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News | April 14, 2016

Distribution Oklahoma’s Team of the Quarter

By Dr. Tanya Johnson DLA Distribution Public Affairs

Defense Logistics Agency Distribution Oklahoma City, Okla. Stock Readiness Team has been awarded the Team of the Quarter award for their “lean” work operation.

This 12-person team established a plan to “lean” the operation by analyzing their workload, metrics, and backload.  As a result, they were able to formulate a plan to quickly process 822 special inspection requests and cyclical inspections by assigning two team members full time to work the issue.

The team approach has impacted several other areas as well to include training.  Training was requested to bring the distribution center in line with the standardized procedures.  The cyclical inspections were directly impacted from the extra training as the team learned procedures that were previously unknown.  The training enabled the team to reduce unnecessary steps.  Cyclical inspections are now completed in the first 10 days of the month, which reduces follow-up work routinely received for unfinished or late work.  The 1,500 visual inspections received on a monthly basis are now completed on time.  During the past quarter, dispositions were worked in less than two days.  This focused approach has increased employee productivity as well as positive interactions with the customer. 

The team handles over 1,000 emails monthly and builds the special inspection requests and supply discrepancy report inspections from the requests for materiel action.  The workload averages 25-40 priority dispositions daily.  As a result, this action has brought the team’s workload within the established metric while decreasing follow-up email by over 90 percent.  Effective time management has given this team quality time to focus on other customer related production goals.

“This team has worked so diligently to improve processes for our customers.  They are very deserving of this award,” said Ned La Violette, director of the distribution center.