Improved Equipment Availability

U.S. Army Forces Command was spending too much time planning and executing movements of equipment from one of its subordinate units to another. The lengthy process made the equipment unavailable for use which was not acceptable to Army leadership. The Command used LSS to improve the equipment redistribution process by creating enforceable standard operating procedures and updating regulations. The Command reduced the time required for this task by 75 percent and saved $120,000 annually. More important, availability of valuable equipment increased. 

Problem

U.S. Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) trains, mobilizes, deploys, sustains, transforms, and reconstitutes conventional forces; thereby providing relevant and ready land power to Combatant Commanders worldwide.  This extensive mission includes mobilization and training of continental U.S. based resources (roughly 80% of the Army) at various locations.  One organization within FORSCOM, the Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff for Logistics (commonly known as the G4) is responsible for logistics support and movement of equipment and vehicles.  This organization works closely with Army Materiel Command (AMC) and Headquarters, Department of the Army (HQDA) G4 to accomplish this mission.

FORSCOM G4 expends considerable effort to verify needs and then direct movement of excess equipment among its subordinate units. The process used to do this was lengthy and included multiple redundant steps of manual verification and collation, with no enforceable feedback loop to ensure task completion.  This resulted in excess time and resources to move equipment, and with equipment not being available for use. The equipment non-availability issue simply was not acceptable to Army leadership as it conducted operations in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Approach

To improve the equipment redistribution process, a Lean Six Sigma (LSS) Black Belt team of FORSCOM G4 personnel was formed.  The team collected current and historical data to capture the current process, define “customer” requirements and determine FORSCOM’s ability to meet those requirements.  From the process map, the team identified constraints and non-value-added steps.  After analysis of the process information, the team found there was no dependable means of tracking equipment movements while transitioning from the providing unit to the receiving unit. Next, the team performed a Failure Modes and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to identify process issues and their severities and causes. The lack of enforceable standard operating procedures was determined to be one of the primary failure modes and the reason for multiple inspections and rework of information.  An improved process, development of standing operating procedures, and updating existing regulations addressed 90% of potential failure modes associated with the process.

Results

After completion of this project, the cycle time was reduced from 20 days to 5 days—a 75 percent reduction.  FORSCOM G4 realized annual cost reduction of $120,000 and the new process eliminated the constraint of batch processing.  The new process provided better planning and execution, enhanced asset visibility, and more effective asset management.