402nd Maintenance Wing wins award Published Feb. 12, 2009 By Kendahl Johnson 78th Air Base Wing Public Affairs ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE. Ga. -- The 402nd Maintenance Wing was recently recognized as being the top large depot maintenance unit in Air Force Materiel Command, winning a Maintenance Effectiveness Award. The MEAs are given annually to recognize the most significant weapons systems and equipment maintenance achievements by field-level and depot-level organizations. One of the most noteworthy accomplishments by the 402nd MXW was the response to the real-world crisis which grounded the entire fleet of F-15 Eagles in November 2007. The 402nd Maintenance Support Group's restructuring of the F-15 program depot maintenance resulted in the production of 69 of 76 F-15s on schedule with a 90.8 percent performance rate. "This award is a great honor for the wing. We have a superb depot team here," said Marian Fraley, 402nd MXW vice director. "We know we do great work, but an award like this means others outside the wing recognize our efforts as well. It substantiates all our hard work." Joe Harrison, 402nd Maintenance Support Group director who led the team in charge of the award package submission, said the award capped what was an overall stellar performance by the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center, with warfighter support being the feather in the cap. "With record accomplishments in a broad spectrum of measurements, from Lean projects to major quality-of-life initiatives, our capstone achievement was providing essential warfighter mission support to four key weapon systems for the Global War on Terrorism," he said. According to the awards package, the 402nd MXW demonstrated innovation, versatility and professionalism across the entire spectrum of mission challenges. Other units that contributed to the award include the 402nd Commodities Maintenance Group, whose members not only helped restore valuable mission assets such as the F-15, but also found ways to increase production, reduce backorders by more than 20 percent and cut flow days by approximately 51 percent. The wing also contributed to quality-of-life projects, keeping the "People First, Mission Always" motto in mind. Projects included ergonomic evaluations and training in 220 administrative areas resulting in 716 solutions and eliminated 127 ergo stressors and enrollment of over 2,000 workers in the civilian fitness program.