Strategic Storage Needs of the Federal Government - GSA · Storage Needs of the Federal Government...

U.S. GeneralServicesAdministration

Office ofGovernmentwidePolicy

Amor PatriaeDucit

Strategic Storage Needsof the Federal Government

July 1999

Office of Real Property

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Vegetation Control Storage,USDA SE Nut Research Facility,Byron, GA

Outside Equipment Storage,USDA/FS Chattahoochee NF,Gainesville, GA

Flexible Accessibility LoadingDock, Fort Benning, GA

Strategic Storage Needsof the Federal Government

Office of Real PropertyOffice of Governmentwide PolicyU.S. General Services Administration

July 1999

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Strategic Storage Needs of the Federal Government

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Foreword

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The General ServicesAdministration’s (GSA’s)Office of Governmentwide

Policy (OGP) is pleased to issue theStrategic Storage Needs of theFederal Government Report. Thisdocument is the result of research,fieldwork and interviews conductedon Federally owned and leasedwarehouse space as well as that ofthe private sector.

The goal of this project was topromote interagency communicationand the sharing of informationrelating to best practices and thelatest technologies in thewarehousing and storage field. Theinformation provided in thisdocument is based upon 54 on-sitevisits to Federal and private sectorfacilities in Florida, Georgia andTennessee.

I want to recognize David L. Bibb,whose Office of Real Propertyinitiated and developed thiswarehouse study. Under theleadership of Stanley C. Langfeld,Project Sponsor, the Real PropertyPolicy Division led the StrategicWarehousing Inventory NeedsGroup (SWING) team through

project planning and execution ofthis collaborative initiative. ProjectTeam Leader Sheldon Greenberg,along with Hank Aldag, both of theOffice of Real Property; GaryThompson of OGP’s Office ofTransportation and PersonalProperty; and Michael Wayne ofGSA’s Federal Supply Serviceconducted the study, evaluated thefindings, identified the bestpractices, and wrote this report.

I want to personally thank all thededicated personnel from theFederal agencies’ headquarters andregional/local levels involved in ourstudy for their cooperation andassistance. I also want to thankthose private sector personnel whoagreed to meet with the team toshare their experience andexpertise. We believe that thiscollaborative Government andprivate sector approach to projectexecution is the formula for success.

We hope the information containedin this report serves its purpose as auseful tool in the management andoperation of the FederalGovernment’s warehouse andstorage functions.

G. Martin WagnerAssociate AdministratorOffice of Governmentwide PolicyU.S. General ServicesAdministration


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Storage Bins Arranged As An American Flag

Eglin Air Force Base, FL

Table of Contents

Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Purpose. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Study Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Project Development. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Kick-off Meeting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Field-work Preparation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

On-site Visits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Observations and Findings. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Warehouse Diversity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Real Property Considerations in Warehouse Design . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Cubic Space. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Facility and Site Planning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Facility Access. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Infrastructure Attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

Technology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

Personal Property and Supply Management . 29

Distribution Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

Safety and Hazardous Storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Integration of Storage Functions and Facility Capabilities. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Grounds Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Facilities Operations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

Emerging Concepts and Practices in Warehousing. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

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Table of Contents

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Opportunities for Real Property Sharing . . . . . . 39

Best Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Recommendations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Appendices. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53

I. Project Charter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

II. Kick-Off Meeting Letter of Invitation & List of Attendees . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

III. Matrix of Locations and Storage Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

IV. Site Visit Summaries and Local Points of Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

V. Questionnaire Survey and Synopsis . . . . . . 97

VI. Additional Sources of Information . . . . . . 103

VII. Publication Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

PurposeThe Office of GovernmentwidePolicy’s (OGP) main objective, asstated in the Project Charter(Appendix I), was to workcollaboratively with Federalagencies to review current realproperty warehouse, storage, anddistribution functions and develop aGovernmentwide informationsharing mechanism for the bestpractices and lessons learned fromthe study. To confirm the validity ofthe project, the team also visitedseveral private sector companieswhose operations center on storageand distribution functions. Anothergoal of the study was to provideopportunities for agencies to shareresources and identify potentialopportunities for improving theutilization of real property to meetthe Federal Government’s currentand future warehouse needs.

Three distinct functional areas ofexpertise were represented on theGeneral Services Administration’s(GSA) project team — real property(OGP’s Office of Real Property),personal property (OGP’s Office ofTransportation and PersonalProperty), and supply distribution(GSA’s Federal Supply Service(FSS)). This teaming effort,therefore, represented the majorfunctional components of thefacilities studied and is the firstGovernmentwide study to combinethese aspects of warehousingfunctions.

Study MethodologyBased on data from the FederalGovernment’s Worldwide InventoryDatabase, participant Federalagencies were identified through a

query for storage, warehouse andindustrial inventory within thecontinental United States. Thedatabase revealed that Federalagencies located in the states ofFlorida, Georgia and Tennesseeoffered the most potential for asuccessful study.

A Strategic Warehousing NeedsInventory Group (SWING) projectkick-off meeting was held on May 7,1998. All Federal landholdingagencies identified within thegeographic study area were invited,as well as other major landholdingagencies, and member agencies ofthe Federal Real Property Council(Appendix II). Twenty-one Federalagencies were represented at themeeting and invited to participate inthe study. After presentation of theproject’s purpose and goals, aquestion-and-answer sessionenabled the Federal agencyattendees to gain a betterunderstanding of the project.

On-site visits (Appendix III and IV),including project briefings andinterviews were made to 16 Federalagencies in Florida, 25 in Georgia,and 13 in Tennessee. In addition,real and personal propertyquestionnaires were provided to thelocal points of contact to provide theteam with further information onthe sites (Appendix V). Thefacilities visited ranged in size from10,000 square feet (sq. ft.) to severalmillion sq. ft., and contained a totalof approximately 39.3 million sq. ft.of storage space. Private sectorentities operating large warehouseand distribution facilities in Floridaand Georgia also participated in thestudy.

To supplement the team’s exposure

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Executive Summary

Executive Summary

to professionals in warehouse andstorage functions, visits were alsomade to GSA’s FSS SouthwestDistribution Center in Fort Worth,Texas, where the major supplyfunction currently operates out ofmultiple buildings. A visit was alsomade to the Industrial EngineeringDivision at Wright-Patterson U.S.Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio. Thisunit is responsible for providingengineering and design services forall Air Force materials handling andwarehouse functions worldwide.Additional sources of information onwarehouse and materials handlingfunctions are provided in AppendixVI.

Observations and FindingsExamples of good concepts andpractices were found through thesite visits and discussions with theagency and private sectorrepresentatives. In many instancesthese concepts have been developedand are being used to successfullyaddress location-specific real andpersonal property issues. Simplemodifications, such as the additionof natural lighting (skylights),placement of large stand-alone fansfor air movement on the warehousefloor and use of higher rackingsystems provide for more efficientwarehouse operations. Other, moretechnical or structural changes, suchas using moveable/accordion storageunits, vacuum lift systems andcomputerized high-density storageracking systems, have improved theoperating efficiency of the facilities.

The Federal Governmentwarehouses a variety of materials tosupport its multi-faceted mission. Across section of items warehoused

includes office supplies, electricaltest equipment, telecommunicationsequipment, enriched uranium,nuclear and fossil fuel power plantparts, hazardous materials, militaryvehicles, wind tunnel parts, archivedrecords, clothes, household goods,medical supplies, and many others.

In warehouse operations, theGovernment is moving moretowards the use of the InternationalMerchant Purchase AuthorizationCard (IMPAC) or GovernmentPurchase Card for small orders ofoffice-related supplies. ThisGovernment issued credit cardenables the holder to buy directlyfrom vendors either by going to localsupply stores or ordering throughthe internet or telephone. TheGovernment is also using “just-in-time” and prime vendor contracting.These methods provide a less costlyand more efficient way for Federalagencies to buy goods and servicesdirectly from the vendor instead ofprocessing requests throughGovernment procurement offices. Inmost instances, this hassignificantly reduced the need forwarehouse space without acorresponding reduction in spaceoccupied. It should be noted that assupply marketplace and orderingpatterns have changed in the recentpast, GSA’s FSS has been able toreduce its occupied storage needsand has gone from over 20 majorwarehouse facilities to four largewarehouse operations and sevensmaller warehouses. In the last twoyears alone, FSS has reduced itswarehouse space by approximately1.5 million sq. ft.

