Statement of Urgency - Electropolish WA - 3-16-2021_Redacted.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY

WATERVLIET ARSENAL

1 BUFFINGTON STREET

WATERVLIET, NEW YORK 12189

TAWV-CO 16-Mar-2021

MEMORANDUM FOR RECORD

SUBJECT: Statement of Urgency - Purchase of Electropolish WA for chrome plate facility

1. Purpose: The purpose of this memorandum is to document the urgency with which the US Army is pursuing the transition of the chrome plate facility from GOCO to GOGO. New Electropolish WA is required to maintain production chrome quality in all large caliber cannon barrels produced at the Watervliet Arsenal.

2. Background: After a significant decline in chrome plate quality of large caliber cannon barrels, one contributing factor was determined to be declining effectiveness of electro polish which can be mitigated by direct replacement of this chemical.

3. Benet Laboratories has generated test data that demonstrates a trend in declining quality of Electropolish WA used to process cannon barrels before plating. To maintain high quality chrome that meets the Technical Data Package (TDP) requirements and meeting the required production schedule for chrome plated cannon barrels requires the expedited acquisition of this critical production material. This office requests that a new purchase order in support of the chrome plating acquisition is urgently placed.

4. Impact: If the Electropolish WA is not replaced it will have a negative effect on the quality of the chrome plating applied to large caliber cannon barrels. This will result in barrels not meeting TDP requirements and having waivers written against them which in turn will cause delays in meeting our scheduled delivery commitments.

5. POC is Mr. Terry Van Vranken, (518) 266- , John B. Zayhowski Chief of Manufacturing U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal