this part of the country. He said he found Ultra Tech on the Internet.

Hagarty said he expects to receive the second MPH for reset in late July, which he expects to turn around in three months. He said the third MPH would then probably come to the Falls in late November.

"It's a fantastic patriotic feather in [Cuyahoga Falls'] cap," said City Councilmember Terry Mader (R-8), a Marine Corps veteran who served in Vietnam two of his four years in the service.

"I really appreciate Ultra Tech getting awarded the contract from the military to build this portable machine shop for our military personnel that are out there in the action and need this kind of facility to keep them up to speed with repairs on their weaponry," Mader said.

E-mail: swiandt@recordpub.com

Phone: 330-688-0088 ext. 3141