United States Coast Guard

Industry
United State Department of Defense

Contact
Cheif Warrant Officer Greg McDermott

Location
USGC Aircraft Repair and Supply Center
Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Products
Aviation Refuelers

The Quality
“For the first two years of purchasing through GSA contracts, we bought [competitor] trucks,” said Cheif Warrant Officer Greg McDermott. “After constant problems during that time, we had to find a way to adjust the contract and get out of the deal. Eventually, we changed our solicitation to performance-based.”

“Some of our bases have just one unit, so eliminating downtime is important,” he said. “When the truck is down so is the aircraft, or we’re forced to purchase fuel at full cost. Part by part I can’t add up the savings right now – but it’s very obvious we’re saving dollars with less downtime.”

The Paint
“The paint quality is probably an overlooked feature, but it is the best paint job I have ever seen on a truck,” Chief McDermott said. “If you don’t put paint on a metal edge or over welding there will be corrosion. In a sense, it seals our investment from corrosion.”

The Teamwork
“We’re impressed with the modifications we’ve been able to make to the design and function over the years,” he said. “It’s as easy as making a phone call or dropping an e-mail, then asking is this possible or can we remove that?”

“If it’s possible, the modifications we suggest are very easily incorporated,” McDermott said. “The trucks are custom to our needs and environments.”

The Training
“As for the service, we never have to ask for it because it’s already being provided at every step,” he said. “With every purchase, we get on-site training with the operators and maintenance crew. When you have 18 year old kids maintaining the equipment the training goes a long way!”