bae systems global combat systems advantage · gcs munitions managing director ian anderton (right)...

BAE Systems Global Combat Systems

EssEntial rEading for BaE systEms pEoplE // QuartEr 2 2012

advantagewww.employeepublications-baesystems.com/advantage

supporting the servicesgcs VEhiclEs’ nEw BusinEss fixEs focus on customEr

innovative hybrid drive delivers power to the heavyweightsFull story pages 10-11

coast is clear For production oF guns For us navy shipsFull story page 14-15

gcs women are empowered to take control oF their Futures Full story page 20-21

photo: © mod 2011

2 • briefing

BaE systems advantage

mAnAGinG dirECtor’S wElComE

inside this edition

Highlights

02 BriEfings 06 on thE coVEr putting thE

‘sErVicE’ in support sErVicEs 09 framEwork for succEss 10 powEr for thE hEaVywEights 12 cV90 put to thE tEst in us 14 coast is clEar for naVal gun 16 driVE for BusinEss in india 17 fast lanE to ValuE for monEy 20 womEn taking control 22 thrEE pEaks a clEar succEss 24 tElEprEsEncE, that’s cool

there is an old chinese proverb: “may you live in interesting times”.

well, we certainly do. there’s uncertainty for some of our employees, but also we do have some fascinating technological developments and business opportunities.

read about some of these themes in this summer issue of Advantage.

Editor: mike sweeney email: [email protected] tel: +44 (0)780 171 6452

We have to shape the business for long term

it has been a very difficult few months for people in our business with the recent rationalisation proposals announced in both sweden and the uk.

as i have previously said, this market place is very tough and we must ensure we size the business against these conditions and future requirements.

rationalisation is always difficult and i can assure you that these proposals are not made lightly. we do, however, have to

shape the business for the long term and remain competitive while at the same time retaining core capabilities.

we will endeavour to mitigate any job losses where possible and do all we can to help employees to find alternative employment if they do have to leave the business.

throughout this difficult period we have to remain focused on

delivering products and services to our customers and i know that our employees have the pride and professionalism to do just that.

we have some excellent products,

capabilities and people in global combat systems.

we recognise the economic and budgetary pressures in the market place and have developed a solid business plan going forward, with several significant export and home market opportunities across our portfolio. these opportunities include cV90, BVs10, Vehicle support services, m777, integrated weapons systems and munitions.

we are making good progress in these campaigns, using the learning from our previous programme losses, and we are focused on winning every campaign possible.

below: charliE BlakEmorE, managing dirEctor, gloBal comBat systEms

Ian Anderton appointed Chairman of CTAIGCS Munitions Managing Director Ian Anderton (right) has been appointed Chairman of Cased Telescoped Ammunition International (CTAI), the 50/50 joint venture between BAE Systems and Nexter, based in Bourges, France.

This is an important time for the programme as production of the revolutionary cannon and ammunition

systems for qualification and demonstration trials ramps up. These trials will focus on risk reduction, safety, reliability and environmental testing, and will then move into the UK MOD demonstration phase for both Scout Vehicle and Warrior Capability Sustainment programmes.

The 40mm cased telescoped ammunition will be produced

under licence from CTAI by both GCS Munitions and Nexter Munitions. For the UK MOD, it will be part of the MASS contract.

disclaimerthe publishers, authors and printers cannot accept liability for any errors or omissions. advantage is produced by global combat systems communications. Editor: mike sweeney, head of External communications, gcs. please send any comments and feedback to [email protected] articles or opinions expressed in this publication may not reflect company policy. all rights reserved. on no account may any part of this publication be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the copyright holder, application for which should be made to [email protected] and produced by connect communications ltd www.connectcommunications.co.uk© BaE systems plc 2012.

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we have to remain focused on delivering to our customer and i know that our employees have the pride and professionalism to do just that

initiAtivES>

briefing • 3

All employees are ambassadors of the Company and every employee has a part to play in becoming a good service provider – Alan lines, p7

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£14m contract will keep British Army vehicles on trackdesign services

The new Vehicles Support Services business has been awarded a two-year UK MOD contract extension to continue support of British Army tracked vehicles.

The £13.9m design services contract covers Challenger 2, Warrior, CVR (T), FV430, Titan, Trojan, Bulldog, CRARRV and the Rarden cannon.

Support Services Managing Director Alan Lines explained: “This

contract emphasises the importance of design services for the legacy fleet to the MOD. The Combat Tracks Group is a very important customer to us and I ask everyone to demonstrate the agile, responsive, flexible behaviours necessary to effectively deliver on our milestones.

“The contract also gives us the potential to identify future customer requirements which could increase the value of the contract to around £25m by additional tasking such as technical insertions, capability improvements and responding to urgent operational requirements.”

The design services contract covers a wide range of tasks including configuration control, managing reference vehicles, obsolescence, designing capability improvements, reliability enhancements and more. Some 400 tasks are on the books at the moment.

Focus on service – page 07

above: scimitar, warrior and challEngEr arE all coVErEd By thE ExtEnsion to thE dEsign sErVicEs contract

right: thE 4.5 inch gun picturEd on a typE 23 frigatE, thE formEr hms norfolk, now, as almirantE cochranE, part of thE chilEan naVy

Customer satisfaction boost for Munitionsperformance review

the mass partnership between gcs munitions and the uk mod received an impressive overall performance review score of 8.5.

this customer rating is based on munitions’ performance across the breadth of the mass contract, including manufacturing, Engineering and Business management. highlights include clear evidence of good project management, response to order volatility, two-way communications and a focus on safety.

“our best scores were in the categories of responsiveness; Quality of relationship and culture of safety. Bearing in mind the challenges we faced in 2011, this was an excellent achievement,” said munitions strategy director paul fitch.

“however, we still need to improve our performance in the categories of management of risk at a strategic level and innovation. we are committed to achieving this objective.

“overall, munitions’ performance has significantly improved since the signing of the mass contract in august 2008.”

Munitions and Weapons team up on naval gun ammunition contract collaboration gcs munitions and gcs weapons are collaborating on a life extension of the royal navy’s 4.5 inch naval gun and a new infrared (ir) illuminating payload.

munitions is responsible for the

complete round and the final assembly, and weapons is responsible for the payload. the uk mod wants to develop and upgrade the munitions, and there are new environmental requirements for hazardous substances which mean

changes have to be made to avoid obsolescence.

since 1985, weapons has been responsible for a “white light” illumination payload but now the mod wants an infrared illumination round as well. a first order for 200 payloads for qualification has been completed.

a series production contract for approximately 3,000 payloads for both ir and white light is expected next year.


4 • briefing

01 manufacturing milestone millionth fuze delivered

Junghans microtec recently announced a major milestone when it confirmed that it had manufactured and delivered the one millionth l127a4 point-detonating mortar fuze to gcs munitions, in support of the uk mod’s mortar bomb programmes.

munitions procurement director mark mcintyre said: “we are delighted to celebrate this significant achievement with Junghans microtec. they are one of our key suppliers in the provision of quality munitions to the mod. we look forward to celebrating delivery of the next millionth fuze from Junghans.”