Many of the locations visited werenot fully utilizing warehousecapacity. Several agencies had

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Executive Summary

indicated that they were in theprocess of leasing additional space,when it appeared that better use ofthe existing space would resolve thespace problem. Potentialimprovements to space utilizationinclude adding additional levels ofstorage racking, improvinginventory control of excess personalproperty, and better use oftechnology in place of stockpilinghard copy forms and publications.

The scope of this project did notinclude cost estimates and cost-benefit analysis associated withbetter space utilization at thefacilities visited. Due to theenormous variety of mission needs,items stored, as well as operationalequipment and systems in usewithin the many different storagefacilities, it is not feasible toestimate specific savings to theFederal Government. Facilitiesvisited during the execution of thisproject included open-sided sheds,World War II brick and woodenbuildings in need of repair, and newand highly mechanized distributioncenters. Without knowing thestrategic plans and budgetaryprograms of the occupying agencies,it is also not feasible to developestimates of site-specific savings andrecommendations. Case-by-caseanalysis would be required todetermine potential savings for anyactions taken.

The project covered 8.4% of theFederal Government’sapproximately 467 million sq. ft. ofwarehouse space (448 million sq. ft.owned and 19 million sq. ft. leased)within the 50 states. Based on thissampling, the team strongly believesthat if these same conditions and

situations are representativenationwide, the FederalGovernment could save substantialsums in reduced rents, utilities,repairs, labor, transportation, anddamage to merchandise. Further,the Government could generateadditional revenues through theincreased sales of both surplus realand personal property.

Many civilian agencyrepresentatives indicated thatworking with GSA to process excessproperty seemed like a long andcomplicated process. This can beattributed to owner agency internalscreening processes, as well as thetime needed to complete the variousGSA sales methods. However,others like the National Aeronauticsand Space Administration (NASA)and the Tennessee Valley Authority(TVA) were pleased with theproperty program.

It should be noted that currently,Federal agencies lack incentives todispose of personal property becauseproceeds from these sales must bedeposited in the miscellaneousreceipts of the U.S. Treasury.However, GSA is developingproposed changes to the FederalProperty and AdministrativeServices Act (Property Act) of 1949,as amended, to authorize Federalagencies to retain proceeds from thesale of surplus personal property tocover direct and indirect disposalcosts.

Best Practices The team observed many state-of-the-art initiatives beingimplemented by both the Federaland private sectors. They areidentified and discussed in the

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Executive Summary

section of the report entitled “BestPractices.”

Opportunities for Real Property SharingDuring the development of thisproject it was hoped that, inaddition to finding the best practicesand lessons learned in Governmentwarehousing programs, the teamwould discover opportunities for thesharing of Federal real property.Three opportunities did come tolight, and one (National Archivesand Records Administration(NARA), East Point, GA) has thepotential for realization. There wereother locations visited that hadspace available for sharing, butthere were no other Federalagencies within a reasonabledistance with which to share thespace. While outleasing theavailable space to the private sectorwas an option; security, access andremoteness of the locations severelylimited this option.

The three sharing opportunitiesfound are:

1. Naval Air Station (NAS)Pensacola and Eglin Air ForceBase, FL. However, after viewingthe space, personnel from Eglinindicated the Air Force required alarger, open floor area toaccommodate their storagerequirements and the distancebetween locations made its useimpractical.

2. Jacksonville Air National Guardand GSA vacant leased space inJacksonville, FL. However, whenthe Air National Guard contactedthe GSA regional office, they wereadvised that the lease hadalready been terminated.

3. NARA, Office of Regional RecordsServices, Southeast Region, EastPoint, GA, and GSA/FSSSoutheast Distribution Center,Palmetto, GA have entered into ashared space relationship.NARA’s present facility is a WorldWar II vintage facility that is inneed of repair, and is too small tofacilitate NARA’s mission.Simultaneously, GSA/FSS hadreleased and vacatedapproximately 465,000 sq. ft. ofspace, which was suitable forNARA’s use. NARA’s urgent needand the vacant facility appearedto be a good match. During theweek of June 20, 1999, theSWING team had been advisedthat NARA has agreed to occupythe vacated GSA/FSS space.NARA will use this space torelocate a portion of the EastPoint archives, as well asarchives from other NARAfacilities. As a result of this spacesharing; NARA will realize a costsaving of approximately $500,000annually in reduced rentalpayments for that portion of theEast Point facility that will bemoved. GSA will have a rentalpayment pass-through ofapproximately $1,400,000 peryear into the Federal BuildingsFund on the vacant space.

Other sharing opportunities that thestudy found are the TVA HartsvilleInvestment Recovery Center,Hartsville, TN, and the Departmentof Energy (DOE), East TennesseeTechnology Park, Oak Ridge, TN. Inthese cases, each agency is workingwith the local community to formeconomic “Enterprise Zones.”Generally, this arrangement enablesFederal agencies to provide separate

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Executive Summary

and secure access to unusedwarehouse space for outlease by alocal community at favorable rentalrates and may require minorbuilding repair. Due to the securityrequirements found at some Federalinstallations, these partnershipagreements can be cumbersome tocoordinate. Additionally, directoutleasing by the owner agency maybe another method to providesharing opportunities that maygenerate revenue to the owneragency.

RecommendationsThe following recommendations arethe result of the team’s site visits,discussions and observations. Theserecommendations are being made inorder to improve the effectivenessand efficiency of the FederalGovernment’s real and personalproperty asset management.

• Make the initial investment; itwill save money in the longrun.

Many of the warehouse personnelindicated that many of thewarehouse limitations andinefficiencies were the result of alack of investment in the warehouseproject planning process. Many ofthe flexibilities desired (i.e.,additional height, power andautomated equipment, computertechnology, employee comfort, etc.)are more economical to include inthe planning process than to add asa change order during construction,and even more expensive as arenovation once the facility is inoperation. In addition, onceprogrammed into a facility,budgetary allowances must beincluded for the maintenance of allfacility systems.

• Maximize the full space of thestorage facility.

Many of the facilities visited,especially those of the civilianFederal agencies, were notmaximizing their warehouse space.Space was poorly allocated; rackswere not sized to storage load;facility heights were inefficientlyused; items were obviously in “longterm” or “dead” storage modes;and/or publications were beingstored which appeared to be out-of-date. With the emerging trends of“just-in-time” ordering, desk topdelivery services, the widening useof the Government Purchase Cardand desk top publishing, agenciesare finding that their warehousesare no longer in the office supplybusiness. In light of streamliningFederal budgets and reduction instaffing, Federal agencies can reducereal and personal property outlaysby more proactively planning andmanaging their existing facilities.Specifically, agencies should explorealternatives prior to requestingadditional storage space and look foropportunities to reduce space.

• GSA should review theFederal PropertyManagement Regulations(FPMR) and the Property Actto recommend changes thatstreamline and add value tothe personal propertydisposal process.

GSA is currently workingcollaboratively with Federalagencies to rewrite the FPMRsrelating to personal property intoplain language and to eliminatethose regulations that do not addvalue to the disposal process. Inaddition, GSA has developed a

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Executive Summary

Federal agencies should take amore proactive approach toinventory reviews and controls inorder to screen items that arecandidates for excess. Inaddition, agencies can useexisting technologies (i.e., high-speed printers, Internetworldwide web sites, highercapacity computer memory) toproduce hard copy documentationas needed, rather thanmaintaining space and cost-consuming hard copy inventories.

GSA should continue to pursuechanges to the Property Act toenable Federal agencies to retainthe proceeds from the sale ofsurplus personal property. Thiswould provide Federal agencieswith an incentive to be moreproactive in their inventoryreview processes.

• Federal agencies should firstconsider GSA negotiatedsupply contracts before usinglocal vendor sources.

GSA’s Federal Supply Serviceprovides Federal agencies worldwidewith everything from office suppliesto medical, safety, and fire fightingequipment. Agencies are provideddiscount prices, and guaranteeddesk top delivery in one to threedays through the GSA Advantageand Customer Service Centerprograms. Since FSS is a self-funding organization, purchasesmade through this program ensurethe continued availability of thesediscounts. Accordingly, Federalagencies should maximize their useof these GSA programs.

legislative proposal to change theProperty Act to provide Federalagencies more flexibility in disposingof personal property.

