Fort Sill, Oklahoma
Problem: How to support fast-moving combat infantry units with supplies
Solution: Outfit backup trailers with a custom storage system inventoried by bar-coding system
Benefit: The well-organized trailers speed up the repair process to help keep vehicles on the move overseas.
Products Used: Cabinets
Think of a pit crews on wheels and you get an idea of what the 588th SSA at Fort Sill, Okla., is training for. You may never see them on the news, but a fleet of supply trailers housing all the necessary parts and tools, along with trained maintenance crews, backs up every mechanized division. When a vehicle runs into a problem, the 588th will jump into action to make repairs as quickly as possible.
However, until recently the battalion’s trailers lacked a good organization system, which slowed down the repair process as mechanics searched for parts and tools. Storage consisted of flimsy cardboard boxes, baskets, and cabinets with no dividers. There was no inventory control. Larger items were often thrown into the trailer haphazardly. The result: long pick times, which hindered the efficiency of the well-trained maintenance crews.
When the unit knew they were soon to be deployed, a quick solution was deemed necessary. The chief warrant officer in charge turned to Stanley Vidmar for help because he was familiar with their reputation and needed a company with experience in military applications.
Vidmar Storage Sales Engineer Tim Smith assessed the situation by taking complete measurements of the trailers and interviewing crew members to determine their exact needs. With the end user in mind, Smith and his crew of engineers designed a custom cabinet system for the trailers. With shelves that can sustain up to 400 pounds and cabinetry designed to organize the inventory down to the smallest ball bearing, the custom system keeps everything easily accessed and provides for mobility within each trailer. A Vidmar team was able to install the new system in a fraction of the time it would have taken an untrained crew.
Vidmar’s record of service to the military is unparalleled. The newly outfitted trailers are just another example of how the Vidmar name has become synonymous with efficient storage. Now, when a mechanized vehicle breaks down the 588th can have it up and running in no more than four hours. “That’s a logistics capability that no army on earth can match,” Smith says.