Pantex
Overview
The Pantex Plant, located 17 miles northeast of Amarillo, Texas, in Carson County, is charged with maintaining the safety, security and reliability of the nation's nuclear weapons stockpile. The facility is managed and operated by BWXT Pantex, LLC, for the U.S. Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration.
Mission
Pantex has five primary missions.
- Evaluate, retrofit, and repair weapons in support of both life extension programs and certification of weapon safety and reliability;
- Dismantle weapons that are surplus to the strategic stockpile;
- Sanitize components from dismantled weapons;
- Develop, test, and fabricate high explosive components;
- Provide interim storage and surveillance of plutonium pits.
Notable Accomplishments
- Improved total recordable case rates by 82 percent and lost time case rates have improved by 88 percent since end of FY2001.
- Completed more than 1,000 weapons units in 2007 more than doubling production work since February 2004.
- Completed First Production Units for five B61 weapon models in 2006 and 2007.
- Named one of America's safest companies by Occupational Hazards magazine.
- Earned Gold Level membership status in the Texas Commission for Environmental Quality's Clean Texas Program for environmental accomplishments.
- Awarded four Pollution Prevention (P2) awards from the Department of Energy/National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA). Pantex received a Best-in-Class Award for Electronics Recycling.
- Received a 2007 EPA Federal Challenge Bronze Level Award in recognition of projects that promote the purchase of greener electronic products, reduce impacts of electronic products during use, and manage obsolete electronics in an environmentally safe way.
- Earned a BEST Award from the American Society for Training & Development for achieving success through enterprise-wide learning opportunities for employees.
Contract/Budget
The facility has been managed and operated by BWXT Pantex, LLC since 2001. The NNSA extended the current contract through September 2010.
Infrastructure
Pantex covers 16,000 acres (about 25 square miles). The DOE owns 10,000 acres and leases approximately 6,000 acres from Texas Tech University, primarily as a safety and security buffer. About 2,000 acres are utilized for Plant operations. Pantex has more than 700 buildings, including specialized facilities called Cells and Bays where maintenance, modification, disassembly and assembly operations are conducted. The site's replacement value is about $3.3 billion.
Workforce
Approximately 3,500 people are employed at Pantex with 3,300 working for BWXT Pantex, and the remaining staff for one of the federal entities at the site. Two bargaining units represent union employees. The Metal Trades Council is comprised of twelve separate unions that represent crafts, production and clerical workers. Security Force personnel are represented by the Pantex Guard Union.
Community Impact
Pantex Plant's annual impact on the local economy is more than $1 billion. In addition, BWXT Pantex supports a wide variety of community relations programs. For example, BWXT Pantex has consistently been the city's largest United Way supporter. Employee pledges for 2007 totaled more than $500,000. More than 200 employees are United Way Leadership givers. Employees also have made a significant impact in their communities through their volunteer efforts. Pantex employees have built four Habitat for Humanity homes, participate in numerous charitable walks and events, sit on boards and serve as elected officials.
Educational Outreach also is an important part of BWXT Pantex's community commitment. BWXT Pantex sponsors more than 25 educational programs from elementary school through graduate school and is funding a technical scholarship program valued at more than $300,000. The company also initiated a collaboration with Texas Tech University, West Texas A&M University and the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation for a new engineering graduate studies program in Amarillo. Also, for younger students, BWXT Pantex has sponsored the Nuclear Science Merit Badge program for boy and girl scouts since 1969. Pantex also sponsors and provides subject matter experts for the Nuclear Science Merit Badge at the National Boy Scout Jamboree in Virginia.
For Additional Information
B&W Pantex, LLC
955 Farm-to-Market Road 2373
P. O. Box 30020
Amarillo, TX 79120-0020
www.pantex.com
Dan Swaim, General Manager
(806) 477-6204
bswaim@pantex.com
Greg Meyer, Deputy General Manager
(806) 477-6275
gmeyer@pantex.com
Jud Simmons, Business Communications Manager
(806) 477-3773
jsimmons@pantex.com