02 surplus equipment e-auction radway green raises £300,000

radway green has held the first of a series of e-auctions for surplus plant and equipment – gcs’s largest online auction of redundant equipment to date.

the march auction was carried out with shared services indirect procurement for the secure disposal of surplus BaE systems uk assets. radway green forms part of this 22-site contract.

as a result of the transformation programme, the site has a range of surplus assets. general manager John moorby said: “on the day, we had 94 bidders from more than 20 countries and we raised more than £300,000 for the transformation programme.”

a similar e-auction has since been held at washington, uk.

03 chairman’s awards the nominations are in

the deadline has now passed for nominating in the 2012 chairman’s awards campaign. gcs received a total of 258 nominations (seven in head office, 67 in Vehicles programmes and support services, 87 in munitions and 97 in weapons).

the businesses are now busy judging the nominations and the Bronze winners will be announced in July.

Briefs

Munitions sites at Birtley and Washington have achieved a Distinction in the International British Safety Council awards for the second year running, achieving a score of 60 out of 60.

Shortly afterwards, they received further good news when they received a commendation in the RoSPA awards. The competitive ROSPA sector awards recognise the organisations that have demonstrated the best health and safety management performance within specific industry sectors.

“2011 was a challenging year, with the need to ensure a safe move from our factory at Birtley to our new facility at Washington, but we were adamant that we would not lose our focus on safety,” stressed General Manager Simon Miller.

“I am therefore delighted that our health and safety team and our employees have

received due recognition for all their hard work and dedication.

“Everyone is now continuing to make safety our number one priority, which has also been recognised through our achievement of SMM Exemplar Level 5 status at the end of 2011.”

radway green celebrates gold success in rospa awardsRadway Green has, once again, had its approach to the prevention of accidents and ill health recognised at the 2012 RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards in Birmingham in May.

Dating back to 1956, the RoSPA Occupational Health and Safety Awards scheme is the largest and longest-running programme of its kind.

It recognises commitment to accident and ill health prevention and is open to organisations of all types and sizes from across the UK and overseas.

The scheme does not just look at accident records, but also entrants’ overarching health and safety management systems, including factors such as strong leadership and workforce involvement.

RoSPA awards manager David Rawlins said: “The programme provides well-deserved recognition for the winners and spurs on other organisations to raise their standards of accident and ill health prevention. We congratulate BAE Systems Radway Green on its success and encourage it, and all our other winners, to remain committed to safety and health, an approach that is well recognised to be good for workers and the bottom line.”

Double tops for Birtley and Washington safety

leFt: maJor gEnEral carEw wilks (lEft), dirEctor, programmEs and tEchnology group in dE&s, and BrigadiEr roBErt talBot-ricE, hEad of thE comBat tracks group, at radway grEEn whErE carl BailEy, procEss managEr c Block EmptiEs, ExplainEd how round casEs arE producEd. looking on is daVE friEr, manufacturing managEr. thE two officErs also VisitEd tElford in may as part of a gcs familiarisation Visit


briefing• 5

A Munitions project team has taken a major step in the development of a shell capable of carrying a range of payloads with a gun-firing trial that demonstrated the survivability of the shell body.

If successful, the 155mm Common Carrier Shell will be the first wholly UK-designed shell body to be brought into UK service since 1978.

The design takes advantage of new technologies and was initially aimed at meeting the UK MOD’s requirements

for illuminating and smoke- screening shell variants. However, it also has the potential for delivering other innovative payloads.

During the trial, two innovative manufacturing concepts were demonstrated. Firstly, it was the first time that a large-calibre projectile, manufactured using a rapid prototyping technique, had been gun fired. Secondly, in another world first, the 155mm shell was fitted with radial friction-welded rather than

pressed driving bands. This concept increases the strength of the shell body ensuring that the shell wall can be thinner and the payload cavity bigger.

Pictured above are the project team of Tom Mayes, Adam Stubbs, Andy Wescott (ATC) and Mike Rumfitt.

Two world firsts for Munitions

IT security trainingin order to protect BaE systems assets and sensitive information from increasingly more sophisticated and difficult-to-detect cyberattacks, a series of mandatory online it security modules have been created to help you understand the threats.

these modules were first released last year, but it is essential that everyone completes them as the training demonstrates how we can all play an active part in our global defence.

you can check which modules you have already completed by logging on to skillport and selecting the “my progress” option.

End of an era announcement strikes a national chordnewcastle site closure proposal

Widespread media coverage followed the announcement that GCS was to consult on the closure of its Newcastle site at the end of 2013 with the loss of up to 330 jobs. That interest was magnified with an announcement at the same time of up to 280 proposed job losses in the Munitions business and ten at Farnborough head office.

GCS Vehicles Programmes Managing Director David Bond broke the news to employees at 9.30am on 31 May and the media were informed an hour later. Local and national reporters immediately besieged the site and jammed the phone lines – a mark of the site’s place in history as much as the blow to the local economy

David told the BBC, ITV and Sky that it was a “sad day” for employees at Newcastle and referred to its “long and proud heritage on the Tyne”.

He also pointed out that the proposed closure of the site at the end of 2013 gives time to manage the rundown of the site and allow people to plan for the future and find alternative work.

He added: “We will be working

above: gcs VEhiclEs programmEs managing dirEctor daVid Bond is intErViEwEd By tynE tEEs

with the trade unions to mitigate job losses and ensure that we offer the best possible support to our employees including retraining and outplacement services.”

At one time, a third of the city’s workforce was employed at the old Elswick armaments site, founded in 1847 to build ships and howitzers. Of course, the site is most famous as the birthplace of the tank.

Meanwhile, proposed job losses at Radway Green, Glascoed and

Washington stem from major efficiency improvements delivered through the MASS investment programme and the UK MOD reducing its ammunition buy.

Managing Director Charlie Blakemore, reflecting the message at recent strategy roadshows, commented: “We need to adapt to very challenging market conditions and further reduce our overheads to drive better value for our customers and increase our competitiveness in the export market.”


6 • Spotlight

“we can offer a range of reliability, protection, mobility, and firepower and stealth upgrade packages tailored to individual customer requirements”

photo: © mod 2011


Spotlight • 7

putting the ‘service’ in support services

following the split of gcs Vehicles into two businesses – programmes and support services – managing director alan lines explains why a responsive culture will be vital to grow support services. look out for an interview with programmes managing director david Bond in the next issue of Advantage

alan Lines wants to put renewed focus on customers in order to build growth.

The new Vehicles Support Services Managing Director is resolute on ensuring his organisation delivers on its five-year Integrated Business Plan. He has identified improving customer engagement and aggressively pursuing export campaigns to potential customers as his two top objectives.

“If we are to win business in our home and export markets, we must deliver outstanding performance and delight our many customers. All employees are ambassadors of the Company and every employee has a part to play in becoming a good service provider.”

The 15 nations which operate the CVR(T) family are a top export target.

“For customers such as these, we can offer a range of reliability, protection, mobility, and firepower and stealth upgrade packages tailored to individual customer requirements,” he says.

“Many of these offerings are based on work already carried out to the UK’s demanding requirements so users will have the benefits of our OEM (original equipment manufacturer) and upgrade experience.

“We can give them solutions which

are proven in UK service on operations in Europe and the Middle East.”

Support Services in Sweden has a worldwide customer base and has sold more than 11,000 Bv206 all-terrain vehicles, of which more than 3,000 are still in service with at least 15 countries. The business aims to recapture some of this support business lost, like CVR(T), to third parties.