Throughout the course of the study,the team saw Federal warehousesthat are being used for dualpurposes: (1) for receipt, storage,and issuance of newly procureditems; and (2) for turn-in andstorage of excess personal property.The primary objective of mostwarehouses is the care and custodyof newly procured items that meetthe mission needs of the agency.Less care and concern are devoted tothe proper storage of excess personalproperty. This approach to handlingexcess property indicates a lack ofproper implementation of thepersonal property disposalprocesses. This can be addressedthrough the following:

Federal agencies should usecurrent regulations, especiallyrelating to abandonment ordestruction of personal property(CFR 101-45, Sale, Abandonmentor Destruction of PersonalProperty), in an effort to processexcess property in a timelymanner.

Federal agencies should use, tothe fullest extent practical, theMemorandum of Agreementbetween GSA and the DefenseLogistics Agency (DLA), thatallows them to turn-in excesspersonal property to the nearestDefense Reutilization MarketingOffice (DRMO).

Chairs Ready For The PersonalProperty Disposal Process

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Purpose

The Office of GovernmentwidePolicy’s (OGP) main objective,as stated in the Project

Charter (Appendix I), was tocollaboratively work with Federalagencies to review current realproperty warehouse, storage, anddistribution functions and develop aGovernmentwide informationsharing mechanism for the bestpractices and lessons learned fromthe study. To confirm the validity ofthe project, the team also visitedseveral private sector companieswhose operations centered onstorage and distribution functions.Another goal of the study was toprovide opportunities for Federalagencies to share resources to meetthe Federal Government’s storageneeds, and identify potentialopportunities for improving theutilization of real property requiredto meet the Federal Government’scurrent and future warehouse spaceneeds.

The completion of this project andissuance of this report providesFederal agencies with best practicesfor their consideration, as well aspoints of contact to further theinformation sharing process.

Three distinct functional areas ofexpertise were represented on theGeneral Services Administration’s(GSA) project team — real property(OGP’s Office of Real Property),personal property (OGP’s Office ofTransportation and PersonalProperty), and supply distribution(GSA’s Federal Supply Service(FSS)). This teaming effort,therefore, represented the majorfunctional components of thefacilities studied and is the firstGovernmentwide study to combinethese aspects of warehousingfunctions.

This report represents the findings,insights, and collective thoughts ofthose individuals, as well as thoseFederal and private sectorrepresentatives participating in theproject. Since the purpose of eachstorage, warehouse, anddistribution operation is missionspecific, certain best practiceconcepts may be more applicablethan others. The use of anyinformation from this report toenhance the efficiency andeffectiveness of the FederalGovernment’s storage andwarehouse programs validates thetime and effort contributed by thestudy participants to produce thisreport.

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Pallet Racking

Naval Air Station,Pensacola, FL

Project DevelopmentDuring the development of thisproject, several criteria wereadopted to provide projectguidelines:

1. The team would workcollaboratively and cooperativelywith other Federal occupantagencies in order to ensure thesuccess of the project.

2. The study area would consist ofthree to four states within alocalized geographic area.

3. The team would base the studyon storage, warehouse andindustrial (distribution) facilitiesof at least 50,000 square feet (sq.ft.) based on the WorldwideInventory Database for 1996(latest available information).

4. Site visits would be made to allfacilities.

5. The team would require oneweek to complete site visits ineach state.

6. Active participation of Federalagencies was solicited andwelcomed for the facility visits.

In order to accomplish the intentand purpose of this project, OGPworked with the FederalGovernment’s Worldwide InventoryDatabase (based on Federal agencyinput using GSA Form 1166) todetermine the FederalGovernment’s owned and leasedwarehouse, storage and industrialinventory within the continentalUnited States. Based on the mostup-to-date information available,the states of Florida, Georgia andTennessee offered the mostpotential for a successful study.

While a four-state area wasinitially considered, it wasdetermined that a three-state areawas optimal for this project. Thethree contiguous states selected forthe study had a large amount ofstorage space occupied by manydifferent landholding agencies.These parameters satisfied theobjectives for potential real propertysharing opportunities.

Kick-off MeetingA Strategic Warehousing InventoryNeeds Group (SWING) project kick-off meeting was held on May 7,1998. All Federal landholdingagencies identified within thegeographic study area were invited,as well as other major landholdingagencies and member agencies ofthe Federal Real Property Council(Appendix II).

Twenty-one Federal agencies wererepresented at the meeting. After apresentation of the project purposeand goals, a question-and-answersession was held to enable Federalagency attendees to gain a betterunderstanding of the project. At theconclusion of the meeting,comments from the Federal agencyrepresentatives suggested that theinformation resulting from thisproject would be of value, and allagreed to provide the team withlocal points of contact for thefieldwork. The team was cautioned,however, that based on thegeographic distances betweenlocations, the tentative schedule ofsite visits and project completiontimeframes would be insufficient.Relying on the informationprovided, the team modified the sitevisits and project completionschedule.

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Study Methodology

Study Methodology

Field Work PreparationThe states in which the study wasto be conducted were Florida,Georgia, and Tennessee. Based onthe information contained in theWorldwide Inventory Database, anitinerary of sites was establishedand appointments were made forfacility visits. At this stage itbecame apparent that the timerequired for the site visits,personnel briefings and interviews,and distances between facility siteswould not permit the team tocomplete its fieldwork in each statewithin a one-week timeframe asoriginally planned.

After completion of the Florida sitevisits, the team also realized thatthe 50,000 sq. ft. facility thresholdlimited the sites mainly to those ofthe military components of theDepartment of Defense. Mostcivilian Federal agencies wereoccupying warehouse space at alower square footage threshold.Accordingly, the team decided tolower the threshold parameter to10,000 sq. ft. to increase thediversity of Federal agenciesparticipating. This also added tothe number of sites identified in thetwo remaining states; Georgia andTennessee.

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World Wide Database ExcerptInstl# Installation Name Installation Address Zip Typ Ag Bu St Cty Cnty Rec Usage From To #Bldg Sq Ft

51600 VMAC Bay Pines FL 10000 Bay Pines Blvd 33504 G 36 09 12 0185 103 30 40 1932 1970 2 20624

07322 Subtropical Agricultural Res 2249 Chinsegut Hill Road 33512 G 12 05 12 0390 053 30 40 1932 1982 11 28829

24407 Cape Canaveral AFS Cape Canaveral AFS G 57 00 12 0455 009 30 40 1996 224 677796

16121 Cape Canaveral Air Station Cape Canaveral Air Station 32890 G 80 00 12 0455 009 30 40 1955 1986 23 109571

16121 Cape Canaveral Air Station Cape Canaveral Air Station 32890 G 80 00 12 0455 031 30 40 1955 1963 5 147351

60200 NAS Cecil Field FL Cecil Field Florida 3E+08 G 17 00 12 0485 031 30 40 1943 1989 18 206268

60200 Cecil Field FL NAS WPNSAX Cecil Field FL NAS WPNSAX G 17 00 12 0485 031 30 40 1959 1961 5 14215

24366 Eglin AFB Aglin AFB G 57 00 12 0935 091 30 40 1996 239 924034

FL264 Commerce Center FL2968ZZ 3560-A NW 53rd Street 33310 L 47 04 12 1050 011 30 40 1 11500

15602 Medical & Veterin Entomology 1700 SW 23rd Dr POB 4565 32608 G 12 05 12 1130 001 30 40 1972 1977 7 10579

37697 Gainesville JCC 5301 North Waldo Road 32609 G 16 16 12 1130 001 30 40 1980 1993 4 10140

24037 Homestead AFB Homestead AFB G 57 00 12 1441 025 30 40 1996 29 260292

67004 Jax FL Blount Island Jax FL Blount Island L 17 00 12 1510 031 30 40 3 261600

00207 NAS Jacksonville FL Jacksonville Florida 32212 G 17 00 12 1510 031 30 40 1940 1995 55 1411059

00207 NAS Jacksonville FL Jacksonville Florida 32212 G 17 00 12 1510 031 30 40 1940 1940 1 12257

68931 PWC Jacksonville FL Jacksonville Florida 3E+08 G 17 00 12 1510 031 30 40 6 17899

FL019 Central Park FL2048ZZ 3728 Phillips Highway 32202 L 47 04 12 1510 031 30 40 1 33888

14585 John F Kennedy Space Ctr John F Kennedy Space Ctr 3E+08 G 80 00 12 1567 009 30 50 1963 1993 74 889297

14585 John F Kennedy Space Ctr John F Kennedy Space Ctr 3E+08 G 80 00 12 1567 009 30 50 1977 1987 5 362554

00213 Key West FL NAS Truman An Key West FL NAS Truman An G 17 00 12 1580 087 30 40 1974 1974 4 35716

Study Methodology

The same process used in Florida, ofestablishing an itinerary andsetting up appointments, wasrepeated for the remainder of theproject.

