Every organization, division, and group has a unique culture of shared beliefs and values that employees embrace.
Our culture at Detonator Production blends independent innovation and collaboration—ideas are conceived by individuals, brought to fruition as a group, and continuously improved by all. Together we work toward a unified goal: to maintain global peace and stability by ensuring a strong U.S. nuclear deterrent is in place.
From our goal grew a credo: Identify a problem, find a solution, verify the solution, and then standardize that solution.
The cockpit is small, with the two pilots sitting side by side. There is just enough room to stand, though not completely upright, and there is a microwave, which, out of all technological capabilities in the cockpit, seems to intrigue people the most. That, and the toilet, which is behind one of the seats. It’s at the end of a small space intended for a pilot to lie down, though you have the tough choice between resting your head next to a duct blasting out very hot air or next to the pungent chemical toilet.
Detonators fabricated at Los Alamos National Laboratory today are the result of real-time innovation. Our highly skilled experts work hands-on with every component for every type of detonator. Even though automation is an integral part of the production process, human oversight is necessary to guarantee the highest quality components and assembly.
As the Atomic Era continued into the 1950s with emerging global challenges, the U.S. sought to improve and modernize its nuclear arsenal. EBWs became the industry standard for detonators—even those outside weapon production, such as for mining and construction operations—and are now used around the world for their safety and reliability. The innovation that produced this new detonator standard still drives detonator design and assembly at Los Alamos today.
Collaboration is key
Making detonators is a collaborative effort within Detonator Production; however, with an average of 130 employees, our workforce cannot do it alone. Detonator Production is supported by a variety of internal groups, such as Non-Destructive Testing and Production Agency Quality, as well as design agencies across the National Security Enterprise. Together we ensure that what is designed is buildable and what is built is of excellent quality.
Our culture at Detonator Production blends independent innovation and collaboration—ideas are conceived by individuals, brought to fruition as a group, and continuously improved by all. Together we work toward a unified goal: to maintain global peace and stability by ensuring a strong U.S. nuclear deterrent is in place.
Deployed support
Detonator Production is an impressive powerhouse driven by a remarkable workforce. For certain responsibilities, we rely on professionals who officially report to other divisions across the Laboratory. We work closely with those divisions to identify skills along with aligned values and behaviors to deploy talented personnel to partner with us. Deployed personnel integrate with Detonator Production and collaborate to complete necessary tasks, projects, and ongoing initiatives. Examples of some groups that provide deployed support include quality assurance, acquisition management, computer support, document control, financial analysis, human resources, writing and editing, training, and security.