“In Sweden we have some very good capabilities including some comprehensive service offerings, for instance to Holland and Denmark. We have developed a through-life

leFt: an upgradEd scimitar mk2 hEadEd for thE front linE. thE 15 nations which opEratE thE cVr(t) family arE a top Export targEt idEntifiEd By alan linEs (right)

vehicles support services

continues overleaF>

8 • Spotlight

No gap in Bridging capability innovative solution

moving the Bridging business to telford as part of the gcs Vehicles transformation programme was openly challenged, by employees and customers alike.

they questioned the management about the impact of closing wolverhampton. their main argument was – “By closing the site, have we not lost the bridging capability that has served us and our customers well?”

the challenge was a fair one. But with military Bridging now up and running at telford, the hard facts about the transfer go a long way to instil confidence that gcs has retained a very strong bridging capability.

more than 20 employees have relocated to telford across all functional areas, from welders to buyers, project managers to engineers, and the management structure includes three former Bridging general managers. together, they make a strong team with hundreds of years’ experience of military bridging in manufacture and support.

in addition, the Bridging engineering team also has a new home, following the closure of the chadderton site. it will share office accommodation with BaE systems detica in leeds.

Equipment used to manufacture new cVr(t) hulls such as jigs, fixtures, and manipulators, has also been moved to telford, and is now installed and operational in the main workshop.

aluminium welding and fabrication capability is operational, and the Butler machining centre, which has the capability to machine Br90 bridge sections as well as cVr(t) and warrior hulls, is being reinstalled.

coupled with the jigs, fixtures and weld plant, the Butler machine gives telford the capability for bridge section repair and manufacture – in addition to aluminium hull repair and manufacture.

Equipment associated with the support of the Br90 vehicle is already in place in the multi-vehicle workshop at telford. a team of skilled fitters, in one workshop, now offers

support across the fleet. the on-site test track also provides a capability that the bridging business has not had before – to maintain and upgrade a vehicle and then test it immediately on site.

tim rutter, head of transformation, said: “Even with so many employees transferring to telford, we lost some experienced colleagues, who chose to leave the business during the closure process at wolverhampton. we set up a comprehensive knowledge capture activity to try to record as much knowledge as possible, and have created hundreds of pages of ‘wiki’ material on our intranet.

“knowledge capture is normally linked to restructuring activities, but it’s an invaluable tool for normal day-to-day business to store, share and learn from each other.”

he added: “during the difficult challenge of a site closure, we have worked extremely hard to retain as much Bridging capability as possible – Br90 is a core part of our platform and services portfolio.

“with so many employees retained, equipment operational, processes, data and systems tried and tested, we can be confident to answer the challenge that telford is fully ready to deliver the exceptional levels of customer service for which the Bridging business has built a deserved reputation over many years.”

capability web portal to communicate effectively with customers and have performed extensive levels of support and upgrade in Afghanistan. We must capitalise on these capabilities.”

The business has been restructured to reflect these priorities – in particular, increasing the focus on “bread-and-butter” spares and repairs in the UK and overseas business development to help drive growth.

“There is no doubt, 2012 is a challenging year with shrinking defence budgets. However, we must pull out the stops to deliver on existing contracts, gain the trust of existing and new customers and win future orders,” says Alan.

“In particular, it’s vital, particularly if we want to achieve a flexible and responsive service culture, that we empower all our people to help us devise innovative solutions to meet customer needs and grow the business.”

Alan emphasises the point that the consolidation of facilities in Telford (see panel on right) and established relationships with key suppliers – who increasingly take part in the design process – give huge synergies over the whole product life cycle.

“These factors means we can design and deliver support solutions more quickly and effectively than we did before.”

He points to the “great capability” within the business. “We have a fine track record of delivering vital UOR (urgent operational requirement) upgrades for British Army vehicles – a fact recognised in Warrior and CVR (T) recently receiving Chief of Defence Materiel awards.

“In addition, the support team in Sweden services CV90 and BvS10 operators in countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden and Norway. Engineers from there and the UK frequently work long hours alongside soldiers in theatre to keep the vehicles operating in the harshest of conditions.

“With skills, facilities, dedication and programmes such as these we have firm foundations upon which to grow an excellent support services business.”

<From previous page

leFt: tElford offErs full onE-stop-shop support to thE Br90 Bridging systEm which is at thE corE of thE BusinEss

right: aluminium wElding and faBrication capaBility is now opErational at tElford

Firm foundations to grow support service business


Spotlight• 9

everyone is well aware of the fragile economic climate we currently find ourselves in, and

it is inevitable that this will continue to have a negative effect on the defence budgets of many nations, particularly those in the West. At the same time, the conclusion of the coalition campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan means our customers are reviewing the kind of military equipment they will need for future defence.

As a result, competition in all our markets is fiercer than ever and many programmes are being delayed or cancelled. There are, however, areas of the globe that have been less affected by the financial crisis and these are markets which we must attempt to break into to help to ensure we sustain the GCS business and achieve our financial goals.

One example of such an emerging economy is India, where significant investment is being made in modernising their Armed Forces and building their domestic defence industry (see page 16). There are several opportunities for GCS in India, including sales of M777 and the Future Infantry Combat Vehicle programme, though there are also many challenges to address in order to succeed in this market.

When Charlie Blakemore became Managing Director of GCS in September last year, he was keen that we undertook a thorough review of the market and ensure that our strategic direction is aligned with our customers’ needs.

This Strategy Review process involved the GCS Management Committee, with the support of my Strategy & Planning team grappling with the myriad challenges facing the GCS business and how we succeed in tackling them. In doing so we considered a wide range of factors, including geopolitical and

macroeconomic trends, competitors, markets, and business models.

While the GCS Strategic Framework has evolved, the central tenets of our strategy are very similar to those in previous years: we must add value to the wider BAE Systems, and therefore shareholders, by delivering competitive products and services to customers. This can be achieved by delivering on our existing commitments, capturing new business, and in doing so meet or exceed our financial targets.

New business can mean winning new contracts for our existing portfolio of products, but it can also mean extending our current offerings. Extending the scope of the MASS contract and increasing munitions exports, broadening our platform support services, growing into emerging markets such as India, Brazil, Malaysia, are all examples of how this might be achieved. We also need to do more to exploit the opportunities to support and upgrade the global installed base of equipment.

Exceeding our financial targets relies on delivering existing contracts

on time and to cost as well as securing new orders; at the same time, it is important that we all work to reduce costs and ensure that investment is targeted effectively. Clear strategies for each of our products and services are essential to set the right direction.

The sales of M777, recent orders for BvS10, good progress on major CV90 campaigns, growing interest in our naval weapons, and the continued success of MASS all prove that we have the ability to deliver world-class products and services, and show that if we continue to follow a strategy of competitiveness we will be successful in the future.

strategy director John gutteridge outlines the global market and what we must do to grow our business

above: John guttEridgE says clEar stratEgiEs for Each of our products and sErVicEs arE EssEntial to sEt thE right dirEction

Framework for success

Global Combat Systems Strategic Framework

Our vision is to be a leading provider to the global land and naval market

Our values are Trusted, Innovative and Bold

Our mission is to deliver sustainable growth in shareholder value through our commitment to Total Performance

Customer Focus Programme Execution Financial Performance Responsible Behaviour

Our Strategy is to create value by delivering competitive products and services

Exceed our financial targetsDeliver all commitments on time and to cost

Sell our products and services into new markets

Reduce cost to increase

competitiveness

Dynamically improve service delivery

Restore Vehicles to sustainable

profitability

Increase exports of artillery and naval systems

Expand MASS and grow Munitions

exports

Strategic Actions

if we continue to follow a strategy of competitiveness, we will be successful in the future

global combat systems strategy



10 • innovation

drawing on more than 15 years of focus and investment in series hybrid electric technology, GCS Vehicles in

Örnsköldsvik has been a leader in developing the drivelines of the future.

