# San Joaquin’s Placeres wins Global Distribution Excellence: Material Management Senior Civilian Manager of the Year

/ Published July 31, 2015
SAN JOAQUIN, California, 
Frances Placeres, receiving division chief at Defense Logistics Agency Distribution San Joaquin, Calif., has been awarded Global Distribution Excellence: Material Management Senior Civilian Manager of the Year for her innovation and dedication to the distribution center’s mission.

Responsible for Central Receiving and Consolidation and Containerization Point shipping operations at DLA Distribution’s second largest distribution center, Placeres manages a 170-employee workforce spanning four warehouses.  In 2014 alone, she oversaw the receipt of nearly 250,000 line items. 

A 30-year employee, her leadership describes her as “visionary.”  Over the course of 2014, Placeres implemented numerous process improvements in the CCP, streamlining operations and improving metrics.  She partnered with Shipment Planning/Hazardous Branches and assigned an employee to work in the hazardous materiel warehouse and complete driver sign-off in the work area versus transferring paperwork back and forth between two buildings, as was done previously.  Her decision streamlined the process and improved the metric by one day.

Placeres also worked with DLA Distribution headquarters’ Continuous Process Improvement team to maximize efficiencies in the CCP research area.  She created the first frustrated materiel database within DLA Distribution, which was benchmarked for implementation at other distribution sites.  The log generated from the database is distributed weekly to key customers and warfighter support representatives, and has reduced the backlog of frustrated items.

She also led her division’s preparation for Audit Readiness’ Plan to Stock Business Cycle, setting the bar for other divisions, says distribution center commander Marine Col. Keith Reventlow.  “Under Ms. Placeres’ direction, the Receiving team created first-class AR boards and detailed supervisor and employee training binders that were later implemented distribution center-wide.  Her work area is now the “show-place” for all AR visits,” said Reventlow.

In addition to the division’s regular workload, Placeres’ led the management of Western Distribution Center General Services Administration fire mission and non-fire mission materiel.  The customer transferred over 740 lines of stock to DLA Distribution San Joaquin, equaling nearly 367,000 cubic feet, yet Placeres created a smooth transition for customers over the course of six weeks with zero delays.

Placeres also serves as a safety champion, chairing the Voluntary Protection Program Sub-Committee, and serves as a mentor to fellow employees, implementing a “Walk-In-The-Shoes” training with first-line supervisors.****

“Ms. Placeres is a great example of what a leader should be; she’s professional, responsive, versatile, flexible, dependable and always available to handle everything and anything that comes up.  She has risen through the ranks and her passion for the mission and the warfighter has not waivered; she is just as passionate today as she was the day she started more than 30 years ago,” said Reventlow.