On-Site VisitsDue to the magnitude of the project,it was necessary for the SWINGteam to conduct seven separatetrips for facility visits. Six trips(two each to Florida, Georgia, andTennessee) were related directly tothe geographic area of the project.One additional trip entailed a visitto the Wright-Patterson Air ForceBase, located in Dayton, Ohio, tomeet with personnel of the AirForce Research and DevelopmentDivision. Air Force personnelinterviewed during the projectindicated that it would beinformative and beneficial for theteam to meet with the IndustrialEngineers who are responsible forthe development andimplementation of all warehouseautomation functions for the AirForce. Also on this trip, the teamtoured GSA’s SouthwesternDistribution Center in Ft. Worth,Texas. This tour gave the team aperspective of a distributionoperation that utilizes severalbuildings, rather than oneconsolidated location.

The on-site visits (Appendix III andIV) commenced with a briefing andinterview with the facility manager,base commander, or other personnelresponsible for the maintenance oroperation of the facility. Agencypersonnel were provided withintroductory information packageswhich included copies of agencyspecific letters of invitation to theMay 7, 1998, kick-off meeting, a

copy of the team’s project charter, aswell as questionnaires related toboth real and personal propertyissues particular to that facility(Appendix V).

At this meeting, the goals of theproject were explained andquestions of the host agency wereanswered. From here, a “walk andtalk” tour of the facility wasconducted. During these tours,discussions with agency personnelprovided many interestingperspectives of warehousing whichhave been included in theObservations and Findings, andBest Practices sections of the report.

The amount of storage space touredvaried from 10,000 sq. ft. to severalmillion sq. ft., and the time spentwith agency representatives variedfrom approximately 90 minutes forthe smaller facilities, to a full day atNASA, Kennedy Space Center, FL,and DOE, Oak Ridge, TN. TheSWING team conducted on-sitevisits to 16 locations in Florida, 25locations in Georgia, and 13locations in Tennessee. Based onthe information in the WorldwideInventory Database, the teamtoured facilities containing a total ofapproximately 39.3 million sq. ft. ofstorage space.

The team also developed a listing oforganizations available to provideinformation on warehousing,storage, supplies, materialshandling equipment, andinformation systems (Appendix VI).Contacting them or other privatesector organizations will provide thereader with additional informationand insight into warehouse andstorage functions.

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12

Bulk Storage

GSA/FSS, Southwest RegionalDistribution Center,Fort Worth, TX

OverviewAs discussed previously, the projectfocused on three distinct areas ofproperty expertise: real property,personal property and distribution.The team found examples of goodconcepts and practices through sitevisits and discussions with theagency and private sectorrepresentatives. In many instances,these concepts have been developedand used to successfully addresslocation-specific real and personalproperty issues. In some cases,simple modifications, such as theaddition of natural lighting(skylights), placement of largestand-alone fans for air movementon the warehouse floor, and usinghigher racking systems, provide formore efficient warehouseoperations. Other, more technicalor structural changes, such as usingmoveable/accordion storage units, orvacuum lift systems, have alsoshown improvement in theoperational efficiency of the facility.

The Federal Governmentwarehouses a variety of materials tosupport the multifaceted missions ofits agencies. A cross section ofitems warehoused includes officesupplies, electrical test equipment,telecommunications equipment,enriched uranium, nuclear andfossil fuel power plant parts,hazardous materials, militaryvehicles, wind tunnel parts,archived records, clothes, householdgoods, medical supplies, and manyothers.

The following paragraphs describemany of the specific attributes ofthe Federal storage and warehouseoperations identified through the

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course of this project and responsesto questionnaires provided by thelocal points of contact. In somecases the report identifies some ofthe locations where the attributeswere found.

Warehouse DiversityDue to the varying Federal agencymissions and functions, agencieshave special warehouse needs thatare unique to their agency. Thisuniqueness does not suggest a cure-all blueprint for warehouse space,materials handling, equipment, orwarehousing methods. Rather, thisdiversity necessitates that eachwarehouse facility determine itsown requirements for an effectiveand efficient operation. This pointis significant as reductions inFederal warehousing costs can helpoffset corresponding FTE andbudget constraints by utilizinglabor, warehouse space, andwarehouse equipment moreeffectively.

Real PropertyConsiderations inWarehouse DesignThe physical space or real propertyis an integral part of thewarehousing function. This spacecan consist of anything from awooden lean-to structure used formechanical equipment or otheroutdoor supply storage (SoutheastFruit Tree Research Lab, Byron,GA; Jimmy Carter Plant MaterialCenter, Americus, GA;Chattahoochie National Forest,Clarkesville, GA; and SmokyMountain National Park,Gatlinburg, TN), to a highlymechanized and efficiently utilized

Observations and Findings


distribution center like that of theArmy Air Force Exchange Service,Ft. Gillem, GA.

Warehouse design shouldincorporate materials handlingequipment and information systemsthat specifically address handlingrequirements for the type ofinventory/stock received, stored,selected, and shipped. For example,an operation that handles parts fornuclear reactors (DOE, Oak Ridge,TN) will have a different design,materials handling equipment, anddata requirements than one thathandles office supplies or whosefunction is a mass distributionoperation (GSA/FSS SoutheastDistribution Center, Palmetto, GA).Each individual situation is uniqueand must be designed with thetypes of storage and handling of thespecific class of products in mind.

Adequate space for receiving,staging, and shipping functions arean important consideration whendesigning a new warehouse orevaluating the adequacy of anexisting warehouse. The design ofthe receiving and shipping areasdepends on the configuration of thespace and the amount of stockreceived and shipped. The designshould include space to stagereceipts (for in-checking) andshipments. The preferred locationfor these activities is directly behindthe dock locations where thereceipts/shipments are to bereceived/shipped. This physicalrelationship reduces manpowerrequirements by reducing thenumber of times the stock ishandled and the amount ofmaterials handling equipmentrequired. In some instances, thesame space can be configured to

handle both receiving and shipping.However, there needs to be a cleardistinction between when receivingand stock put-away occurs, andwhen shipping occurs. For example,in some instances receiving canoccur during the morning andshipping can occur during theafternoon within the same spatialarea.

Aisle width, column spacing, andstorage area type are otherconsiderations that directly relate towarehouse space requirements.Space requirements are alsodependent upon the type of forkliftto be used, including its mastheight, and the density of a storagearea. Another consideration is thecubic space or full volume (seeCubic Space below for more details)of the stock to be handled. Theseconsiderations must be weighedagainst the correspondingincrease/decrease inconstruction/rental costs associatedwith each option. Storage areaneeds involve decisions as to whatstorage category (bulk floor storage,racking, gravity flow shelving,carousels, bin shelving,replenishment, or other method)makes sense for the particularsituation.

Storage flexibility should beconsidered as much as possiblewhen designing a warehouse anddetermining types of materialshandling equipment andinformation systems to be used.Accessibility for people andshipping/receiving capabilities areadditional areas of consideration.Attention should also be given topresent and future data andcommunication requirements.Designing a warehouse with

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sprinklers to accommodate varyingrack placement.

Clark Langston, Civil Engineer atNaval Air Station Jacksonville, FL,feels that “everybody in thewarehouse needs to be cross-trainedto do seven jobs at any given time.”

For economy and reuse potential,movable walls should be used foroffice construction within thewarehouse. However, as BillLibbey, Base Supply Officer atTyndall Air Force Base, FL, warned,be cautious of “office creep” wheretoo many offices are located in thewarehouse and functionally limitthe efficiency of warehouseoperations. Any office space shouldbe located away from thewarehouse’s functional activities

Optimization of warehouse space,manpower, material, and equipmentcan reduce square footagerequirements, as well as reducerequirements for manpower,material and equipment. Thiseffort may result in the release of a

flexibility will help reducerenovation costs and operationaldisruption in the future. Someexamples of storage flexibilitiesobserved include:

Ken Holliway, Civil Engineer, atFort Benning, GA, indicated thatthe Army develops plans based on a100-year use and builds for a 200-year building life.

