Material Handling, Storage, Transportation and Identification Study for the Aircraft Directorate (LA), Production Division (LAP) at Tinker Air Force Base – Phase I – OU02-02 OCALC

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Material Handling, Storage, Transportation and Identification Study for the Aircraft Directorate (LA), Production Division (LAP) at Tinker Air Force Base – Phase I – OU02-02 OCALC

The objective of this project is to document current supply chain activities, flow patterns and resources to develop an enhanced material handling and distribution activity, which can be used to proliferate best practices.

Sponsor:

Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center

Research Team:

Mary Court, Robert Winters, Donald Craft, Randel Bowman, David Baldwin, Thomas L. Landers, Mustafa Pulat

Universities Involved:

University of Oklahoma

Start Date:

08/01/02

End Date:

07/31/03

Summary:

The goal is to develop a Customer Profile to provide current system capabilities in terms of the current OC-ALC Building B3705 functional layout, equipment and personnel; current information technology (IT) support system capabilities; and current “up-stream” and “down-stream” OC-ALC functional area interactions with B3705. Data and analysis conducted on the current utilization and part identification/tracking capabilities within B3705 coupled with the Customer Profile, provided a baseline for the Gap Analysis.
Reverse logistics processes, including aerospace maintenance/repair/overhaul (MRO) operations, are taking steps toward compliance with world-class standards (e.g., ISO 9002). This project is motivated by a case study of a Member MRO process. In December 2000, ISO registration initiatives mandated that the Member organization change a long-standing practice of outside storage and handling of materials, by relocating large aircraft components into a centralized staging facility. This warehouse is a multi-tenant facility with multiple points of receipt, issue and storage of WIP components and extensive use of manual documentation of material movement, requisition and transactions. The case study will document current supply chain activities, flow patterns and resources to develop an enhanced material handling and distribution activity, which can be used to proliferate best practices across the Member site. The best practices will focus on volume utilization, material handling and transportation, security, operations and technology options. The research problem focuses on the material flow requirements for (1) workload driven by an upstream process with diverse product mix and stochastic bills of materials and (2) storage and handling of parts with diverse volumetrics and zero tolerance for damage in handling/storage.
*Allow the OC-ALC information systems to communicate without impacting current IT processes and procedures. *Snap-shots of B3705 part identification/tracking capabilities showed the practice of asset storage on pallets dominates asset storage on trailers. The snap-shots also indicate that the current B3705 space utilization can be reduced from a 3-bay design to at least a 2-bay design when baggage trailer transportation and storage is eliminated.
*The data analysis also revealed that for a resource improvement plan to be effective, “global” material handling and transportation procedures and the use of bar code labels across the OC-ALC must be followed.