Piecing together the life of a part Published March 14, 2011 By Brandice J. O'Brien Tinker Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- Tinker is a well-oiled machine. Comprised of many organizations and partnering agencies, they keep the warfighter and all of its components a top priority. Should a mechanic or machinist have an issue with a part, such as an engine component, there are thousands of personnel already working in the background, armed with a game plan and positive attitude to tackle the task at hand. Among them, planners and Defense Logistics Agency personnel keep parts on the shelves. "There are a lot of lives at stake and we want to make sure when our warfighters are flying planes, the engines are not one of the problems they have to worry about," said Milford Berryman, 548th Propulsion Maintenance Squadron planner for the General Electric section. It may appear elementary. If a mechanic has an issue with a part, he follows the necessary protocol and continues about his business; and that's the way it's supposed to happen. Behind the scenes, it's a tad more complicated. Mr. Berryman said if there is anything goes wrong in a shop, a computer will send a message advising a mechanic to see a planner. The planner will submit the paperwork to start the repair process, if the part can be salvaged. A part can be repaired roughly 95 percent of the time. If deemed repairable, the part is cleaned, disassembled, inspected, fixed and inspected again. The part is also cleaned again, re-inspected to ensure it meets safety standards and reassembled. The process takes 37 flow days. With the exception of foreign market sales, Mr. Berryman said the part may not return to aircraft it came from, so parts have to be interchangeable to keep aircraft from being grounded. Before a part can be labeled "condemned," it must first be tested for wear, tear, cracks and metal fatigue. "When we find one that is questionable, it has to go to an engineering review and it has to be verified that in no way it can be repaired," Mr. Berryman said. If a part is condemned, DLA personnel do their best to prevent a hold-up and oftentimes have a spare part ready to go. Shelves are stocked with parts, or consumable items, based on either historical usage rates or projected demand data provided by the Air Force. Col. Richard Schwing, DLA Oklahoma City commander, said last year DLA sold $606 million in parts to the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. If a part, such as a compressor spool, cannot be found on the shelf at Tinker, DLA will query other military installations if they have the part. If this is unsuccessful, DLA Aviation at Richmond, Va., will initiate a purchase, ensuring the manufacturer meets all technical specifications. Some parts can be purchased quickly through emergency local purchase processes. In other emergency situations, DLA can also turn to the 76th Maintenance Wing, which can rebuild or manufacture an item. "It's a team effort," Colonel Schwing said. "Here at Tinker we have a great team that DLA is part of and we want to be imbedded in all of the processes out there in the industrial areas. The more that DLA knows about potential problems with a part, the more time we have to work it."