# Product Test Center brings augmented reality to vendor partners 

/ Published Jan. 13, 2023
PHILADELPHIA, 
The Product Test Center Analytical at Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support introduced augmented reality headsets for the purposes of performing remote inspections for DLA Troop Support Clothing and Textile suppliers during a demonstration on January 9th.   

“We are allowing the vendors the opportunity to enhance their own quality assurance processes and to prove their commitment to quality control using cutting edge technology,” said Jamie Hieber, DLA Product Test Center Analytical manager.   

This initial pilot program was introduced to two vendors back in December 2022, with four additional vendor partners planned to be added in the coming months.   

In the years past, samples were sent to the PTC or designated representatives were available at the vendor locations to oversee quality assurance. DLA has been working towards redefining virtual work models to help enable our next generation workforce in step with modernization efforts across the industry.  

The AR headsets used in vendor locations will communicate with tablets housed in the PTC in Philadelphia. Inspections can be performed in real-time or through recorded footage.  

One of the purposes of implementing the AR headsets into the workflow of contractors is to allow PTC the advantage of random remote inspections tailored to each vendor.  

“We can tailor the workflow to each vendor since each vendor that we've picked does different things,” said Hieber. “Their testing is different so breaking strength for a poly-cotton is different than breaking strength for wool.”  

Remote inspection may include watching the formation of a lot—the entire batch of products for a designated time period—from the production line, sample selection and specific testing as selected by Product Test Center specialists.  

“Vendors can pick their own samples, they can pick what they want to test—and I trust the majority of our vendors, there's no question they're all in it for the same reason we are: to serve the warfighter,” said Hieber. “But there's always places where we could use a little bit more oversight.”  

The Product Test Center will be responsible for training the vendor textile technologists and engineers on the usage of the AR headsets. Naval Information Warfare Center Pacific will also be involved in providing technical support. 

The AR headsets are intended to be used in lieu of a laboratory specialist traveling to a site to witness the testing in-person.   

“Remote inspection gives us another tool in our arsenal to guarantee quality for the warfighter,” said Hieber.  

The Analytical Products Test Center is located at DLA Troop Support in Philadelphia and is responsible for testing materials in the harshest conditions to ensure the performance of the products in the warfighter’s fields.  

Clothing items are evaluated for shade and color fastness, tested for tear strength and many other physical aspects that are vital to their roles in protecting the warfighter.  

At DLA Troop Support, one of the major lines of effort is: the future of work. There are multiple ongoing modernization efforts to optimize supply chain operations to include the mobile tablets and AR headsets being implemented into the workflow of contractors and DLA Troop Support Product Test Center Analytical team.  

The goal of the line of effort centered on the future-of-work model is to create an optimal work environment for employees that is modern, safe, secure, and well maintained to help increase retention and expand access to diverse talent pools.  

“This is a great demonstration of being innovative with our vendor partners,” said Brig. Gen. Eric Shirley, Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support commander. “We are building skillsets for the future workforce, and I’m glad to see these adaptations that can help us sustain suppliers as well as increase workforce productivity and warfighter satisfaction.”