# Strategic Partnerships and Workforce Development Continues

/ Published Sept. 26, 2019
COLUMBUS, Ohio, 
The Defense Logistics Agency Land and Maritime Planning and Industrial Support Division conducted an Industrial Support Activity training session Sept. 5 with personnel from the Anniston Army Depot in Anniston, Alabama, their second iteration in a series of planned training sessions.

The training is designed to strengthen partnerships, improve customer support and connect the efforts of the DLA team with the outcomes achieved at the ISA. Strong Partnerships is one of five lines of effort advanced by Defense Logistics Agency Director Lt. Gen. Darrell Williams as a roadmap to ensure victory against trans-regional multi-domain threats, in an increasingly complex global environment.

                Anniston Army Depot associate John Cooley welcomes personnel from Defense Logistics Agency Land and Martime as they began their Industrial Support Activity training at the Anniston Army Depot in Anniston, Alabama.                            DLA Land and Martime visit Anniston Army Depot                            Anniston Army Depot associate John Cooley welcomes personnel from Defense Logistics Agency Land and Martime as they began their Industrial Support Activity training at the Anniston Army Depot in Anniston, Alabama.            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Courtsey Photo ProvidedVIRIN: 190906-D-CC123-101“Seeing production lines and learning ANAD's processes enables DLA associates to understand how to better our practices in order to provide the timely support the service’s industrial bases rely on to complete their mission,” said Trevor Boyd, DLA customer service representative at Anniston Army Depot. “It also identifies from the customer’s perspective shortfalls and successes in supply chain support.”

DLA, as the primary source of weapon system sustainment for consumables, new Depot Level Repairables and associated services, is a critical component in life cycle logistics management planning.

A component in the depot maintenance enterprise, Anniston Army Depot, provides the resources, skills and capabilities to sustain the life cycle readiness of the Warfighter’s weapon systems and equipment worldwide in a reliable and efficient manner, and are tasked with the mission of building combat power through advanced remanufacturing and reclamation that delivers agile sustainment that produces readiness today and is postured for surge sustainment level capability on a global scale.

Anniston Army Depot has been designated by the Secretary of the Army as the Center for Technical Excellence for combat vehicles, assault bridging, self-propelled and towed artillery, small caliber weapons, locomotives, rail equipment and non-tactical generators.

“These training sessions provide our associates with the ability to see firsthand their impact on the weapon systems used by the American Warfighters,” Boyd said. “The training session and partnership is intended to enhance our associates knowledge of the weapon systems DLA directly supports; ultimately bringing a bit of reality closer to home in terms of how associates individually and collectively influence service readiness.”

DLA Land and Maritime sent nine associates to Anniston to participate in a training program that focused on the Industrial Support Activity’s role in life cycle sustainment of land based weapons. The associates comprised multiple jobs such as customer account specialists, material planners and product specialists. 

“The site visit and training at Anniston Army Depot provided clarity to how the procurement actions of DLA Maritime Supplier Operations impacts the production schedule,” said DLA Land and Maritime Supply Chain Point of Contact for Maritime Supplier Operations Trevor Ramey.  “This was also a great opportunity to share with the Anniston personnel how getting us involved as early in the process as possible can help us to be better prepared to meet their needs in a timely manner.”

The following topics were covered during the training session:                DLA Land and Maritime Associates take time for a group photograph in front of an Abrams tank during a visit to the Anniston Army Depot Sept. 6. Pictured from left are Johnny Cooley, Melissa Collinsworth, Iris Robinson, Brent Watson, Jason Borders, Trevor Ramey, Trevor Boyd, Michael Harris and Donald Smith                            DLA Land and Maritime Associates visit Anniston Army Depot                            DLA Land and Maritime Associates take time for a group photograph in front of an Abrams tank during a visit to the Anniston Army Depot Sept. 6. Pictured from left are Johnny Cooley, Melissa Collinsworth, Iris Robinson, Brent Watson, Jason Borders, Trevor Ramey, Trevor Boyd, Michael Harris and Donald Smith            SHARE IMAGE:Download ImageImage DetailsPhoto By: Courtesy PhotoVIRIN: 190906-D-CC123-100
      - Understand the purpose of the Depot Maintenance Enterprise in Life Cycle Management of Land Based Weapon Systems.
      - Understand how Industrial Support Activities are funded and assigned work.
      - Identify the key players involved Industrial Maintenance.
      - Discuss the purpose Bills of Material in Industrial Planning.
      - Understand how the Industrial Support Activity determines routes.
      - Understand the difference between Industrial RESET and Industrial RECAP.
      - State the planning tools used by the Industrial Support Activity.
      - Describe the planning interface between the Industrial Support Activity and DLA.
      - Understand the importance of material and parts support to the production line.
      - Observe the induction of a weapons platform onto the production line.
      - Observe the impact of material or parts shortages on the production line.
      - Identify a Command Critical Information Requirement National Stock Number that touches the workload of each participant to illuminate the direct link between work accomplished at DLA Land and Maritime to the outcomes achieved by the Industrial Support Activity.

Anniston Army Depot used a current Category One item, Manifold, Exhaust NSN 2815014345184, as an example at the training session to explain to the DLA associates how an interruption in the supply chain negatively impacts their production lines. 

“Participating in the training at Anniston Army Depot allowed me to gain a greater understanding of the importance of everyone within DLA,” Donald Smith DLA Land and Maritime Army/Marine operating forces branch chief said. “I’ve spent the majority of my DLA career on the supplier side speaking with suppliers; however, as a new branch chief on the customer side, being able to actually talk with the customers and see the dedication and commitment of those at the industrial sites really illustrated the statement ‘One DLA’.  We all play a pivotal part in who we are.  This visit solidified that we are interdependent on one another to provide our Warfighter with requirements to execute their mission.”

Life cycle logistics continuous learning events highlight the importance of a strong relationship between the DLA and ISA in delivering world-class logistics support to the nation’s Warfighters. 

“This type of training effort contributes to the Strong Partnership Line of Effort outlined in the DLA Strategic Plan and delivers on facilitating meaningful discussion between DLA and ISA,” said Kenneth P. Abrams, customer operations division chief and subject matter expert for the life cycle logistics community in DLA Land and Maritime.  “It’s also quite valuable to the DLA workforce in broadening logistics support knowledge and visually connecting their efforts to the production outcomes achieved by the ISA.”