NMO's cable fabricators quietly broke records in FY25
To meet rising demands, employees produced nearly 800 cables for the Office of Secure Transportation - the largest volume ever created at NMO.
KCNSC’s New Mexico Operations (NMO) team was tasked with a large and complex order in fiscal year 2025 (FY25). The site’s electronic fabrication technicians, otherwise known as the E-Fab team, were asked to produce nearly 800 complex cables for the Office of Secure Transportation (OST).
Jeff Conner, KCNSC’s Vice President of New Mexico Operations, noted the FY25 output was the largest volume ever produced at NMO. “Our team was tasked with more than double our usual cable output,” he said. “Employees worked overtime to honor and deliver the mission. This work will continue to grow, and I’m proud of the teams that we have in place to deliver."
How cable complexity drives production hours
The cables and electromechanical components these teams create are critical to the security systems within the specialized, armored vehicles that OST uses to safely transport nuclear materials.
NMO’s cable fabrication work supporting OST began in the early ’90’s when a small team of employees created cables for a series of escort vehicles.
As NMO’s reputation for delivering high quality cables grew alongside expanding OST mission requirements, order volume increased.
Kathleen McDonald, NMO’s Senior Operation & Service Manager, is confident her teams will continue to meet rising demands. “NMO’s technicians and quality inspectors are certified in the latest industry standards and have extensive experience in a broad range of electronics applications,” she said. “We broke records in FY25 and are on track to surpass them again in FY26.”
Department expansion: New talent drove FY25 growth
Andrew Evans, NMO’s Manufacturing Manager, reported that in FY25 NMO onboarded four internal transfers and 10 external hires for the E-fab team. “We have had great success recruiting experienced cable builders locally,” Evans said. “Credit goes to both our recruiting team and the technicians who leveraged their personal networks. At the same time, we recognize the need to develop talent internally for future growth, so we have placed a strong emphasis on hiring candidates — whether or not they have prior cable building experience — who demonstrate reliability, hands on capability, attention to detail and a desire to learn. Seeing these employees grow has been extremely rewarding for me personally and for the entire team.”