Tom Channell, Industrial Engineerat Fort Benning, GA, spoke aboutproviding additional conduit andcabling capacity during warehouseplanning and construction. Thisforesight is considerably less costlythan adding this capacity whenwarehouse operations are underway.

The SWING team was told abouthow the Army is incorporating“velocity management” in itsplanning and facility design. Thisis the Army’s program to providelogistic support to the soldiers asfast as possible, by finding andeliminating any source of logisticundependability or delay. Velocitymanagement will revolutionize theArmy’s approach to logisticsimpacting on the spacerequirements and methods used tomanage material. As such, addingbuilding flexibility with lowattributable cost is prudent sincefacilities will likely incurmission/scope changes during theirlifetimes. Ft. Benning has beenable to accomplish this with centralcolumns to accommodate potentialfuture changes in rack sizerequirements, the ability to utilizeadministrative areas in aproduction capacity, service doorslocated throughout the facility toaccommodate mass issue ofmaterial, and use of nonrestrictive

“Office Creep”In A Warehouse Building

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portion of the occupied space,provide for possible futureexpansion by the user agency, orprovide space for shared use withanother Federal agency, resulting inreduced warehousing costs to theGovernment.

Use of appropriate personnel (bothinternal and external) and/ororganizations knowledgeable in thefield of warehouse layout andmaterials handling equipmentselection can also lead to improvedefficiencies. This expertise is bestutilized when warehouse design andequipment selection is done inconsultation with those employeesinvolved in the day-to-daywarehouse operations. This processprovides the best source of location-specific information on how thewarehouse presently functions andenhances chances for success byproviding a “buy-in” approach froman operational perspective. Thiscollaborative effort produces awarehouse design that meets theneeds for the movement ofmaterials and supplies, and thestorage needs of the organization.In our discussions with theIndustrial Engineers at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton,OH, this process was described asthe best operating procedure tofollow. When designing from an off-site location, many site-specificsituations are not accounted for.

In developing a warehousespecification, the question of heightbecomes a central issue. As withany building project, the roof andfoundation are expensivecomponents. Adding height to thewalls is relatively inexpensive inthe planning stages. The higher theceiling the greater the capacity

within the building’s square foottemplate. This is known as “cubicfootage” (see below). This increasein height provides for a higherdensity use of the building site andreduces overall project dollar costper cubic foot. In areas of high landvalues, higher ceilings can oftenreduce the acquisition cost of thebuilding site, and/or allow for theallocation of a greater portion of thesite to truck egress and ingress.

Cubic SpaceFor purposes of maintaining anaccurate space inventory, leasing ofspace, and describing constructioncosts, “square feet” is the genericterm used to describe the floortemplate area. However, warehouseprofessionals use the term “cubicfeet” when referring to warehousecapacities.

The concept of cubic feet focuses onthe use of the floor plate area aswell as vertical space; in otherwords, using as much of the heightof the warehouse as is safe. Manyof the older Federally ownedwarehouses, including those builtback in the 1940’s (GSA and FEMA,Thomasville, GA; and Holston ArmyAmmunitions Plant, Kingsport,TN), were generally not built withheight in mind. Heights to ceilingjoists of 15-20 feet were common.After lighting fixtures were hung,then later with the addition ofwater sprinklers, the vertical heightor “cube” space limited theversatility of the facility. Newer,more modern facilities (MayportNaval Station, Mayport, FL) arebuilt with much higher ceiling/joistheights and have light andsprinkler systems incorporated intothe structural components of the

High Ceilings Maximizes Cubic Space

NASA, Kennedy Space Center


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roof. This provides for much moreefficient utilization of cubic space.

Another benefit of having highceilings is that more items can bestored within a shorter traveldistance inside the warehouse. Ashorter travel distance to retrieve or“pick” items saves time and allowsitems to be “picked” quicker,thereby saving FTE hours. Anexample of this is best illustrated bycomparing two different warehouseconfigurations. The first warehousehas a floor template of 315,000 sq.ft. with a 12-foot high ceiling. Thesecond warehouse is 94,500 sq. ft.with a 40-foot high ceiling. Bothwarehouses have the same amountof cubic feet. However, when anitem is in the far corner of the firstbuilding, warehouse personnel needto go almost half a mile (2,100linear feet), while in the secondwarehouse, personnel travel only 95linear feet. Thus, the secondwarehouse is much more efficient.

The amount of Governmentwarehouse capacity can be reducedwith better utilization of warehousecubic (height) space. Better use ofcubic space will result in additionalstorage capacity with relatively lowcost as compared to otheralternatives. Storage aids are alsoavailable to facilitate the use ofwarehouse height. Local materialshandling equipment suppliers anddistributors are available forconsultation in making decisionsabout what works best in aparticular situation. This is alsotrue for other materials handlingequipment applications. Due to theage and construction height of someof the Federal Government’s storagefacilities, the use of cubed spacemay be limited. However, from the

team’s observations, the use ofcubed storage space can usually beimproved, which may result in costsavings to the Government.

Better use of empty space can beachieved by providing additionalstorage levels where cubic space isnot fully utilized. For instance, afull pallet height rack storagelocation that is consistently stockedwith half-pallet loads can beconverted into two half-palletpositions. This can be accomplishedby adding another set of crossbeams in the empty space, therebydoubling the number of half palletsstored. Pallets can be stacked ontop of each other or mezzanines canbe built (MacDill Air Force Base,Tampa, FL). Shelving can also beadjusted as necessary betweenadjacent bays of storage racksand/or bins. Examples of innovative

Racking System Over Loading Dock Doors

Fort Gillem, GA


utilities, according to Carol M.Bravo, Director of Finance andMarketing, Phillips & Company,Jacksonville, FL.

This estimate of potential savingsdoes not include the cost of therequired additional racking system;however, the one-time cost wouldeasily be amortized with savingsrealized in the long run. Also, thelogistics are more efficient as onlyone warehouse is occupied versustwo. Nevertheless, a detailed cost-benefit analysis should be made todetermine the cost effectiveness ofimplementing any potential labor orother cost saving initiatives.

Continuous review of the storagespace allocated versus the actualspace required should be an ongoingprocess. In modern storage theory,available storage space should beused as required, even if it meansstoring an item in several locations.Computer based tracking systemscan readily identify the variouslocations.

Several of the private sectorcompanies the team spoke to (PEPBoys, McDonough, GA; and Mid-Florida Freezer Warehouse, LTD,Cape Canaveral, FL), as well asmany of the newer Federally ownedfacilities, utilized the more efficienthigher ceiling warehouses. In somecases, Federal agencies occupyingolder, lower cubic space facilitiesrecognized their limitations and areworking within these limitations byusing available wall space oradjusting rack size to fit palletneeds. Also, the team found othersituations where Federal agenciescould be doing a better job utilizingtheir facilities to full capacity.

The incorporation of automation

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cube uses include racking systemsinstalled on wall space above aninternal forklift and/or personneldoor, as well as above the loadingdock doors.

Using all the available height cangreatly increase storage capacity.For example, adding one additionalstorage level (six feet) of racking toa 50,000 sq. ft. floor-platewarehouse can yield an additional300,000 cubic feet of storage space(see below). The cost of leasing300,000 cubic feet of warehousespace (10,000 sq. ft. floor plate with30 feet of useable ceiling height)without a racking system isapproximately $50,000 annually.This cost is based on an averagerental rate of $5.00 per square footfor warehouse space. This low-endestimate excludes the cost of

Increasing Available Cubic Storage SpaceInstead of acquiring additional warehouse space,increase the height of the storage.

50,000 sf building10,000 sf building

500 ft x 100ft = 50,000 sf 200 ft x 50 ft = 10,000 sf50,000 sf x 6 ft = 300,000 cubic ft 10,000 sf x 30 ft = 300,000 cubic ft

In a 50,000 sf warehouse, just increase the height of the storage space by one “rack,” or 6 feet, and that space is equal to an additional 10,000 sf warehouse that has a 30 foot high ceiling.

30 ft

6 ft

500 ft 200 ft

100

ft

50 ft


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also can enable more efficient use ofcubic feet in a warehouse. Twotechnological innovations used arecomputer-controlled, high-density,robotic storage shelving units(Dobbins Air Reserve Base,Marietta, GA) and moveable trackshelves (Arnold Air Force Base,TN). The shelving units span fromthe floor to the ceiling and have arobotic tray/draw puller. Based on apre-determined item code, thesystem will pull the correcttray/draw, bring it to an area for theoperator to pull an item, thenreturn the tray to the properlocation. The moveable trackshelves save space as the areaallocated for items is adjusted tocurrent need. Using electronicforklifts with a shelving systemworks well by enabling the storageof items in the racking system atadjustable heights.

