Companies win $125 million contract to build mobile tool kit for U.S. Army and Marines

The contract requires the kit to be mobile and include uniformly branded tools for accuracy of inventory. It needs to survive rough handling and transport in extreme environments as well as organize parts uniformly with configurable drawers that keep the tools secure.

Armstrong Tools, a division of Danaher Corporation, Pelican™ Products, Inc. and UFP Technologies, Inc. have won a contract to design and build a mobile tool kit for the United States Army and Marines that meets stringent Berry Amendment “Made in the USA” requirements. 

Over the five-year, $125 million dollar contract’s life, the companies will manufacture in excess of 96,000 tool kits designed to exceed the demanding requirements of service personnel across the globe. 

From top-to-bottom, the contract requires the kit to be mobile and include uniformly branded tools for accuracy of inventory. The case needs to survive rough handling and transport in extreme environments as well as organize parts uniformly with configurable drawers that keep the tools secure, even after the case has been turned upside down while closed.

Each manufacturer is contributing “best-of-breed” elements to the kit that not only meet but exceed all military specs. Armstrong Tools supplied more than 175 forged alloy steel tool pieces designed to operate in the hottest Middle Eastern deserts to the coldest arctic environments. The set can be used for servicing and repairing all forms of armored and conventional vehicles, both tracked and wheeled. 

To protect the contents, Pelican Products has engineered their first-ever, dedicated mobile tool case solution that will secure, organize and make the tools virtually impervious to impact and moisture. Case drawers were also engineered to allow multiple configurations for versatile organization. For interior protection and tool control, UFP Technologies, Inc. contributed a closed cell, multi-color foam tray system to secure and organize multiple items and to prevent foreign object damage (FOD) resulting from misplaced tools.

Additionally, the case and its contents must meet an extensive battery of military quality assurance standards. Requirements include impact tests under temperature extremes, water ingress tests after being fully submerged, and a 5 foot drop test while weighted with 200 pounds.

For more information, go to www.armstrongtools.com and www.Pelican.com