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305th APS hosts AFSO 21 event

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Joshua King
  • Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst Public Affairs
JOINT BASE MCGUIRE-DIX-LAKEHURST, N.J. --  Airmen and Defense Department employees from multiple Air Mobility Command wings conducted an Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century event here, Sept. 21-25.

AFSO 21 is designed to generate efficiencies in the Air Force mission by enabling Airmen to change day-to-day operating styles to improve processes. Airmen from aerial port squadrons at JB MDL, Ramstein Air Base, Germany and Dover Air Force Base, Delaware came together to make the JB MDL cargo process more efficient.

Innovation is key to improving companies in the private sector as well as in the Air Force.

"It is not just important, but absolutely necessary for a constantly evolving Air Force," said Tech. Sgt. Joseph Smith, 305th Air Mobility Wing master process owner and event facilitator.

Inefficiencies can be over looked by a person that works with that product or process every day if someone not familiar with the unit looks at it, they might be able to see what is wrong right away.

"It was invaluable that we had people come in from different bases and help to assimilate their successful traits into ours," added Smith.

The week was spent going through the processes from when cargo arrives at the 305th APS compound until it is loaded and exported by aircraft and vice versa.

The 305th APS is known as the "Port of Choice" in the Air Force. It is one of four "Super Ports" and can ship cargo and equipment all over the world, according to Staff Sgt. Caylen Horace, 305 Aerial Port Squadron distribution supervisor. We took over a lot of Dover's mission due to their runway repairs.

"The week went great, we saved them a lot of time overall and helped make them more efficient," said Senior Airman Tory Weaver, 721st Aerial Port Squadron freight processor, stationed at Ramstein AB.

Issues they came across during the event included a constrained flow on inbound trucks, frustrated cargo due to defects; a high work-in-progress inventory; no true pull system for pallet builds; inefficient communication devices; space available and facility layout.

"Our goal was to reduce our overall process times for everything that we build and everything we move through our facility," said Tech. Sgt. Seth Lobdell, 305th APS cargo processing NCO.

In total, man hours are expected to be reduced by 30 percent by having a new sign in system for deliveries, flipping the shipping and receiving sides of the warehouse, changing the pallet build procedures and many more.

As in any change in procedure, it will take time. The estimated goal for all changes to be implemented is March 1. Others will be completed over the next two months.

"On paper we have met our goal, certain items can be implemented immediately while others will take coordination with other joint base agencies to complete," added Lobdell.

There doesn't have to be an AFSO 21 event for Airmen to recognize potential improvements to their daily processes something as small as moving a stapler close to where it will be used can save dozens of man hours annually and was one of the improvements made at the 305th APS.

"Any process can be improved in the Air Force," said Smith. "The problem lies in identifying the waste that is preventing it from being achieved.

"Everyone in the Air Force is an agent for change, they all have the ability to upchannel ideas to make their processes more efficient," added Smith. "That means every day, you're looking to create a solution that will benefit the customer and yourself."