TOBYHANNA, Pennsylvania –
Brian Farnsworth and Michael Verton, quality assurance evaluators at Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Tobyhanna, Pa., have received the Global Distribution Excellence: Quarterly Contract Quality Assurance Program Commendable Service award for their outstanding leadership and knowledge, which resulted in a 100 percent performance for three consecutive months.
The pair mentored work supervisors in quality assurance and quality control foundations, describing who is involved with the process and how every employee fits into the program. They also provided training to supervisors on how to find standard operating procedures and Job Breakdown Sheets, and correlated them to quality assurance and quality control requirements.
Verton participated in a Lean Six Sigma event with Tobyhanna Army Depot, which reduced the induction process time from 2.7 days to less than one. The event also reduced cycle time by 70 percent, which netted a monthly man-hour savings of 229 hours, reduced process defects by almost 100 percent, and garnered cost avoidance through 2015 of more than $400,000.
Farnsworth participated in a Lean event to identify dormant DLA Distribution Tobyhanna stock for disposal. This in turn has opened up additional storage space for current material, with a funded repair program at Tobyhanna Army Depot.
The pair furthered their professional development through voluntary enrollment and completion of Defense Acquisition University courses. They also have pursued off-duty education in areas where they volunteer their time and expertise (Verton in fitness and Farnsworth with his local volunteer fire department).