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News | July 16, 2019

DLA, Army Win Future Trends Award

By Cory Angell, DLA Distribution Public Affairs

The Defense Logistics Agency, Army and Takteon, LLC received the 2019 “Future Trends” Team Award from the Government IT Executive Council and Advanced Technology Academic Research Center. This Emerging Technology award was presented to a federal government group who demonstrated leadership and management expertise in the field of innovation and future trends.

“These groups tackled the challenge to update DLA’s records for about 30,362 storage locations and 11,436 assets stored outdoors in 15 square miles of terrain at DLA Red River Texas,” said Jack Wayman with Headquarters, Department of the Army. “They did so using common technology, innovative methods and teamwork.”

Wayman described that Red River had thousands of vehicles stored in fields and DLA needed more specific locations for audit readiness and business efficiency. He said 18 thousand parking spaces had to be mapped, named, and input into DLA’s Distribution Standard System. Then 17 thousand assets had to be serially inventoried and assigned to a specific storage location in that system.

“The volume and complexity were daunting; the heat and vegetation were challenging and the audit and upgrade needs were urgent,” said Wayman.

The Army staff had been working with DLA on a deliberate plan, but with only a manual process in hand, DLA accelerated the start date by two months. This gave DLA, the Army and Takteon only three days to adjust, but they were committed to success, so they adapted and persevered.

Wayman said the workflow was aided by a mobile app. DLA Red River employees used the app to do in three weeks what would have taken three months.

The data collectors used the mobile app to capture locations and contents by area, aisle, segment, depth, location, stock number, serial number, registration number and unique item identifier.

“The tablets were central to our data gathering effort, and without them, we would not have been able to accomplish our goals,” said James Weiner, DLA Distribution, logistics operations. “I will add that the teamwork and commitment of all entities involved made this a success.”

These data the data gathers was given to another team who scrubbed the data and changed the items’ digital locations in DLA’s Distribution Standard System said Weiner.

“This is a great example of shifting mobile mission complexity from people to hardware and software in a lean process” said Wayman. “Expanding on this kind of innovation and teamwork is a future trend worth pursuing.”

Wayman credited the partnering leaders and organizations; Jim Weiner of DLA J345 at New Cumberland, Pa.; DLA Distribution Center at Red River, Texas; Lisa Kelly of the Deputy Assistant Secretary if the Army for Acquisition Policy and Logistics; Rob Thurston of the Army’s Deputy Chief of Staff G-4 (Logistics), Jack Wayman of the Army’s DCS G-8 (Programs), and Wendy Fairfield and Joe Dachuk of Takteon LLC.