Now the business hopes to soon have its first serial contract with a proven and packaged product named TorqE. Customers have already tried the new system and they like it.

“We have identified a need for more productive, precise and efficient powertrains in industrial vehicles and applications,” explained Håkan Näslund, Sales and Programs Director for the Environmental Mobility Center in Örnsköldsvik.

“We offer a portfolio of complete series hybrid electric drivelines for medium-heavy duty vehicles. We have packaged our knowledge and experience, and can now offer our electric drive system to civil industry such as mining and construction, terminal logistics and airport ground support.

“We can harnass our drive systems pedigree to provide vehicle manufacturers with the right answers for a wide range of applications.”

TorqE uses modular, standard components. It delivers flexible, optimised performance levels and increased reliability at a significantly lower life-cycle cost compared with conventional drive systems.

Its modular design incorporates a wide range of components and makes it easy to adapt to fit specific original vehicle manufacturer requirements. It is designed for vehicles ranging from 20 to more than 130 tonnes.

hybrid electric technology

power For the heavyweightsgroundbreaking torqE system delivers extra boost for vehicles with demanding missions

01 torqe® classic

•The existing transmission is replaced with a generator and a traction motor

02 torqe® aXle

• A highly efficient design with only a few moving parts

03 torqe® hub

•A compact design for vehicles where space is limited and power requirements are high

torQE® classic

torQE® axlE

torQE® huB


innovation• 11

The TorqE family incorporates three standard variants, each of which can be customised to meet individual demands.

TorqE® CLASSIC – For fitting a conventional vehicle with hybrid electric drive. The existing transmission is replaced with a generator and a traction motor. This achieves most of the advantages associated with hybrid electric drive technology with minimal impact on the existing vehicle. TorqE Classic also provides a pragmatic solution for

vehicles with uneven torque demand between axles during the drive cycle.

TorqE® AXLE – A highly efficient design with only a few moving parts. The axle ends are of standard type with selectable gear ratio. They can be of pivot type to allow for steering. This design guarantees a long, cost-efficient life cycle.

TorqE® HUB – A compact design for vehicles where space is limited and power requirements are high. It delivers precise torque control, with anti-slip and torque vectoring features.

“We have identified three integration models which together provide TorqE technology to a wide range of applications and which makes it adaptable to different markets. It can be applied to any operation facing extreme power and precision demands, alongside productivity and efficiency pressures,” said Håkan.

Vehicles that are in production can be modified in their design to incorporate TorqE Classic. The integration minimises impact on the existing design. In turn, this reduces risk

and time-to market. The solution is a perfect fit for vehicles such as heavy loaders.

When a vehicle is being completely redesigned with hybrid electric technology in mind, TorqE Axle provides an ideal solution. Productivity and precision increase further while still providing a cost-effective solution. This is well-suited to a variety of heavy vehicles such as mine trucks.

And finally, when new specialist vehicles are being designed, TorquE Hub can provide the ultimate in control. Operators can take advantage of features including superior vector control and extreme all-wheel steering, benefiting applications such as aircraft pushback.

“There is a huge expectation on the market place for new, more efficient, drive train solutions. We have customer vehicles in field trials with TorqE, with very good results. We are in commercial discussions with more than 30 vehicle manufacturers and negotiating with more than ten. The market is out there and we have the product,” said Håkan Näslund.

TorqE – Hybrid Electric Technologyhybrid electric technology allows for more compact vehicle designs, enabling productivity increases of up to 35 per cent.

the solution exploits the latest in high-power, modular technology and advanced control algorithms to provide leading-edge precision performance alongside smoother driving dynamics.

series hybrids, which are what gcs Vehicles offers, run on one or more electric motors that draw their power from batteries or from the internal combustion engine. this allows heavy industrial vehicles to get more power directly to their wheels while achieving a lower fuel consumption. Energy savings can at times be as much as 30 per cent. these vehicles burn up tons of fuel each year, so this means a major gain for the environment, considerable financial savings as well as a significant increase in productivity.

hybrid electric technology

we have packaged our knowledge and experience, and can now offer our system to civil industry such as mining and construction

below: håkan näslund, salEs and programs dirEctor for thE EnVironmEntal moBility cEntEr in ÖrnskÖldsVik

12 • CuStomer foCuS


the US Army has been putting the CV90’s capabilities to the test as part of an information-gathering exercise

for a planned future infantry fighting vehicle to replace M2 Bradleys in heavy brigade combat teams.

GCS Vehicles had a CV9035 and field service representatives (FSRs) in the deserts around Fort Bliss in Texas and the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico for a week in May to support the US Army’s “non-developmental vehicle” (NDV) assessment. The US Army’s intent was to validate capabilities against their requirements.

The assessments have been conducted on domestic vehicles – the M2A3 Bradley Fighting Vehicle, the double-hulled M1126 Stryker infantry vehicle and a stretched turretless Bradley – as well as the Israeli Namer and GCS Vehicles’ CV9035, the Mark III version currently in service with the Dutch and Danish armies.

Conducting the NDV assessments at Fort Bliss has allowed the Army to use an operationally relevant environment. These operational assessments have focused on field

us army puts cv90 through its pacesgcs Vehicles team supports exercises as soldiers carry out tough test of capabilities in deserts of texas and new mexico

the leadership sessions inFantry Fighting vehicle assessment

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: © u

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user group launched after the success of the Bvs10 user group, gcs Vehicles support services in Örnsköldsvik has established a similar forum for the cV90 users called cV90 – system development Board (sdB).

the member nations are sweden, norway, switzerland, the netherlands, denmark and finland, all of them cV90 customers and also members of the existing cV90 club.

the cV90 club members had expressed their need to find a way to better focus on modifications and improvements of the vehicle system.

“we have now established a new forum in order to meet that need,” said Jesper skogetun, head of strategic marketing for support services. “our cV90 customers are very pleased by this initiative from BaE systems.”

the first meeting was held in Örnsköldsvik in april and included agreeing its terms of reference and defining the expectations among the members, and there was a presentation of current technologies. the members also got a chance to drive a cV90 armadillo with rubber tracks at the test track in nearby nordanås.

“the cV90-sdB strives to align and identify modifications that can be performed jointly with other cV90 customers in order to get synergies in the requirements and developments,” said Jesper.

the cV90-sdB will be meeting every six months in Örnsköldsvik hosted by BaE systems. an immediate outcome from the first meeting was a request for BaE systems to provide a proposal of a life-cycle cost study for steel tracks versus rubber tracks to be presented at the cV90 club meeting in may.

Jesper said: “as with the Bvs10 user group, the cV90-sdB will increase our market interaction and customer focus in a concrete way, in line with our company strategy. it is all about maximising the benefits for our customers.”

observations, soldier surveys and interviews, and situational training exercises under varying conditions.

“It has become clear that crews and soldiers alike hold the CV90 in a very high regard,” said Dan Lindell, CV90 Platform Manager. “I personally have particularly appreciated learning which features make a real difference to them.”

