Collective efforts rack up cost savings

  • Published
  • By By Senior Airman Tong Duong
  • 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. - --  Through the collective efforts of two squadrons and a 'get it done' attitude, a simple idea to cut cost and save man hours, paved the way for a month long project that resulted in tire racks being built, training of six Airmen and $10,000 in savings.

During a morning briefing in the 56th Logistics Readiness Squadron Vehicle Operations Flight, the topic of building new tire racks in their yard came up.

"We had a lot of overstock, not just in our yard, but in-house also," said Edward Lyons, 56th LRS vehicle operator. While making his rounds of the yard, Master Sgt. Rene Roman, 56th LRS Vehicle Operations Flight superintendent made some observations.

"An Airman who had a better perspective from working daily there interjected his thoughts," Mr. Lyons said. "It escalated from there."

With the help of the 56th Equipment Maintenance Squadron Metal Tech Flight, the vehicle operations flight was able to save the Air Force money by having four-tire racks built with scrap metal both flights had lying around their yards.

"The LRS supervisor had stopped by to see if it was possible to build their vehicle operations flight some tire racks," said Master Sgt. Gilbert Russell, 56th EMS Metal Tech shop chief. "They didn't have the capability to do it themselves, so they came to us. While our main function is aircraft and aircraft ground equipment work, we support pretty much everybody on base. We saved money by combining what we had on hand and not having to order new stock."

The Vehicle Operations Flight saved the Air Force a minimum of $10,000 by being pro-active because certain processes, man hours and material were cut out, said Mr. Lyons.
"The tire racks will help keep our tires out of the weather, cutting down on material and replacement cost also," he said.

The idea for the tire racks started when leadership was searching for a way to control quality and inventory their yard.

"In the beginning, it was hard to find stuff out there," Sergeant Roman said. "It would take a long time to locate something and keeping inventory was a chore. Not only did we save money, but we now have a place to store our tires and pull what we need. It makes our job easier."

The collective effort also benefited the EMS flight. "It just so happened, they caught us at the right time, as we had just received six new Airmen from technical training school," Sergeant Russell said. "We were able to use the project as on-the-job training, applying techniques and skills they needed to be taught, such as arc and mig welding."

Taking experiences from his deployment to Afghanistan such as streamlining processes by cutting out unnecessary steps is beneficial, Sergeant Roman said. This same approach was used for the tire rack project "When you're deployed, you don't have to deal with all the paperwork or red tape. We just cut out the middle man and sped up the process," he said. "It was refreshing to see the communication between the metal shop and ours."

Sergeant Roman said it was a matter of explaining what they wanted to do, and pointing out mutual benefits. The tire rack project is just one aspect of what's going on in vehicle operations, but an important one that showcased their initiative.

"We have a lot of changes going on around here," Mr. Lyons said. "If you want it done, you got to do it yourself."