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DDOO receives National Award

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  • By Danielle Gregory
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE --  The Defense Distribution Center Oklahoma has received recognition, from the National Industries for the Blind, for their support of the Javits-Wagner-O'Day program, which helps to employ blind and handicapped persons in both the retail and manufacturing sector.
   In the fall of 2007, DDOO made a conscious decision to try to purchase all office supplies and equipment from the local San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind Base Service Center.
   DDOO partnered with SALFB to incorporate a Vendor Managed Inventory system, which includes warehousing, delivery, stocking and procurement of all material items consumed by DDOO. Concurrently, DDOO installed Nexiant Maintenance Repair Operation /Point of Use Vending Machines to dispense Office Supplies and possibly PPE in the future, directly to DDOO employees. MRO/POU Vending Machines are now operational within two DDOO buildings, and SALFB has assumed the warehousing and stocking duties for the vending machines.
   "We directly support the war fighter and any time we spend chasing down supplies, is time that we are not actively engaged with our mission. We were aware that DDOO was required to purchase certain items thru the JWOD program, we decided to go above and beyond and try to purchase everything thru the local BSC" said Thomas Wahpekeche, Division Chief in the Performance Excellence Office. DDOO made the decision based on BSC material availability, service, and the fact that SALFB employs handicapped and blind individuals.
   "We, SALB, have a store located here on Tinker Air Force Base. We don't need production employees hunting down supplies, we can handle that for them. This is a win-win partnership for both sides," said Lee Weatherford, SALFB Area Sales Manager.
In the past DDOO submitted Purchase Orders daily, typically for the same quickly consumed supplies. By utilizing the Vendor Managed Inventory System DDOO has transitioned to submitting one PO per items a month," said Mr. Wahpekeche
   The advantages to utilizing the MRO/POU Vending Machines has been positive, SALB warehouses DDOO supplies and parts, and delivers the parts to locations as requested" stated Mr. Weatherford, "DDOO benefits from not having to manage office supply inventory, frees up operational floor space, decreases process time related to Just In Time Delivery compared to Just in Case purchasing".
   As well as being user friendly the MRO/POU Vending Machines are always operational, and even has a UPS Battery Backup System to negate power outages. Also, the machines keep a real-time inventory and also notify the DDOO Purchaser and SALFB when items within the machine need to be restocked. "Employee buy-in to the machines has been positive; most of the newly stocked items have been identified by our employees," said Thomas Wahpekeche.
   DDOO envisions a MRO/POU Vending Machine being located in each building and is working with SALFB to make that happen.