In order to allow for a correct tactical employment, the CV9035 was fitted with a US C4I suite and the MILES simulation system.

“This is the culmination of a six-month project where we have worked closely with the US Army to provide a comprehensive picture of the CV90’s outstanding capabilities,” said Per Samuelsson, US Sales Director at GCS Vehicles in Sweden and project lead

for the NDV effort. “I firmly believe that a modified CV90 could be a highly viable and cost-effective alternative for the US Army’s Ground Combat Vehicle (GCV) programme.

“This project would never have been such a success if it wasn’t for

the diligence and dedication of everyone involved.”

Lieutenant Colonel Brian Byers, US Army lead for the NDV assessment, said: “I thank you for the great support you have provided. The CV9035 performed well. The

vehicle and your team are a great credit to your

organisation.”The result of the US Army’s

CV90 assessment will eventually be briefed back to the business in July or August. Land & Armaments in the US is also developing a new design, featuring hybrid electric drive, for GCV.

Customers get new CV90 forum

above and opposite: us troops tEsting out thE cV90

leFt: a BrEak in thE dEsErt hEat for thE gcs VEhiclEs tEam. from lEft: pEtEr h lindstrÖm (lEad fsr), pEtEr lundgrEn (fsr), dan lindEll (cV90 platform managEr), christEr Byhlin (fsr)

CuStomer foCuS • 13

onE of thE us army crEws

manning thE cV90

ph

oto

: © u

s ar

my



gCS Weapons is to build four more 57mm Mk3 guns for the US Littoral Combat

Ships (LCS) – two for each variant, produced by Lockheed Martin and Austal/General Dynamics.

The options for 2012 production were exercised in late April by both teams, enabling Karlskoga to have more-or-less unbroken production of the gun system which, together with the 3P six-mode programmable ammunition, is a very versatile weapon for all types of conflict.

The US breakthrough for the 57 Mk3 came with its selection for the US Coast Guard’s National Security Cutter in 2003.

The initial contracts for the LCS were signed in 2004. The US Navy then ordered two test ships per industry team and the deck gun of choice for both ship configurations

was the 57 Mk3 (the US Navy gun denomination is 57mm Mk110 Mod 0). Those four guns – one per ship, two per team – were delivered during 2006/2007.

Following successful test results, early in 2011 GCS Weapons received contracts for more 57 Mk3 guns for the series production of the LCS ships. Once again, the contracts were for four guns (two ships and two guns per industry team). Those contracts also included options for guns intended for all LCS ships to be ordered during the years 2012-2015.

GCS Weapons is now expecting additional contracts for guns intended for the US Coast Guard, and possibly for more guns for the LCS ships in the first half of 2013.

The LCS 57 Mk3 guns are assembled and tested in Karlskoga, Sweden, while the US Coast Guard

guns are assembled and tested at BAE Systems Weapon Systems’ site in Louisville, Kentucky.

LCS is designed with a shallow draft to operate in coastal waters and counter “asymmetric” threats such as coastal mines, quiet diesel

Coast is clear for gun production

above: thE 57mk 3 and its VErsatilE 3p ammunition makE it idEal for an lcs VEssEl (in this casE thE lockhEEd martin dEsign) dEsignEd to dEal with a widE rangE of thrEats

the gEnEral dynamics dEsign for thE us littoral comBat ship


CuStomer foCuS• 15

swedish army days

during the swedish army’s ground combat days in may, a special Vip showed up among the invited foreign defence attachés, defence industry companies and representatives from the swedish mod.

his royal highness prince carl philip didn’t want to miss this opportunity to learn more about the military vehicles on display – or maybe it was the opportunity to test-drive them that attracted him.

the swedish crown prince, who completed his military service at the amphibious Battalion at the swedish coast artillery regiment and was later appointed captain in the swedish navy, is also well known for enjoying car racing, a passion he has inherited from his great uncle prince Bertil.

prince carl philip participated in the porsche gt3 cup challenge scandinavia racing series and won the porsche gt3 Endurance scandinavia in the 2010 championship.

the swedish army’s ground combat days take place every

second year at ravlunda artillery range in the

south of sweden, and this year both

gcs weapons and gcs Vehicles participated.

weapons demonstrated

archer, lemur and soldier systems

while Vehicles displayed the cV90 armadillo, in which the prince took a keen interest. after an introduction from per kjelltoft, head of demonstrations, the prince took command of the vehicle and drove away. after ten minutes he returned with a big smile on his face.

the swedish armed forces also arranged a “live” exercise in which they demonstrated their military skills and

capabilities. archer was shown during this exercise and once again gcs attracted the attention of prince carl philip, who took a ride in archer and initiated live firings.

“this provided the company with the opportunity to demonstrate the archer system’s operational capability, which was very successful,” said ulf glockner, programme manager.

see the prince enjoy his test drive here: http://ws-intranet.ent.baesystems.com/sites/gcs/vehicles/publishing images/carl_philip_ 2012-05-11.wmv

Prince swaps GT3 for CV90

Coast is clear for gun productionsubmarines and terrorists or pirates in small, fast, armed boats.

The General Dynamics team design is a high-speed trimaran with a slender stabilised monohull. Lockheed Martin’s ship features a high-speed semi-planing monohull.

The six-mode 57mm 3P (the US denomination is Mk295) programmable, pre-fragmented and proximity-fused ammunition allows the system to perform against an aerial, surface or ground threat without requiring multiple round types.

Sailors can switch from warning to live fire to engage a target in seconds, and the servo-controlled electro-hydraulic gun laying system provides robust endurance and extreme targeting accuracy, even in high sea-state conditions.

above: princE carl philip at thE controls of thE cV90 armadillo and, picturEd lEft, with his co-driVEr callE forsBErg from gcs VEhiclEs at ÖrnskÖldsVik. thE princE took thE cV90 armadillo for a tEst driVE – and thE smilE on his facE Just got BiggEr below: archEr on show at thE BaE systEms display


pEoplE> i am fortunate that i can both perform a demanding job and maintain my role within the territorial Army due to having a very supportive employer – Stephen Arnot, p23

leFt: anand mahindra, VicE chairman and managing dirEctor of thE mahindra group, with guy griffiths (lEft), BaE systEms group managing dirEctor – intErnational, and dEan mccumiskEy, managing dirEctor and chiEf ExEcutiVE for india, at thE BaE systEms stand at dEfExpo, thE BiEnnial ExhiBition in nEw dElhi

indian defence spending is predicted to increase from the current 1.8 per cent of nominal gross

domestic product to 2.2 per cent over the next 10-15 years. GCS is spearheading the Company’s business development drive in this market where its technologies and products are in demand.

One of the most significant programmes is the Future Infantry Combat Vehicle. Defence Land Systems India (DLSI), BAE Systems’ joint venture with multinational group Mahindra & Mahindra, is bidding for this 2,610-vehicle programme, which is the largest of its kind in the world.

GCS spearheads drive for more business in IndiaAdvantage reports from Defexpo on prospects in the subcontinent


in india, technology transfer is what really drives an agreement, and that’s what we’re bringing to the table

As part of the partnership, GCS Vehicles is providing DLSI with vehicle mobility technology, prime contracting, and systems engineering capability.

“In India, technology transfer is what really drives an agreement, and that’s what we’re bringing to

the table,” said Dean McCumiskey, Managing Director and Chief Executive of BAE Systems India.

