WV Executive

There’s a little known facility in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia that has been in operation for more than 60 years. The complex is known as the Allegany Ballistics Laboratory (ABL) and is located approximately 12 miles northeast of Keyser, West Virginia. ABL was established in 1943 to produce ammunition to support American troops during World War II.

At the conclusion of the war, the facility transitioned from making ammunition to serving as a research and development facility for solid propellant rocket motors to support the U.S. Navy. The ABL facility is a government-owned, contractor-operated facility that is currently being operated by Minneapolis, Minnesota-based Alliant Techsystems (ATK).

The ABL facility has seen an expansion of operations and a transformation to a state-of-the-art complex that is considered a national asset. The majority of the transformation at ABL has occurred since 1985 when U.S. Senator Robert C. Byrd and the Naval Sea Systems Command began the ABL facility restoration program. Under this program, more than $650 million in government and ATK funding has been infused into ABL for facility restoration, modernization and sustainment. This program has allowed ATK to substantially diversify operations, creating not only growth but also stability at ABL.

Products that Support the Warfighter
ATK manufactures a wide variety of products that support the U.S. Armed Forces and its allies. ABL’s heritage is based on manufacturing energetic systems, solid propellant rocket motors and warheads for tactical missile systems. ATK has also evolved their manufacturing operations to include: composite structures for aircrafts, missiles, ground vehicles and ammunition; metal structures for rocket motors and 25mm and 30mm medium caliber ammunition; 120mm tank ammunition and fusing for air-delivered bombs, tank ammunition, mortar rounds, artillery rounds and hand grenades. Additionally, ATK is expanding operations for integration of missiles and precision weapons at the ABL complex. All of these manufacturing capabilities require unique equipment and processes to make the high-tech products for which ATK is known.

High-Tech Equipment for High-Tech Products
A walk through the sprawling factory floor at ABL sheds light on the diverse equipment that is used to make these products. One thing is evident: ATK utilizes a vast array of robots and automated processes to make the low-cost, high-quality parts that are paramount to the success of the end product and our warfighters’ mission. These robots pick and place, machine and move, transform and sculpt pieces and parts of every conceivable shape and size from a variety of materials. It’s like watching a well orchestrated dance, one that mesmerizes those who see them in action.

As an example, there are two robots that work as an integrated unit to feed stamping machines with sheets of composite material. The first machine loads a composite sheet into the press that stamps out half of the parts. The sheet is transferred to a table where it’s picked up by the second robot and placed in another press where the remaining pieces are stamped. After each stamping process the robots pick up the individual pieces and place them in a specific area on a tray. This process continues, virtually uninterrupted, for the eight-hour shift. The pieces being stamped from the composite material will end up being used to make a composite sabot for a 120mm tank round.

Another example would be in the fuze facility where ATK utilizes surface mount technology machines that pick up small electronic components and place them onto electronic circuit boards. The boards are transferred from station to station on a conveyor line where the boards are populated with the correct components, soldered and electronically checked to make sure they work properly. Once the boards are complete, they are assembled into the final product, typically a fuze that is used in bombs, tank ammunition or mortars, just to name a few.

ATK also established a single-piece flow process to manufacture the M-228 fuze assembly. This highly automated production line consists of three modules and 180 stations that have manufactured more than 7.5 million fuzes over the last few years.

The automation and robotics can be seen in most manufacturing areas of the plant. Primarily, it offers a safe work environment for the employees and repeatability for making high-quality products, and it provides a low-cost manufacturing approach, all of which are very important to both ATK and their customers.

Growing for the Future
You would think that with all the automation being used on the shop floor there wouldn’t be many employees, but that is far from the truth. In fact, ATK has been expanding their operations (and employment) at ABL. Over the last five years, ATK has added nearly 450 jobs at ABL and they are projecting this growth to continue for the foreseeable future.

This growth can be linked to a number of different events. First, ATK identified the ABL facility near Keyser as their manufacturing center of excellence for high-rate production. This means that throughout the corporation other ATK facilities look to ABL first to see if they can provide the products they need instead of outsourcing to other suppliers. This has helped expand the production base at ABL.

Secondly, ATK has consolidated other operations into ABL because of the available workforce, the vast capabilities that exist at ABL and the existing floor space available which is approximately 1.2 million square feet under roof. Specifically, they moved rocket motor and metals production from Texas in 1995 to compliment the existing rocket motor and warhead business; composite production of the Javelin Launch Tube from Florida in 1995; tank ammunition machining operations from New Jersey in 1999; F-22 composites manufacturing from Utah in 1999 and composite rotor tube production from Utah in 2008.

Secondly, ATK has consolidated other operations into ABL because of the available workforce, the vast capabilities that exist at ABL and the existing floor space available which is approximately 1.2 million square feet under roof. Specifically,

they moved rocket motor and metals production from Texas in 1995 to compliment the existing rocket motor and warhead business; composite production of the Javelin Launch Tube from Florida in 1995; tank ammunition machining operations from New Jersey in 1999; F-22 composites manufacturing from Utah in 1999 and composite rotor tube production from Utah in 2008.

The consolidations are still in progress. ATK is currently transitioning the production of ceramic matrix composites and electronics assembly work from two different California locations. Again, with these consolidations will come additional manufacturing capabilities and jobs to ABL.

All of these consolidations would have been difficult without the available workforce to perform the work. The employees at ABL are highly dedicated and are diligent in building the products to the highest quality. They are keenly aware that our warfighters expect our products to work properly—every time! This dedication to detail is the backbone of operations at ABL and a reason why ATK has been successful at ABL.