NEW CUMBERLAND, Pa. –
Navy Rear Adm. Michael York, commander, Defense Logistics Agency Distribution, visited DLA Distribution Europe for a site meeting and facilities tour in Germersheim, Germany Jan. 15.
York was joined by Army Col. Adrian “AJ” Sullivan, commander, DLA Europe & Africa, and Christopher Davis, deputy commander, DLA Europe & Africa. The morning session consisted of a regional discussion and a DLA Distribution Europe mission brief followed by a walkthrough of the Logistics Distribution Center Europe facility.
During the tour, York discussed the importance of Warehouse Management System, a commercial, off-the-shelf solution to improve productivity, streamline processes and better achieve audit readiness and reporting capabilities between DLA and customers. DLA Distribution has successfully deployed WMS to 15 distribution centers with the remaining sites slated for deployment in 2025.
“We gained a lot of insight from Rear Adm. York on lessons learned from the sites with WMS,” said Army Lt. Col. Michael Zdrojesky, commander, DLA Distribution Europe. “Our team also really appreciated having the commander come out and recognize individuals for their dedication and commitment.”
York also educated the team about the modernization efforts across the DLA Distribution enterprise, highlighted the significance of audit readiness and championed network optimization.
During the afternoon session, York conducted a walkthrough of the annex construction project, which is currently 70% complete with an expected Beneficial Occupancy Date in Oct. 2025. This new facility will provide DLA Distribution Europe additional storage capacity with an extra 97,000 square feet of storage space to support three Combatant Commands in the Eastern Hemisphere.
“Based on our access, placement, business practices, relationship and facilities, we provide unique opportunities for DLA Distribution as the military services look for storage and distribution within theater,” Zdrojesky said.
York also conducted a walkthrough of DLA Distribution Europe’s Class I Warehouse and Class IV Yard, which provide bulk storage options for DLA Troop Support material to support warfighters in the U.S. European Command, U.S. Central Command, and U.S. Africa Command theaters.
“Having this storage capacity allows material to be sent to support exercises throughout Europe and Africa, while also being responsive to support contingencies within the region,” explained Zdrojesky.
Other tour stops covered DLA special storage missions including the A8M warehouses on Germersheim Army Depot. The A8M is an Army Supply Support Activity that DLA Distribution, Europe, manages for U.S. Army Europe and Africa. During the tour of the A8M warehouses, teams outlined the material and processes involved in the program to provide York with a firsthand look at the scale of operations and how it supports the warfighter down range.
York concluded the visit by sharing his appreciation of the professionalism and expertise of the DLA Distribution Europe employees and the vast business operations taking place at the distribution center.