Richmond, Va. –
Most moves require extensive planning, detailed lists, and plenty of time to make sure the needed space is available. But when the Air Force needs room on short notice, you make room.
Last fall the Defense Logistics Agency Aviation Storage and Distribution team at Warner Robins, Georgia, was contacted by the Air Force about taking over a warehouse being used by the team.
Joseph “Joe” Jinks, chief of Storage and Distribution at Warner Robins, explained that the Air Force needed space for its F-35 production aircraft line.
Jinks said his team has had similar relocation requests in the past, but those projects were carried out over the course of a year or more.
“Normally, a move like this would require a written contract and would take several weeks or months, but the team coordinated and completed it in a matter of days,” Jinks said. The actual, physical move took only a day.
To coordinate and expedite the move, Jinks gathered a team of 21 volunteers to build a logistical plan, make a layout, and relocate heavy equipment weighing thousands of pounds—accomplishing the task in seven hours.
“The Air Force had to come up with a lot of space for us to move into before their move could happen,” Jinks said.
“After the area [for DLA to move to] was cleared, we came up with a strategy on how to get the move done with little-to-no delay. We knew it had to be done fast, efficiently and safely—fast because the shop still needed their parts, even during the move.”
DLA Aviation’s warehouse contents consist of more than 5,300 items valued at more than $12 million.
The all-volunteer team met the day before the move to review the plan, then on Saturday they reviewed safety procedures and ensured everyone had the necessary safety equipment.
The new space for DLA Aviation was actually a boon for the group; moving from three separate rooms to one big room with more vertical and foot-space will allow the group to grow from within and be able to support the mission and the warfighter more efficiently, by having more parts readily available to the customer,” Jinks said.