The Indian Army’s need for new artillery also presents several opportunities for GCS, and discussions are under way between the Indian and US governments for a possible sale of the M777 howitzer in support of the Indian Army’s modernisation programme.

As mobility is a key driver for the Indian Army, BAE Systems had three positive responses to that need in the CV90, BvS10 and M777 on display. Each has class-leading mobility.


right: routE 18 and mxp will kick out cost and Boost pErformancE

the uk mod’s constricted budget means that all suppliers must get even better at delivering on time as cost-effectively as possible. that was what nick hunt, dE&s head of munitions, international and torpedoes told the munitions Business development/procurement conference in chepstow.

with a theme of “Business growth through innovation”, the conference included customers and key suppliers.

as part of his presentation, nick hunt said: “my key message is that, like everyone else, the mod is facing challenging financial environments, which means that all our partners within the munitions supply chain must strive to ensure continued timely delivery of quality products and services as cost effectively as possible.”

this need to change was also highlighted by the launch of the route 18 cost-down initiative.

typical supplier feedback reaction was that it was “great to hear the challenge to do things differently and demand more”.

munitions procurement director mark mcintyre summarised the day: “it was an excellent event with very positive feedback. Everyone seemed to get some benefit from attending and it was a great opportunity for us to launch our route 18 initiative and to get key supplier buy-in.”

Suppliers sign up for Route 18

business initiatives

Munitions is mapping the way to business success with two strategic initiatives.

Route 18 is the new programme that focuses on improving financial performance and developing a cost-down culture to further improve value for money for customers.

“The strategic programme aims to significantly improve our cost base to help us achieve our 2018 objectives of 15 per cent return on sales, profit levels of £60m and to grow the business so MASS represents only 50 per cent of our sales,” explained Programme Manager Alister Hill. “The plan or route map towards these goals for 2018 is how the programme name was derived.”

The Munitions cost base will be improved through three focused streams of activity:

• a review of the major cost contributors into the Munitions Item Price

• a similar review of the Strategic Capability Charge

• workshops with pan-function attendance on topics such as “price to win” and “design to cost”.

“We need to challenge our approach to cost efficiency in a constructive way and be aware of the impacts our decisions can have on our long-term costs,” added Alister.

“Everyone could potentially make cost decisions which could affect our competitiveness and our ability to win new business. It is important that we make the right decisions consistently.”

A second strategic initiative, the Munitions Excellence Programme (MXP), helps teams improve their working processes to drive business improvement.

MXP will provide guidelines on how teams, led by functional and operational managers, can deliver daily performance and continuous improvement in their areas and will be used in conjunction with the Munitions Business Management System to give teams a clear definition

of the processes they must operate. MXP is part of the Continuous

Improvement (CI) exemplar plan. CI Programme Manager Les

Cooper said: “Our journey to achieve operational excellence and our need to change has never been greater, nor is it optional.

“We will not improve at the rate required unless all of our teams are effectively operating the processes in the MXP framework on a day-to-day basis.”

CuStomer foCuS• 17

Fast lane to value for money for customers



LUMA – an illuminating storyinnovation

one of the characteristics of the filling of an infrared round is that the burning time is considerably longer than for the usual “white light” round, approximately 2.5 times longer.

with this in mind, gcs weapons has now developed a new parachute for the munitions, which keeps the payload aloft

longer and so takes advantage of the longer burning time.

simply put, a slow descent means fewer shots are required, which means lower costs for the customer.

two firing demonstrations have been completed with good results. as a result, the uk mod has decided to implement the new parachute system in both luma white light and luma ir

munitions. the qualification will start early this summer and will take about eight months.

weapons has recently received a contract for 5,000 l43a5s (white light) with the new parachute, with an option for another 5,000.

since 2002, gcs weapons has manufactured approximately 40,000 luma l43a4s (white light) at its workshops in karlskoga.

01 glascoed boxes clever for gunners

• GCS Munitions production employees from glascoed and innovation team members got first-hand experience of their products – and came up with ideas to boost combat effectiveness – when they visited the royal artillery at larkhill in wiltshire with mod colleagues.“we gained valuable insights into possible improvements that

could be implemented,” observed head of communications Edmund mcmahon turner.

“it was clear from this visit that improvements could be made to packaging, to help make unpacking munitions less

labour-intensive and reduce

the crucial time from setup to fire.”

the innovation

group is now looking at several initiatives, including a pack that would

allow the shell to be set and stacked closer to the weapon, without the need for the intermediate stockpile.

02 mod chiefs get mass lowdown

• Lieutenant General gary coward, pictured here, above, and

colonel richard aspray have visited glascoed and the new washington facility.

the dE&s chief of materiel for land and the munitions team leader had site tours and updates on mass infrastructure investments, together with new projects such

as roll-controlled guided mortar, insensitive munitions and cased telescoped ammunition.

03 Firing demos of 40mk4 and lemur

• Guests from sweden, finland and

Brazil witnessed a gcs weapons firing demonstration of the 40mk4 naval gun. ten rounds were fired at different speeds and at different elevations.

also on show was the lemur roof-mounted electro-optical stabilised sight with 12.7mm and 30mm armaments, displayed on an rg32.

the visit was an important part in the launch of the 40mk4 and in the marketing of lemur.

glascoEd EmployEEs at

larkhill

thE 40mk4 naVal gun

andy munt, programmE managEr, BriEfs gEn coward at thE cta assEmBly facility at glascoEd, accompaniEd By paul rogErs, EnginEEring dirEctor gcs munitions (right)

Briefs

people• 19


above: 20 gcs wEapons EmployEEs at Barrow haVE achiEVEd thE status of lEan practitionErs

Advantage looks at how employees at Weapons’ three sites are getting Lean

5S helps to trim the fat

barrow-in-Furness, uk

GCS Weapons at Barrow hosted a visit from BAE Systems Maritime – Submarines employees to share best practice in the deployment of Lean tools and techniques.

The visitors were given a tour of the facility where they were shown how GCS Weapons is applying standardised work in both the shop floor and management environments.

Submarines has a suite of Lean training programmes ranging from a one-week foundation course to a six-month programme ending in a recognised Lean qualification.

Weapons has been involved in

the courses from the outset with representatives attending the courses as well as hosting knowledge-sharing visits as part of the programmes. About 20 Weapons employees have completed the six-month programme and achieved the status of lean practitioners from the Institute of Leadership and Management.

Following each visit, the Weapons Continuous Improvement team receives feedback from the participants on what they have seen. This takes the format of what they believe is good, what can be improved and what the participants will take back from their visit and apply in their own working environment.

hattiesburg, us

over the past two years, hattiesburg has sent eight employees to a lean certification programme offered through mississippi state university’s

college of Engineering. this course’s objective is to

develop participant skills in the recognition and elimination of waste and to improve flow in their operations.

participants will apply these techniques on an approved project that targets substantial benefits to their respective organisations.

not only has this training benefited the employees, hattiesburg is able to see the value for money. one good

example is the dfcs cart project. the team created a process and a cart to allow a safe and organised method for delivering the m777 howitzer fire control system from system verification to warehouse to production cell at reduced cost.

Employees completing the lean certification course are members of hattiesburg’s lean committee and are able to lead lean initiatives throughout the facility. the site intends to send more employees on the course.

