Central Region, HQ team members visit crane assembly plant

MANITOWOC, Wis. -

Employees from Defense Contract Management Agency Milwaukee, Central Region Command, and headquarters' DCMA Safety Center participated in a joint surveillance event at Konecranes in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, Sept. 11. The contractor produces 175-ton portal jib cranes. Each crane is valued at $46 million.

The cranes, which are manufactured and assembled on site, will be shipped to Navy shipyards to greatly enhance the Navy's capacity to perform full-service maintenance and overhaul work of surface ships and submarines.

"DCMA's support in delivering this critical capability to the Navy will greatly enhance the joint force's ability to service, repair, and reconstitute combat power in the event of a major conflict," said Army Lt. Col. Thomas Cayia, DCMA Milwaukee commander.

During the visit, the group joined Debra Bernhardt, a quality assurance specialist at DCMA Milwaukee, to view the manufacturing and assembly process. The DCMA Safety and Occupational Health team participated with Central Region personnel as a part of their fiscal year 2024 inspection and assessment program.

The vision of the safety and occupational team is to preserve capabilities through proactive safety program management. As a part of the visit, DCMA Central Region Safety and Occupational Health Manager John Gallagher took note of the need for fall protection training, confined space awareness, and the risk posed by contractor welding operations.

"The work performed by the DCMA safety team to educate and train functional specialists is critical to ensuring the agency is prepared and ready to accomplish its mission to deliver quality capabilities and relevant acquisition insight to the joint force," said Cayia.

Bernhardt began surveillance on the 175-ton crane contract in December 2021. Using a risk-based approach, Bernhardt focuses her surveillance efforts on the Navy Crane Center's critical requirements. As a result, this required her to perform surveillance on both the manufacturing floor and on the crane itself as it is assembled by the contractor. Bernhardt frequently observes welding operations, utilizes vertical lift platforms to observe the assembly process, and climbs a series of ladders to ensure the cranes are meeting the Navy's specific quality requirements.

"My favorite part of working on the project is watching the large pieces get lifted onto the crane during the assembly process," she said.

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