SV0.GB
Conveying Loading Palletizing Packaging Sorting/Distributing
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44 DC VELOCITY
BEU_AZ_85, 73x254_S+V_GB.indd 1
APRIL 2009
28.01.2009 10:40: 55 Uhr
specialreport DEFENSE
Lessons from the private sector
DDSP is taking lessons from the private sector. For example,
managers have visited a Wal-Mart DC about 100 miles from their
facility to see how the retail giant employs technology. They have
visited Toyota and adopted many of the fundamentals of the
Toyota Production System to drive continuous improvement.
Their success in imbuing that sense of mission throughout
the operation reveals itself in a conversation with a group of
DDSP employees sitting around a conference table. The
“youngster” is probably in his late 30s, but most of them qualified for AARP a long time ago. Some are white collar, some
blue collar, but they’re all veterans.
Many retired after a career in the military and came to the
DDSP, while others did a tour or two. Their service experience
spans all of the military departments. They have tales that
range from the Vietnam War to Southwest Asia, covering a lot
of ground in between.
The conversation drifts toward
why they do what they do for a living now. One reminisces about what
it was like when he was in the field
and heard the magic words, “Your
supplies are here.” He’s a middle
manager now, a believer in getting
out with his team. He offers, “Every
day I tell them about the men and
women we’re serving. My heart is a
heart of compassion for the mission. I don’t ever give it up.”
Another is more matter of fact.
“They need it when they need it. That’s what drives me,” he
says. “Some of them are giving their lives.”
A late arrival joins in, asserting, “I’m willing to do whatever
it takes to get that soldier what they need.”
He gets a little more introspective, recalling what it was like for
him when he came to the DDSP. “I got here and didn’t realize
what I’d gotten myself into here.” He was on the floor one day,
looking around, and saw “a section full of caskets. I realized that
was going to be the last ride home for some soldiers,” he recalls.
“My whole mindset changed. People are depending on me.”
No magic
The scale of the operation at DDSP is impressive, but the facility really isn’t. Some of the buildings date back to World War
I, and even the 1. 7 million-square-foot building dates back to
the mid ’80s. There’s no magic in the process, or the buildings,
or the technology.
What makes DDSP special are the people, the pride, and the
intelligence of the leadership that is harnessing the power of
those two combined.
The final step in the distribution process at DDSP includes
a personal statement from whoever does the final check on the
shipment before it leaves the facility. Each shipment going out
has a sticker on it, and the sticker is signed by a real person. It
reads, “Packed with Pride at DDSP.”