Weapons and Submarines teams share best practice

Mississippi improves the flow

karlskoga, sweden

Lean philosophy and related tools and methods are delivering improved efficiency in operations at Karlskoga, Sweden. The drive, launched in autumn 2011, aims to have all parts of the Operations function implementing and living by the 5S principles this year.

“We are taking a series of small steps towards a culture of good order, standardisation and continuous improvement. Our goal is for these things to become a natural part of the function’s work and also to make live information visible in the business.

“One great advantage, among many others, is that Lean work has also had a positive effect in other areas such as SHE,” said Stefan Nylén, Head of the Operations Lean Forum.

“The Lean Forum includes representatives from the assemblers, management, production, quality, and the trade unions. The forum aims to operate as a support in the implementation, development and maintenance of the Lean initiative. The Forum is responsible for spreading the Lean way of thinking in business, and to lead and co-ordinate the practical work with Lean,” said Stefan.

A 5S pilot for offices and common areas adjacent to the offices is also under way.

Five words for effeciencythe 5s method of workplace organisation, which has its origins in Japan, stands for sort, stabilise, shine, standardise, sustain. 5s involves creating a common standard in the workplace, keeping it clean, and having everything back in its place so that things are easy to find.

20 • people


diversity and inclusion

“The Women’s Development Programme has helped me to re-evaluate myself and take control of my own future. It has empowered me to take control of any obstacles that I feel have prevented me from achieving my career goals by changing the way I see and relate to them.”

Karen Williams’s reaction sums up the feelings of 20 women from across GCS who recently participated in the programme aimed at developing female careers in a traditionally male-dominated industry.

Karen, Engineering Project Controller (Surveillance and ISS) from GCS Munitions at Glascoed, feels totally motivated by what the course taught her about herself but also learning about what was stopping her from reaching her full potential and how to overcome it.

She said: “I would recommend this course to anyone who is lucky enough to have access to it as it is an excellent

GCS women are taking control of their future

Influential and inspiring speakers“influencing” was the theme of the latest in a series of “connecting women@munitions” events

guest speakers at the radway green event included rachel Brastock, gcs head of talent &

leadership development, who presented on influencing skills. head of legal leigh gothard outlined her career and the lessons she had learnt.

cheryl percival, small arms ammunition development engineer, (pictured left) said: “this was a really interesting and enjoyable event, especially since the theme of influencing was relevant to people from all areas of the business, whether for use in work or at home. leigh gothard’s session was an honest and open discussion that was very inspirational. she discussed her career path and the opportunities

she had taken to achieve her current role. it was also good to hear about the charity work she did in her own time.

“commercial officer Jill dale’s interactive activity was lively, thought provoking and was a fun way to use the influencing skills we had just learnt from rachel Brastock. it also gave people the chance to practise their presentation skills.”

right: thE thrEE-day workshop at radway grEEn was aimEd at dEVEloping fEmalE carEErs in a traditionally malE-dominatEd industry

way to kick start your motivation and show you how to focus on achieving your goals.”

During the three-day workshop at Telford and Radway Green, the programme covered topics such as “Women in Work”, “Action Planning”, “Gender Communication Differences” and “Image Management and Exposure”.

On the final day, everyone sat the Level 3 Award in Career Advancement and Progression, approved by EAL, the awarding body for engineering industries, with a creditable 89 per cent pass rate.

Not only did the course provide the tools for action planning, but it boosted confidence among

participants, such as Luci Smitheman, PA to GSC Vehicles Support Services MD at Telford.

“I found the Women’s Development Programme a great opportunity to network with other females across Global Combat Systems,” said Luci.

“It helped me gain a greater understanding of how other women have developed from traditional administration roles to more technical roles within the business, which has given me greater confidence to progress to the next level.

“I am now happy to say that for the first time in my life I have written a career development plan and am looking forward to working towards it.”

people• 21


development programme

gcs weapons has started a new leadership programme aiming not only to motivate, educate and develop the future leaders in the company but also to encourage different views and approaches from all members of the teams in which they work. halfway through the programme, it seems like a success.

what does the business need to do to find success in the future? probably a lot, but with strong leaders the odds will definitively look better.

the weapons management committee identified the need for a new leadership programme early in 2011 – a programme that would prepare the candidates for their future tasks and responsibilities but also to be of benefit for the business from day one.

fulcrum is the result and is now up and running. it is based upon business reality and deals with real issues at gcs weapons which involve the participants.

the programme sponsor is lena gillström, weapons Engineering director. the 20 participants are drawn from almost all 11 functions within three sites in three countries. this creates a cross-fertilisation of knowledge and culture within the business that is in itself of considerable value.

fulcrum is a ten-month programme with six gatherings where a healthy blend of guest speakers and workshops typically fill two days. the programme is now halfway through and subjects such as creativity, culture and business winning have been in focus, together with how all of it relates to the modern approach to leadership.

in parallel with the workshops, the team is working on so-called “Burning Questions”, which are real topics that originate from the management committee. the committee is showing great

interest in the outcome of these “Burning Questions” to enable it to identify new ways of solving issues not thought of previously.

weapons managing director ian mcmillan participated in the second workshop in stockholm

and said afterwards: “having recently attended and participated in a fulcrum workshop, i was absolutely delighted to observe the leadership and management potential we have in our weapons organisation.

“the energy, focus and togetherness of the multi-national team was inspiring and the level of engagement, challenge and innovation demonstrated by all members was extremely rewarding. i am looking forward to further engagements with the team and listening to their thoughts and suggestions on how to further improve the overall performance of our business.”

lena gillström said: “halfway through the programme the team has demonstrated that multi-national teamwork can been be a success.

“it is a pleasure to see how the fulcrum members interact and when functions and nationalities underpin business success. working with Burning Questions in the business brings new ideas that will support future improvements to the business.’’

“Fulcrum is the support about which a lever pivots” (www.wikipedia.org)

in this case, Fulcrum also stands for:futureleaderscouncilrewarding unconventionalmindset

FuLCRUM – the Weapons way to future leadership

above: participants wErE drawn from across functions within thrEE sitEs in thrEE countriEs leFt: lEna gillstrÖm, programmE sponsor

This programme was fully supported by the GCS management team, who made the participants feel truly valued within the business and demonstrated commitment to their personal development, as Anne Wilkinson, IM&T Project Manager from GCS Head Office at Newcastle, explained.

“It was so encouraging to hear Karen Lowe [GCS Performance Excellence Director] and Charlie Blakemore [GCS Managing Director] speak and show a true commitment to the programme. I know I’m good at my job and work hard, but I know I’m capable of more.

“If I’m not able to reach my full potential, then BAE Systems isn’t getting the best value from me.

“The Women’s Development Programme provided female role models and mentors to help me focus on the direction I want to take and how to get there.”

