The U.S. Army has recently awarded Choctaw Defense, owned by the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, a three-year, $20 million performance standard contract to design and manufacture the Camel II potable water trailer system, which provides water for troops in virtually any location.
Part of the reason the contract was finalized was Choctaw’s Lean manufacturing operation, which allowed the Native American company to create a trailer that is 20 percent lighter than the previous model, with increased capabilities that allow it to be towed by the newly redesigned, faster medium tactical vehicle replacement (MTVR).
By using Lean techniques that have reduced waste in the manufacturing process, Choctaw is now able to meet the Army’s requirement of producing two MTVR trailers per day. Choctaw makes every part only on an as-needed basis, so it can create products faster and more efficiently by removing the mass storage aspect and eliminating the overproduction of certain parts.
