New lockers are a key part of Fort Knox renovation

Fort Knox is a U.S. Army post in Kentucky, south of Louisville and north of Elizabethtown. It is one of the largest U.S. military bases in Kentucky, with more than 109,000 acres spread over three different counties in the northern part of the state.

Fort Knox served as the “Home of Cavalry and Armor” for seven decades and is now embracing a new array of missions brought about by the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) transformations. Fort Knox is home for Human Resources Command, Army Accessions Command and Cadet Command. The post includes the Army’s headquarters of the Recruiting Command and the Human Resource Center of Excellence. It is also home of the 3rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT), 1st Infantry Division; Army Reserve Readiness Training Center; 100th Division Headquarters; and the 3rd Sustainment Command (Expeditionary).

B L Harbert International LLC Joint Venture completed major renovations at the post in late 2011. Litchfield, Mich.-based Jesco Industries-Wire & Iron Products Division (WIPCO) was contracted by B L Harbert International LLC Joint Venture to manufacture and supply a total of 4,000 TA-50 Military Gear Lockers for the renovation project. The lockers met the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers’ specifications. All units were fully welded and shipped assembled. Jesco Industries’ TA-50 military lockers measure 24 inches deep by 42 inches wide by 78 inches high with double-hinge doors and a three-point padlocking system. Each locker included one shelf, coat rod, and three coat hooks. The lockers were shipped assembled to ensure speedy installation at the 3rd IBCT Company Operations Facility. The installation process was simple. The installers just needed to remove the fully assembled lockers from the truck and place and secure the units to complete the process. The installation was finished in a relatively short time. A total of 69 truckloads of lockers and related equipment were used to complete the locker portion of the project.

Additional work, however, was needed to complete the Fort Knox renovation project. Jesco Industries-WIPCO worked with the contractor, B L Harbert International/Joint Venture and the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers to renovate partitions at the post. Jesco Industries-WIPCO supplied the 1-1/2 diamond 10-gauge woven wire mesh partitions for the Infantry Battalion, STB Battalion, RSTA Battalion, FA Battalion, and BDE Battalion along with Comm., NBC and Unit Storage groups at Fort Knox. A total of two truckloads of material were used to complete the partitions renovation at Fort Knox.

Jesco Industries-WIPCO Division is a third generation family business, Woman Owned Small Business operating in a HUBZone Certified #29882.