Barksdale sergeant streamlines maintenance process

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Chad Warren
  • 2nd Bomb Wing Public Affairs
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. --  For Air Force maintainers, the shift is not over until the job is finished. This means every minute counts and precious time is wasted every time an Airman has to wait in line for an aircraft part.

Where most people saw an unavoidable delay, one Airman found a way to ensure Barksdale and the Air Force Global Strike Command are staying on the cutting edge of technology.

"I was reading a news article about a year ago about an automated part vending machine, and I knew we could benefit from it," said Staff Sgt. Justin Garcia, a supply technician with the 2nd Maintenance Squadron.

Sergeant Garcia spent the next few months researching and pricing the machines before submitting the idea to leadership. The machine was installed on Nov. 15 and is already fully operational and used daily.

The machine, which dispenses mainly small, universal parts such as bolts and washers, is a fully automated alternative to the painstaking process of waiting in line at a window to be issued parts. Prior to the machine, any inventory item had to be checked out at a window.

"Tools, parts, even snack bar items were all at the same window," Sergeant Garcia said. "An Airman needing two bolts could be waiting in line behind an entire flight checking out tools for the day. It was basically a funnel that the window could not keep up with."

The machine, which dispenses widely used items known as bench stock parts, relieves this strain and expedites the maintenance process by eliminating the wait for bench stock parts. An Airman simply keys in a pin number and chooses which part he/she needs and the machine dispenses a tray containing the required part.

"My troops like not having to wait in line," said Tech. Sgt. Joshua Parker, 2 MXS inspection section dock chief. "This way they can avoid the window and get back out to the aircraft."

In addition to dispensing parts quickly, the dispenser keeps an accurate inventory of the parts in stock. Before this technology, Airmen had to hand count exactly how many parts were left in stock and document when the stock was below half capacity. Now after taking the needed parts from the machine, the user simply places the tray on a scale and the remaining inventory is automatically calculated based on weight.

"It saves me lots of time doing inventory, and makes re-ordering equipment much easier," Sergeant Garcia said.

Sergeant Garcia's innovation has captured the attention of installation leadership, and depending on the success of the program it may be expanded to improve maintenance operations across Barksdale.

Overall, the process saves the unit approximately 7 hours per person per aircraft phase inspection. This is a tremendous asset to a job where less time spent with the B-52 undergoing maintenance means more operational aircraft and faster bombs on target.