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Show 7 Hilltop Times July 23, 1992 if Hill system for packaging goes high-tec- h ' I . mmmm, by Frances Kosakowsky Hilltop Times statf ' The Air Force packaging community has gone high-tec- h with a computer system that is not just another pretty face. It's a system tailored to the specific needs of an organization whose mission is to package materials so they can be shipped and used anywhere in the world. "The right kind of packaging is really important," said Robyn Marcus, packaging specialist, packaging and preservation unit, Technology and Industrial Support Directorate. "When you think about it, there's not much point in sending equipment to the troops if it's broken when it gets to them," she said. Packaging items for storage is another consideration, she said. "The idea for the new system originated with a preservation and packaging process action team," said Al Archibald, the project manager. "The PAT identified a lot of bottlenecks and ways things could be done better," he said. "They told us what they needed and we (the technical services support team) set out to provide it for them." One of the major problems the team was trying to solve was to speed up the production of special packaging instructions generated by the SPI laboratory. SPIs include all the data and drawings needed to pack and preserve the myriad of military items handled by the unit. They work the same way for packaging organizations as technical orders do for aircraft mechanics. "We knew that whatever system we came up with, it had to be very user friendly," said Vic Watkins, contractor system engineer. "We were also working with some severe budget and time constraints," said Archibald. Phase I of the SPI and Inventory Control Assistant prototype was implemented in January. "The system still had a lot of rough edges, but the benefits appeared almost immediately," said Watkins. "Reports from the workers out on the line reflected noticeable improvements in processing times," said Archibald, "and they were able to do the same amount of work with fewer employees." Archibald said that the PAT had identified several problems in the packaging process: B Handling and eliminating the backlog of SPIs in the SPI laboratory was slow because the illustrators were using outdated equipment and methods. Controlling and distributing hard copy SPIs was difficult since there were many master files to maintain and hard copies were often lost, unavailable or illegible. r w- i ! , , one-of-a-ki- to,-- , A . 1 -- - v , S iv V?; " u ,.ll f ' f Doug Stuart (left) and Fasi Filiaga use two of the 35 work stations in the packaging and preservation unit 66 It's a tremendous improvement any way you look at it. It saves -- Al Archibald Project manager Retrieving SPIs was difficult because when they were required by packers and craters they were sometimes not readily available from the master files or some other source. Locating them was El time-consumin- and inefficient. Other data required by packers such as information related to hazardous items also was not readily available. Defense Logistics Agency Performance Oriented Packaging ; I Single Incheck- Shared Data Cleanup Shipping Purchase Requeatt Applicable Container for HazMat SPI Data Order SICA SPI Update SC&D Database Update SPI Update : SPI Design SPI: ISPIOuskaUon Bits ol Uatermls VeriB--l cafion: v-- , Inventory Order SPI Costing CD s i;U4 Packers Invent ory Order Item Tracking Supply Ordering TCN Packing Coat Reclaim I f 'Inventory Orders Accounting Packaging & SPI Lab Venfcaton Inventory Order Item Tracking Supply Ordering TCN Packing Cost Reclaim Database Update Packaging Support Billing Proem Control Quality Control SPI & Packaging Coordination Eadsling Functions : Italic x V it i x l IN ksi Q AFNavyAnoy Management Enhancemeat Being Performed Accounting Payment Proc Control Quality Control DLa Management Proposed Enhancement to handle a packaging need. The new system saves time and money, improves quality and safety. II There was not an adequate way of tracking preservation and packaging containers, packaging material, and reclaimed containers and material. D Inventory data was not available for determinmaterial and container needs, and staning dard cartons were often not in stock. workers in the working area had no H direct way of communicating their needs for materials and containers from the stock room. "We designed the system using technology that was already available, so there were no tremendous development costs associated with it," Watkins said. SICA is being developed in four phases, with Phase I being operational. "It satisfies the core requirements, but it has only limited scope," he said. Each phase will add to the capabilities of the system, Watkins said. The benefits of Phase I are nevertheless impres-P 99 Handling SC&D r: -P manpower and materials, quality-ansafety are improved, and shipment timeliness is improved it's just better all around. Hazardom Material Other DBMS zf1( - Shape of things NSN Oat Packaging Data SPI Data Rules & Regs k"f CSV h SC&Dor Materials ' ! f,!; Other Stock DBMS ?, Hazardous MJ : V' ' ( fl Sir . v g sive. For example: The hard copies of SPIs and the problems associated with getting them are being eliminated. Workers have 35 work stations where they can go and request an SPI. It is provided within 45 seconds. Workers can place orders for materials and supplies from their work stations and no other communication is needed with the stock room. Not only are materials and supplies delivered much more promptemployees can communily, but hearing-impaire- d cate their material and supply needs as well as anyone. Orders for supplies and packaging material print stock room so there is a hard copy out in the that can be used as a work order. Since packers rotate from one line to another weekly, time that used to be spent determining what supplies had been ordered by the previous line worker is now provided by SICA, saving time and eliminating duplicate orders. The packaging supply reorder clerk can easily track inventory and can order new stock as necessary, ensuring that the appropriate containers and materials are always in stock. can now easily locate containers and materials available to be reclaimed, which packaging allows maximum use. SPI laboratory illustrators now have faster computers to do their drawings, with more improvements scheduled in Phase II of the program. "The next three phases of the program will enhance the system so that SPIs will be accessible said Archibald. Department of Defense-wide,- " Archibald said that SICA not only provides packaging information needed to package material properly, but also monitors packaging operations and provides management with the who, what, where and how much information needed to isolate and deal with problems as they develop. "It's a tremendous improvement any way you look at it. It saves manpower and materials, quality and safety are improved, and shipment timeliness is improved it's just better all around," he said. |