The scope of this project did notinclude cost estimates and cost-benefit analysis associated withbetter space utilization at thefacilities visited. Due to theenormous variety of mission needs,items stored, as well as operationalequipment and systems in usewithin the many different storagefacilities, it is not feasible toestimate specific savings to theFederal Government. Facilitiesvisited during the execution of thisproject included open-sided sheds,World War II brick and woodenbuildings in need of repair, and new,and highly mechanized distributioncenters. Without knowing thestrategic plans and budgetaryprograms of the occupying agencies,it is not feasible to develop site-specific savings andrecommendations. Case-by-case

analysis would be required todetermine potential savings for anyactions taken.

The project covered 8.4% of theFederal Government’sapproximately 467 million sq. ft. ofwarehouse space (448 million sq. ft.owned and 19 million sq. ft. leased)within the 50 states. Based on thissampling, the team stronglybelieves that if these sameconditions and situations arerepresentative nationwide, theFederal Government could savemany millions of dollars in reducedrents, utilities, repairs, labor,transportation, and damage tomerchandise. Further, theGovernment could generateadditional revenues through theincreased sales of both surplus realand personal property.

Facility and Site PlanningBy their nature, warehouseoperations have significant amountsof truck traffic, both in and out ofthe facility, as well as providingshort-term holding areas for trucktrailers. Accordingly, whendeveloping a plan for a warehousesite, major consideration must begiven to its accessibility tointerstate roadways. In addition,due to the high volume ofcommerce, consideration must alsobe given to airport accessibility.The availability of rail service is nolonger a major concern to mostwarehouse operations. The onlyexception that the team observed isthe Ford Parts Distribution Plant inMcDonough, GA, where the facilitywas built to include a rail spurleading into the warehouse. Thiswas designed to permit rail cars to


deliver car and truck parts directlyinto the storage facility forunloading.

Rail service can sometimes be a lessexpensive alternative to “over-the-road” deliveries. Use of rail may bea more practical means oftransportation especially whenshipping and receiving large partsor machinery such as trucks,military hardware, or large engines.Rail service should be evaluated asto its feasibility versus other modesof transportation and the products

handled by the warehouse.

In developing a site plan,allowances must be provided foradequate turnaround and rampspace, as well as short-term parkingspace for truck traffic to access allloading dock areas. Parking lotconstruction should includeconsideration of truck wheel load.

Due to increasing storage needs, anopen storage area was requiredadjacent to a warehouse at theNaval Air Station, Jacksonville, FL.From a logistics point of view, thephysical location of this storagefacility could impact theaccessibility of truck traffic. Whenthe number of loading/unloadingdocks have been determined for thefacility, it is counter-productive notto be able to utilize all of the doorsat the same time. If the stagingarea is insufficient, use of loadingdocks will be limited, resulting inmanpower productivity losses andthe inability to utilize “flowthrough” operations. In severallocations visited, this situationprevented the simultaneous loadingand unloading of trucks and had anadverse impact on the efficiency ofshipping/receiving operations.

In long-range planning for awarehouse facility with more thanone building, consideration shouldbe given to the physical location ofthe multiple buildings. In severallocations agencies used the close

A Scaled Facility Model

Cape Canaveral AFS, FL

Efficient Facility and LoadingDock Accessibility

Pensacola Naval Air Station, FL

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proximity of the buildings to encloseand connect them. In one case,ramps were leveled to form aconnective bridge.

Agencies with landholding authorityshould evaluate the economics ofownership versus leasing.Ownership over the long run maybe more economical than leasing;however, many factors such as landcost, utilities, and projected term ofoccupancy must be considered priorto making a final decision. Due tothe long lead-time of the Federalbudgetary process and annualbudgetary constraints, leasing hasbecome a viable option for mostFederal agencies. Often an agencywill lease a turnkey warehousefacility and have the lessor providethe warehouse building andassociated infrastructure, includingall the necessary business fixtures.The agency merely pays rent.

Facility AccessThere are certain infrastructureconcepts in the design of awarehouse that are key componentsto a successful operation. Fromdiscussions and observations duringthe project it became obvious as tothe importance of proper planningfor these factors, especially inrelation to the integration of humanresources, automated equipment,and operational requirements.

Some of the real property bestpractices observed wereconceptually innovative andassisted in providing betterwarehouse operations. Also, realestate design characteristics helpedfacilitate the best practices inwarehousing. Often, best practicesresulted from just planning ahead.

While warehousing operationalefficiencies center on internalworking components, no warehousecould function without loadingdocks and doors. As CaptainPatrick Wall of the U.S. Marines atBlount Island, FL, stated, “Thebetter the flow of materials, thegreater the reduction of materialsbeing stored.”

The initial point of entry, whetherfor personnel or receiving ofmerchandise, is at the door. Thenumber and location of these doorsare critical for the efficient workflowof the facility. In order to minimizeconstruction/rental costs, thenumber of doors in a warehouseshould reflect the present andanticipated workflow processes.

• Loading Dock Doors - Usuallythe doors are located overhead(similar to a garage door). Theplacement of the loading dockdoors can enable multipleoperations to be executedsimultaneously. One of the bestexamples of this is at the U.S.Army Base in Fort Benning, GA.One of the warehouse buildingshas overhead doors on each of itsfour sides. According to ThomasChannell, Industrial Engineer atFort Benning, GA, this placementpermits rapid emplacement anddisplacement of supplies andmaterials by allowing flowthrough and straight through (inone door and out another)warehousing deployment.

• Dent resistant overheaddoors - These doors are made ofhigh impact plastic that isflexible, but do not dent or break.The door consists of plasticpanels and includes insulation to


smaller sized levelers do presentproblems with some of the newer,wider forklifts.

• Loading dock seal/loadingdock shelter - This form ofshelter/enclosure has severalpractical benefits: protecting theoverhead door and building frominclement weather; providingwarehouse security by sealingthe opening of the loading dockand truck trailer; and also actingas an energy conservation tool forthe warehouse.

• Trailer latches – To prevent thepossible movement of trailerswhile they are docked for loadingand unloading, trailer latchesshould be used. The two types oftrailer latches seen were aspring-activated latch and anelectrically operated latch. Bothare effective safety features thatwere recommended for use in anyloading dock operation.

• Trailer maneuverability –Sufficient ramp and drivewayspace leading to the loading dockarea is essential for trailers tooperate. In addition, adequateparking space for “over-the-road”trailers is also critical for trucksthat will not be used immediatelyor for overnight stays.

InfrastructureAttributes The overall facility operation,including materials handlingequipment requirements, should beintegrated with the proper buildingfeatures. The interface betweenthese two areas is critical to ensurea fully functional warehouse. Areaswhere special attention needs to befocused include:

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conserve on utility (HVAC)expenses. These overhead doorsalso have a flexible track thatwill allow a truck or other objectto knock the overhead door offthe track without damaging thedoor or the track that holds thedoor in place.

• Door height - Ensure that theheight of the overhead loadingdock door is high enough toaccommodate a loaded forklift.Generally, loading dock overheaddoors should be at least nine feethigh to prevent forklift andloading problems.

• Electric overhead doors - Theuse of infrared automaticfeatures are both labor and timesaving devices on doors usedinfrequently. This equipmentallows one person to open andclose a loading dock door withoutgetting off a forklift or out of atruck. This type of door alsoconserves energy and provides anadditional level of warehousesecurity.

• Dock levelers – Loading docksand their ramps are built tovarious specifications. Trucksare also built to various loadingspecifications. Dock levelers arethe medium by which theyfunction. These devices enable asmooth transition from thewarehouse to the truck bed.Dock levelers come in differenttypes and sizes. Most of thewarehouses the team visited usedseven foot wide dock levelers,although others were four to fivefeet wide. However, fromconversations with warehouseand operation personnel, theteam was advised that these

Dent Proof Overhead Door,With Dock Leveler, Shelter and Trailer Latch

US Marine Corps DistributionDepot, Albany, GA


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Ceiling Joist Size The ceiling joists hold up the roof ofthe structure, as well as providesupport to some of the operationalequipment. These joists need to bedesigned to ensure support for thebuilding structure and any ceiling-hung equipment such as conveyorsystems.

