Sponsor:

Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center

Research Team:

John W. Nazemetz, Paul Rosser

Universities Involved:

Oklahoma State University

Start Date:

06/02/03

End Date:

12/31/03

Summary:

This report describes the methods and findings of an existing material handling study at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center and makes recommendations to improve the current handling system of large aircraft parts through the depot maintenance processes, re-assembly and re-mounting on the aircraft.
In December 2000, ISO 9002 registration initiative required the Aircraft and Commodities Directorates at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center (OC-ALC), Tinker Air Force base, to eliminate the practice of outside large component storage and handling. As a result of that initiative, large aircraft components are now stored in B-3705, a 400,000 square foot, centralized, multi-tenant, staging facility. B-3705, however, has multiple points of receipt and storage of these large components and has extensive manual handling requirements for material movement to and from other shops (some of which are located inside B-3705).
To address such handling concerns – and the damage to components caused by it – the ISO 9002 initiatives included recommendations to redesign or replace current handling systems and procedures for large component movement to and from B-3705, as well as between and within shops and final assembly areas.