Air Force Print News (Nov. 5, 2007): DLA-Warner Robins shop humming along following transition.

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- At a glance, you can't differentiate between Defense Logistics Agency employees and Air Force civilians in the F-15 Eagle wing shop here.

Yet work continues to run smoothly following the mid-October activation of DLA-Warner Robins in which DLA gained 240 employees from the Air Force.

The new aviation supply chain detachment is part of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure supply and storage mandate. New DLA employees provide supply, storage, and distribution support to the maintenance activities for Warner Robins Air Logistics Center. DLA-Warner Robins employees are located throughout the air logistics center in areas of support for aircraft flight, electronics product support, commodities product support, and depot product support.

The BRAC 2005 decision called for the Department of Defense to reconfigure its supply, storage, and distribution infrastructure into one integrated provider--DLA. The activation of DLA-Warner Robins marks Air Force Materiel Command's first air logistics center to implement the BRAC mandate, with Air Force positions in the 702nd Maintenance Support Squadron transferring in place to DLA.

DLA-Warner Robins is the first of 13 such supply, storage, and distribution activations scheduled to take place during the next several years at Air Force air logistics centers and aviation depots of other Services. Similar transitions will take place in February 2008 at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla., and in April at Hill AFB, Utah.

The F-15 wing shop has eight cells set up where DLA and Air Force employees work jointly. The wings are brought into the shop on trailers to the cells where robotic machinery removes the screws so the skin of the panels can be opened.

Once the panels are opened, an Air Force maintainer removes the old foam and does a shakedown, which includes examining the wing to see what needs to be replaced, and compiles a shakedown parts list, said Mike Abbott, director of the materiel control unit and newly transferred DLA employee.

"The Air Force portion is located on the bottom floor where orders are placed. DLA's portion of the materiel inventory center, or MIC, is located upstairs," Abbott said. "DLA works with its contractor, Lockheed, to keep stock bins with DLA consumables in the production area full with items requested."

Once the wing panel is open, it goes out to be steam cleaned. This gives DLA employees a short time period, or build-up phase, in which they can get the items into the bins before repair work begins. The shakedown list gives DLA lead time to get the part ordered from Richmond, Va., or New Cumberland, Pa., if it's not in stock in the materiel inventory center.

The shakedown parts list is sent electronically from the Air Force people to DLA employees on the second floor. DLA employees pull the lists, called a print stuffer list, and then go to the stock bins area and pull the parts and materials. The items are collected in carts and sent down to an Air Force expediter on the first floor who then takes the items to the requesting maintainer. If the items are not in stock, DLA orders the parts.

Clement writes for Defense Supply Center Richmond Public Affairs.