Electrical ServiceSufficient power must be availableto provide for building systems,materials handling equipment,office functions, and lighting. Theamount of electric power required tooperate a warehouse can bedeceptive. Good lighting, HVAC (asappropriate), forklift batterycharging areas, computer systems,phone systems, conveyor systems,vacuum assisted lifting devices(U.S. Marine Base, Blount Island,Jacksonville, FL), electric tools anddoors, etc., are all examples of itemsthat use large amounts of electricity.As much as 1,400 amps could berequired to run a conveyor systemalone. At several military supplylocations, humidity control wasrequired to protect the sensitiveelectronic equipment (U.S. MarineBase, Albany, GA; and Eglin AirForce Base, FL). Built-in flexibilitywill enable changing mission needsto be met with minimal difficulty.For example, the addition of atransformer will enhance theflexibility of the facility (TVA’sHartsville Investment RecoveryCenter, TN).

LightingIllumination in a warehouse makesa tremendous difference in theperformance of the employees. Inalmost all of the warehouses that

the team visited, it was quiteevident how poor lighting affectedworker productivity. Research hasproven that low lighting levelsincrease the stress level ofemployees. Several of thewarehouses painted the walls andceiling with white paint (Naval AirStation, Pensacola, FL; and PatrickAir Force Base, FL). The whitesurface helped spread the existinglight throughout the warehouse.Several warehouses used on-offmotion detector switches for thelighting system (National Archivesand Records Administration, Officeof Regional Records Services,Southeast Region, East Point, GA)as an energy conservation method.

Other Light Enhancing Methods• Gas Lights - Energy efficient

gas (e.g., halogen and sodiumvapor) fixtures (Naval SupportActivity, Mid-South, Millington,TN) are also available and usedto provide a productive workenvironment. Fluorescent lightsare commonly being used in olderwarehouses. However, DonPerry, Head of Storage andMaintenance Branch, FleetSupport Division, USMC, Albany,GA, noted that the U.S.Environmental Protection Agencyrecently determined that,depending upon themanufacturer, and date ofproduction, the standard fluores-cent light tube and ballast mayhave to be handled as hazardousmaterials. Ballasts producedprior to 1978, of which there arestill many in use, contain PCB’sand disposal of 20 or more at onetime requires special handling.


While some fluorescent lighttubes do not contain Mercury,those fluorescent light tubes thatdo contain Mercury must behandled as a hazardous materialwhen disposing of more than onetube at a time.

The above information regardingfluorescent light tubes andballasts has been verified byGSA’s National Capital Region inWashington, DC.

• Skylights - Skylights received amixed review. Some warehousepersonnel thought that theskylights were a best practicewhile others thought they weredetrimental. In hot stickyclimates, such as South Florida,the skylights added to theamount of heat in the warehouse,provided a breach in security, andsometimes leaked. However, inother climatic conditions,skylights save on utility costsand provide the convenience ofadditional light. Captain FredCulveyhouse, Kings Bay NavalSubmarine Base, GA, thoughtthe use of skylights saved energyand helped employee morale andproductivity.

Floor LoadSufficient floor load capacity isrequired to handle the combinedweight of stored inventory, anystacking/racking equipment, andmaterials handling equipment.Insufficient floor load design willresult in buckling, cracking and/orcrumbling of the concrete floor.Dead or non-moving storage exertsa tremendous amount of pressureon the ground it sits on. Forexample, two stacked pallets with atotal of eight 55-gallon drums of oilrequire a floor load of at least 250pounds per square foot, whereas astandard office space floor load isbuilt to 50 pounds per square foot.The warehouses visited were builtwith floor loads varying from 250pounds per square foot (Health andHuman Services/Centers forDisease Control, Atlanta, GA;Department of Veterans Affairs,Johnson City, TN and Atlanta, GA)to almost 3,000 pounds per squarefoot (Air National Guard, McGhee,TN). To enhance the weightbearing capabilities of theseconcrete floors, their constructionmay include structural I-beams,steel re-bars, and/or a deck cabling

Floor Load Notice Posted In Warehouse

U.S. Marine Corps,Albany, GA

Skylights Combined With Energy Efficient Light Fixtures

Mayport Naval Station,Mayport, FL

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system in the cement. Thewarehouse managers interviewedwere very knowledgeable regardingthese factors.

Aisle SpacingAdequate aisle space is needed forthe materials handling equipmentto be employed at the facility.

Towveyor SystemThis automated cart towing systemis usually designed as a loopoperation and is installed at thetime of construction (GSA/FSSSoutheast Distribution Center,Palmetto, GA). Its inception wasthought to be a resource saver asthe materials were automaticallymoved around the warehouse.However, many of the warehousesvisited were not using the existingtowveyor system because it was tooslow (sometimes taking 90 minutesto complete one full loop). Otherrepresentatives told the team thatthe need for extensive andexpensive maintenance was too

much of a strain on their operatingbudgets. Still others told the teamthat the warehouse operation hadchanged since its original design,and the towveyor could not bereconfigured or adapted to the newrequirements. Finally, somewarehouses have stopped using thetowveyor because other types ofautomation recently introduced inwarehousing are being used.

Conveyor Belt SystemThe decision to include a conveyorsystem can be costly in terms ofinstallation and operation.Sufficient electrical supply is onlyone major consideration. If thesystem is to be an overhead (ceilingsupported) system, the initialdesign of the ceiling joists shouldinclude steel bracing (or material ofsimilar strength) to be able toaccommodate the extra weight.Due to budgetary constraints andthe rapid changes in technology,Federal agencies may want toinclude the requirements for any

Conveyor Belt System

Fort Gillem, GA


major conveyor system installationwithin the design requirements ofthe facility, and amortize those costsduring the term of the projectedleasehold occupancy. This way, theleasehold occupant may not beresponsible for the removal of thesystem and/or restoration of thepremises.

Internal HeightAdequate internal height mustallow for building systems andmaterials handling equipment, suchas a ceiling hung conveyor, mobilematerials handling equipment, andracking/storage systems. In areaswith weather extremes, locatingbuilding heating, ventilation and airconditioning (HVAC) units insidemay add to the height requirement.Additionally, proper clearance mustbe provided for personnel and safetydevices on and around conveyorsand conveyor support structures,such as catwalks. Allowance forsprinkler fire protection systemsmust also be incorporated in anyfacility plan.

Roof The design and construction of thewarehouse roof and ceiling areahave an important role in clearstacking height limitations and heatload disbursement inside thewarehouse. Roof construction canbe flat or slanted; the roof structurecan be made of wood, concrete orsteel, and covered with asphalt orrubber membrane. Several otheritems related to the roof include:

• Ceiling vents - Ceiling/roofvents and ceiling fans are one ofthe best ways to reduce heatbuild-up within the warehouse.This is critical in geographicareas where high temperatures

and humidity could impactemployee productivity, as well asthe materials stored.

• Insulation – Wall and ceilinginsulation provides a degree ofcomfort as it limits penetration ofoutside elements. An insulatedwarehouse also protects thematerials stored. Insulationlowers utility expenses, andwhen combined with an HVACsystem, enables more efficienttemperature control.

• Sprinklers – Sprinklers arenecessary for the safety ofwarehouse operations.Sometimes they seem to be in theway and limit the amount ofcubic space available forwarehousing operations. On theother hand, they are necessary toensure the preservation of thestructure. A sprinkler systemcan save millions of dollars ofmaterials and structure in theevent of a fire. The sprinklersystem should be engineered sothat it is as close to the ceiling aspossible. The fire coderequirements for sprinklersystems vary, and local codes forsprinklers sometimes differ fromlocation to location. These codesdictate whether sprinkler headsare to spray from a proximal ordistal placed sprinkler head andthe height of the pipe off theceiling or the top of the storageracks. An incorrect placement ofa sprinkler system can have adetrimental impact in the eventof a fire. Breaking off a poorlyplaced sprinkler head orforgetting to include neededsprinkler heads in thecalculations for racks andconveyors can be very expensive

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will also have problems that need tobe dealt with using various heatingand humidifying methods.