It is now down to the individual ladies to fully take on board what they have learnt, put it to the test and progress in their careers.

i know i’m good at my job and work hard, but i know i’m capable of more

22 • people


Former ROF chiefs tour Radwayformer directors of the old royal ordnance factories are pictured with their wives during their third visit to munitions to see the progress of mass. this year’s visit was to radway green and all were immensely impressed by what they saw.

this year the group was without sir sidney Bacon cB, one of the last managing directors of the rofs before its privatisation. he passed away in march at the age of 93.

above: thE group consistEd of phil lEE, md royal ordnancE; BoB smith, financE dirEctor; John Quillin, dirEctor of glascoEd, BridgwatEr, Bishopton, BurghfiEld; dErEk BrookEs, md rockEt motors diVision, md guns and fVE, dirEctor rof BirtlEy; daVid morris, dirEctor glascoEd, BirtlEy, rsaf EnfiEld; adrian foxton, dirEctor glascoEd, Bishopton, BridgwatEr; ron goldsmith, md wEapons and fighting VEhiclEs , dirEctor patricroft, dirEctor ammunition production (hQ), dirEctor light wEapons proJEcts; and tErry JEBB, dirEctor chorlEy, BlackBurn, systEms dirEctor ammunition

above: thE winning tEam

From this ... to this

Visible signs of a great day outthree peaks challenge

More than 140 people turned up for the annual Three Peaks event in May, this year held in a misty Brecon Beacons. However, the poor visibility didn’t dampen the great enthusiasm of everybody involved.

Thanks to the support of the Army’s 160 brigade, there was a ten-mile short walk and a 20-mile long walk as well as a treasure hunt around Brecon for the very young entrants.

After the event, GCS Munitions

Managing Director Ian Anderton awarded the David Elliott Memorial Shield to the winning team for the 20-mile walk. For the second year running, it was John Spencer, Craig Fennell, Richard Beatson and James Baker from GCS Munitions Strategy and Business Development.

other results are available on the intranet: http://intranet.ent.baesystems.com/sites/gcs/employees/pages/gcsthreepeaks2012.aspx

people• 23


History is NOT bunkhenry ford’s famous phrase that history is bunk was proved wrong on a recent visit by glen chappelle, glascoed’ s heritage expert to st illtyd’s Junior school at llanhilleth in south wales. he was invited by teacher mrs lynette fawke to talk to her year 6 class about second world war munitions manufacture and its effects on the local community, in support of the school’s ww2 home front studies.

glen spent more than two hours with the class explaining the history of munitions manufacture in the uk and the part played by BaE systems and its predecessor companies.

“the class was very enthusiastic about the subject,” observed glen, “particularly since many of the pupils have relatives that either work or have worked at glascoed.”

Aid for UK Armed Forcesmunitions will be supporting uk armed forces day on 30 June through its involvement with the tom sephton memorial trophy, an annual charitable armed forces rugby league match. private tom sephton was a mortar platoon infantry soldier in the mercian regiment who was killed in afghanistan.

“it’s very apt for us to support this event which involves radway green’s local regiment on armed forces day,” said radway boss John moorby.

all proceeds will benefit ssafa (soldiers, sailors and airmen forces help), especially the norton homes projects at selly oak hospital, Birmingham and the defence medical rehabilitation centre at headley court, surrey.

territorial army

A couple of years ago, Munitions employee Stephen Arnot longed for a change and a challenge. As an ex-serviceman, he saw the Territorial Army as the perfect solution. With Company support, he now serves in the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia), based in Tidworth. He is currently deployed to Afghanistan, where he will help to support Afghan forces for six months.

Stephen, an engineer on the Transformation project at Glascoed, said: “I am fortunate that I can both perform a demanding job and maintain my role within the TA due to having a very supportive employer. The Company has a great support package for anyone who wants to do something like this.”

Glascoed General Manager Huw Samuel added: “This type of support complements the ethos of our business. We have to ensure that our Armed Forces have the best kit available. Through the TA, they’re looking after us and we’re supporting them.”

munitions project manager dave Quarrell is taking three months off work to undertake a gruelling 1,027-mile charity walk around the edge of wales, in memory of his late father, gerry. the route takes in the entire welsh coastline via the new wales coast path, plus the offa’s dyke trail that runs close to the wales-England border.

dave set out from the wales coast path launch event in cardiff Bay on 5 may and aims to arrive back by 26 July, which would have been his father’s 58th birthday. it is also the day before the london olympic games begin. the circular walk is the equivalent of 39 marathons.

“i hope to raise £20,000 for cancer research wales” said dave, “in memory of my father gerry who died in may 2011 from stomach

cancer. dad loved walking and, through his work, made a major contribution to the creation of the wales coast path. i’m setting out to walk the whole route on his behalf.”

combined with the offa’s dyke national trail which skirts the

welsh border from prestatyn to chepstow, this makes wales the first country in the world with a public walking trail around its whole perimeter.

dave added: “i enjoy a good walk, but i certainly wouldn’t describe myself as athletic. this trek is going to be a serious test of my willpower and stamina. although i’ll start and finish near sea level, the total climb for the route is around 108,000 feet – that’s nearly four times the height of mount Everest.”

For more information, to sponsor dave and to read his blog, go here: www.walkwales1027.com

above: stEphEn arnot who is now dEployEd to afghanistan

above: daVE QuarrEll

Welsh walk of remembrance

Stephen’s dual role his perfect solution

24 • people


bring your sons and daughters to work

Eleven youngsters, from school years 9 and 10, joined their parents across four GCS sites for the annual national Bring Your Sons and Daughters to Work event on Thursday, 26 April.

The day was designed to give the youngsters a taste of professional life and help them experience the world of work and to give them the chance to consider the possibilities of future careers in science, technology and engineering. For many of the young people taking part, this was the first time they had experienced a workplace.

The event was supported in the run-up to the day by the Xchanging Education Team and was facilitated by Heather Gibbs and Danielle Halsall from Xchanging L&D. A number of key speakers from across GCS spoke about the business, the apprentice scheme and graduate scheme.

The students and their parents were inspired by the enthusiasm and energy which came across during the presentations, which took place across all the sites involved via Telepresence.

The Telepresence facility proved a hit with the students who had never experienced this type of technology

and communication tool before. Following the Telepresence session,

the students shadowed their parents as they carried out their daily activities and were given a special behind -the-scenes tour of the site, before re-joining the other students across the other sites by Telepresence once again.

Colin Spence, HR Director, said: “These events contribute to shaping the future aspirations of our guests. They also play a small but important

Radway Green has been helping attract the brightest and best new talent into manufacturing by promoting the sector as an exciting and rewarding career destination.

For the third time, the Munitions site sponsored the local round of the regional Manufacturing Institute Make It Challenge in Crewe in April.

Local schoolchildren were asked to form their own mini-manufacturing business and tasked with

creating an unmanned rescue and emergency vehicle. They had to develop a brand to sell their ideas, produce finance plans and present their ideas to a panel of BAE Systems managers.

The winning teams from the day, Cheadle Hulme High School and Crewe-based Ruskin Sports College, will go on to represent their schools and BAE Systems at the grand regional final in the summer.

Telepresence, that’s coolHow a day at work with their parents can inspire employees of the future

Manufacturing makes for fun

above: andrEw BatlEy (lEft), thE currEnt apprEnticE of thE yEar at radway grEEn, got inVolVEd in hElping somE of thE pupils from local schools who took part in thE makE it challEngE

part in presenting a positive image of BAE Systems and GCS as a great place to work. This grows more important as every year passes and the number of young people who see engineering as ‘cool’ shrinks.”

Ciaran Trainor, AS90 ESA Technical Configuration Manager at Barrow-in-Furness, said: “The kids in Barrow certainly enjoyed their day with some informative presentations from around our sites.”

above: BrEndan trainor, thE son of ciaran trainor, as90 Esa tEchnical configuration managEr at Barrow, at thE driVEr’s controls of an as90

bae systems global combat systems advantage · gcs munitions managing director ian anderton (right)...

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