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Show lur iiiwt 1m hill Friday, August 19, 1983 Boxes come down the conveyor system into the labeling, sizing and weighing center. (U.S. Air Force Photo by Gregg Wixom) a Labeling, sizing and weighing center accomplishes the job This job is accomplished at Ogden Air Logistics Center, Directorate of Distribution, with the Transportation Automated Addressing and Labeling System. The directorate handles approximately 653,000 ' shipments annually. Last year 60,106 tons of supplies were shipped to hundreds of Air Force installations world-widThe computerized TAALS system weighs, determines the box size and selects the most economical carrier for each box shipped. TAALS then prints a label which lists the necessary information to get the box on its way. TAALS has saved $3.3 million annually throughout the Air- Force Logistics Command with its automation and error reduction in the shipping process. Since the system's installation in 1978 it has saved an estimated $550,000 annually at Ogden By Lucinda Schuft ALC Public Affairs Office Ogden Hundreds of boxes roll down the conveyor system carrying items destined for Air Force installations around the world. They may be parts critical to the operation of an aircraft in Europe or nuts and bolts for a motor pool vehicle at Mt. Home AFB, Idaho. No matter what the item, each must be processed and labeled to get it to the proper destination. e. could store 8,300 addresses, but with the TAALS system this capability has expanded to 12,500 addresses with 9,500 currently in use. Another timesaving feature of the TAALS system is the locating of cancelled items before they're shipped. In the earlier system it was difficult to find these shipments but with TAALS the cancelled items are easily located in its computer - - J "S&'. iff- - " ;" If ALC. A "Trigger" keypunch card starts the system. This card is put into a card reader at the weighing, sizing and labeling center where all shipments j 11 y.v'w.'&i. originating here are moved to by conveyors. A shipping clerk removes this card along with, other shipping documents from the box as it arrives at one of the two processing units in the center. It is placed in a card reader , as the box continues through the area. Information on the shipment and its destination is taken from the card by TAALS. The box is then moved to the cubing frame which determines the box's dimensions. The frame is filled with, lights and sensors which register the size of the box as it breaks the light rays. The number of lights it interrupts is measured and its size put into the computer's memory. , The box continues into a scale system. Here it is weighed and this information is recorded by the computer. As the box moves to the labeling portion of the center the computer prepares its label. When the box arrives a shipping clerk pulls the label from the printer and affixes it to the box. This system at Ogden ALC is an advancement of an earlier system introduced here in the late 1960s which was adapted from a weighing and dimensioning device used by airlines in processing baggage. The computer which controlled the older system Cubing frame measures package The larger computer capacity with TAALS allows storage of rate and zone tables for automatic selection of the most economical mode of shipment. This feature has resulted in savings of many thousands of dollars. The TAALS system also keeps track of the total number of items shipped with United Parcel Service. Through agreement with this shipper the computer computation of these charges is used instead of individual metered stamps on the packages, sav- . . (U.S. Air Force Photo by Gregg Wixom) data and the shipments stopped. ing processing time and equipment. Priority items are also easily followed with TAALS. Processing actions are recorded and tracers can determine where the item is in the system. According to workers in the directorate the greatest advantage of the TAALS system is its flexibility ..There are frequent requirements for special service testing on .certain types of shipments. TAALS can be customized to support these requirments. Ogden ALC is the office of primary responsibility for the TAALS system in the Air Force Logistics Command. Any changes in the equipment or computer programming are initiated here before being included at other TAALS systems within AFLC. In order to keep the system operating throughout the command, Ogden ALC has a backup of assembled computers, disk drives and other items which are kept on hand rather than spare parts. This repair system allows for direct unit replacement instead of having the machines remain out of service while waiting for parts. Another effort at Ogden ALC to keep the Air Force's supplies moving is the employment of mechanics for the system at each ALC in the mand. This allows for a quick return of the system to a working condition when something goes wrong. . ' " . - X AY. I ifgf mm 4 sw 5. J 4 V FmV (U b Employee removes printed label. Air Force Photo by Paul Smith) (U S Air Force Photo by Gregg Larry Heckerman, shipping clsrk, works at the cord reader. Wixom) |