FORT BELVIOR,
DLA entered initial operating capability as provider of North American regional warehousing
The agency was selected last January by the
Moving inventory to DLA facilities puts parts closer to the source of repair at ALCs and FRCs where critical weapons systems are repaired and maintained, said
'There's a great deal of comfort knowing inventory is right down the street versus, in the case of FRC Southwest, outside of the base over 15 miles away. Getting a delivery truck through the gate is one thing, but there you're also competing with all the traffic going over the bridge to
The change also eliminates duplicate efforts between
'We have the ability to refine our already existing delivery schedules, meshing them closely with customers' production schedules so they get every minute possible of wrench-turning time out of their operations. And that improves readiness,' Saffron added.
Auditability is expected to be another key outcome of the effort. An
'At initial operating capability, we'll continue to use existing contractor systems to manage material and gain visibility. But in the future, at full operating capability, our intention is to migrate inventory data into DLA systems so we have an accountable property system of record,' said Navy Capt.
Data transfer will be a conditions-based transfer and is scheduled for 2021, Davis said.
DLA's F-35 support is an important first step in
'Right now we're focused on ensuring this program can benefit from our mature supply chain processes. This is setting us on the road to sustainment for the program over the next 50 years,' he said.
Inventory transfer
Transfer of inventory has already begun at the
The Oklahoma ALC will accept about 50,000 new receipts in the next few months. Existing DLA facilities will be used at the
DLA and TRANSCOM will measure and report its performance to the JPO using pre-set metrics such as issue response time, similar to the way the agency measures itself through service agreements with the military, Davis added.
'It's important to note that we're not doing this with blinders on. There's work to be done and we continue growing our relationships so our customers have confidence their needs will be met as we move forward,' he said.
Those partners include companies selected to manage warehouse operations in
Davis underscored DLA's ability to deliver effective, reliable F-35 support while reducing costs and expanding supply chain transparency.
'We have an existing supply chain that's proven and we've demonstrated the ability to provide wartime support using that supply chain,' he said. 'It makes sense to use that tested capability to support a weapons system that's critical to our national defense strategy as opposed to being reliant on a supply chain that hasn't been tested and could potentially add complexities.'
Over 490 F-35s were delivered to
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