Related Office FunctionsAdequate space for office functionsshould be provided within thewarehouse, as some office-relatedoperations are necessary inconjunction with warehousingfunctions. However, where awarehouse supports anotherfunction, such as a medical centeror a large distribution operation, itis important to avoid “office creep”where office personnel start to moveinto the warehouse. This reducesefficiency in the operation of thewarehouse by reducing the spaceavailable for the actualwarehousing function.


to remedy. One best practiceobserved in several locations wassprinklers piped through thecenterline of back-to-back racks.This was done to prevent thepossibility of pallets hitting asprinkler head.

• Drains - Coordinate the locationof inside roof drain pipes with the materials handlingcontractor(s).

Fire Rated WallsConcrete, cinderblock, or other fireretardant walls must be used in theconstruction of any storage orwarehouse facility. Due to firecodes, these walls must have atleast a two-hour fire rating. This isgenerally considered sufficient toprotect materials located inadjacent bay areas in the event of afire or other emergency situationthat could compromise the integrity,safety, or security of the premises.

VentilationThe comfort of employees plays akey role in their productivity. Asmost warehouse operations areperformed in large open bay areas,special consideration is required inproviding for the movement of air atthe floor or work area level. Inareas with high temperature andhumidity levels, such as in the threestates covered by this project, theteam saw several methods used tomitigate these problems. Thesemethods include: air conditioning ofthe floor area, evaporator fans toremove humidity, “port-a-cool” fansto cool and move air, large standingfans to move air, and airconditioned break rooms.Geographic areas with lowtemperatures and humidity levels

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Typical Warehouse “Port A Cool” Fan

TechnologyAutomation can enhance theproductivity of a facility. However,automation itself can restrictworkflow and flexibility, and isexpensive. Therefore, the use ofautomation must be proven as anecessary expense beforeimplementation. Not only shouldthe purchase cost of materialshandling systems be considered, butalso the operating and maintenancecosts over their life cycles. Lifecycle costs must be included in theinvestment analysis decisionprocess since they can have a


significant impact on the equipmentbought and the total expenseincurred.

Eglin Air Force Base, FL, hassuccessfully incorporated roboticcarts using fiber optic and wireguided operating systems in theirmain supply warehouse. TheSupply Asset Tracking System isable to more effectively operate andmanage the supply function withinthe warehouse and has saved theAir Force FTE and materialsmovement time. However, warnsJoe Reed, Deputy Chief of Supplyfor the 96th Air Base Wing, on-sitemaintenance is a must to maintainthe system’s efficiency and preventmechanical breakdowns.

Bar coding is a technologicalinnovation used in warehousing forcost reduction. Bar codingtechnology allows for greateremployee productivity, accurate “realtime” inventory accounting, andlocation identification. This limitsthe need for physical inventories dueto an increase in order selectionaccuracy. The use of “real time”inventory accounting also providesan accurate information linkbetween inventory management andoperational personnel. This directcomputer “real time” interface leadsto quicker handling of “emergency”orders; more accurate stock andorder status; and “real time”manifesting, packing list generation,and reports. Several of thesefunctions no longer require humanintervention. As Mark DeMary,Information Systems Manager ofMid-Florida Freezer Warehouse(MFFW), Cape Canaveral, FL,pointed out, it is more efficient tohave the computer do it.

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Robotic Carts



With recent advances in Internetcapabilities, the international flowof information is now easier toaccomplish than ever before.MFFW frequently attachesElectronic Data Interchangeinformation to e-mail messagesregarding the processing ofshipments and orders.Furthermore, customers can sendinformation to MFFW using thesame method.

Computers and their increasingstorage capacity, as well as Internettechnology can be used to reducethe amount of storage required foragencies responsible forpublications. Instead of havingthousands of copies of handbooks,newsletters, forms, or otherpamphlets in storage for months oreven years, today’s in-houseprinting technology enables theprinting of documents on demand.Alternatively, documents can beuploaded onto an agency’sworldwide web site for “real time”accessibility. This would reducewarehouse costs and the storing ofout-of-date documents.

Personal Property andSupply Management The management of personalproperty is a major function ofFederal agencies, and it is only partof the supply management function.Supply management consists of thefull life cycle of an item fromrequirement determination,acquisition, and accountability, todisposal. Acquisition initiatesresponsibilities for inventorymanagement, includingmaintenance of stock and financialrecords. Accountability focuses onthe receipt, inspection, storage, and

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shipment of materials, whiledisposal deals with the dispositionof unneeded property.

The scope of this project relates tothe utilization and disposal of thepersonal property associated withthe Federal warehouses in thestudy area. The scope of the projectdid not address the potential salesdollar value associated with a moreefficient disposal process.

The Federal utilization and disposalprogram, one of the largest propertymanagement programs in theFederal Government, encompassesredistribution, utilization, donation,sale, and abandonment ordestruction of Federal Governmentowned personal property.Considering that the FederalGovernment purchases moresupplies and materials than anyother entity in the world, it is onlylogical that it also disposes of morepersonal property than any otherentity as well. In this regard, theGovernment is continuallychallenged by the enormousproblem of effectively and efficientlyusing and disposing of hugequantities of property that arepurged on an ongoing basis fromevery Federal activity and storagefacility.

The Federal utilization and disposalprogram is mandated by theFederal Property andAdministrative Services Act of 1949,as amended, and the relatedFederal Property ManagementRegulations (FPMR), Subchapter H(41 CFR 101-42 through 49, exceptfor 47 (real property)). The FPMRguides Federal agencies byprescribing policies, procedures anddelegations of authority on the


management of personal property.

For a variety of reasons, includingFTE limitations and the existingcumbersome disposal process,agencies appear to minimize theimportance of property utilizationand disposal, and place greateremphasis on the procurement ofnew items. Personal propertymanagement is just as much a dutyand responsibility as procurementand the delivery of andaccountability for supplies andmaterials. The Government’sinvestment in personal propertyamounts to billions of dollarsannually; and property initiallypurchased for a single purpose oragency, that is in good condition,has great potential for reuse byother agencies when no longerneeded. Property and items areoften not reused because of the poorand inefficient manner in whichthey are received, recorded, ordescribed in property inventoryrecords. The concurrent buying andselling of personal property, as theresult of an agency being unawareof what is available at otheragencies or within its own agency,has led to poor use of newprocurement dollars. In the end,valuable dollars and property arelost because of inadequateknowledge and/or training in thecurrent personal property policyand procedures.

Excess PropertyBased on the team’s visits anddiscussions with personal propertymanagers, the team found thatwhile there is no single cause forthe generation of large amounts ofexcess and surplus property, thefollowing are the primary reasons:

• Use. Each item in theGovernment’s active inventorywill eventually becomeunserviceable or uneconomical tomaintain.

• Termination or change inprogram. The changing missionof the Federal Government’sprograms result in property thatno longer meets missionrequirements.

• Modification of existingequipment. The Governmentcontinually makes improvementsto its operational supplies andequipment, resulting in thegeneration of a wide variety ofitems, parts, supplies, andmaterials that become excess inthe system.

• FTE limitations. Past andcurrent personnel reductionefforts have resulted in thegeneration of large amounts ofexcess and surplus property.

• Obsolescence. Technologicaldevelopments and advancementsmake certain items or entiresystems obsolete. This wasevident at almost every locationvisited and especially true ofcomputer and related equipment.

• Cost reduction programs.Military base closures,consolidations, and a variety ofother budget reduction effortsimpact the utilization anddisposal process.

Property DisposalThe Federal Government hasseveral means of accommodatingdisposal of excess and surplusproperty: exchange/sale, reuse,transfer, donation, sale, and

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abandonment or destruction. Mostagencies are familiar with theFederal disposal program and theauthorities used to dispose ofpersonal property. However, manycivilian agency representativesindicated to the team that workingwith GSA to excess the propertyseemed like a long and complicatedprocess. This can be attributed toowner-agency internal screeningprocesses, as well as the time tocomplete the various GSA salesmethods. Others, like NASA andTVA, were pleased with the resultsof the property sales program.

It should be noted that Federalagencies lack incentives to disposeof personal property because theproceeds from these sales must bedeposited in the miscellaneousreceipts of the U.S. Treasury.However, GSA is in the process ofdeveloping proposed changes to theProperty Act to authorize Federalagencies to retain proceeds from thesale of surplus personal property tocover direct and indirect disposalcosts.

In addition to the FPMRs, many ofthe civilian agencies have citedExecutive Order 12999,“Educational Technology: EnsuringOpportunity for All Children in theNext Century,” as a method todonate computers to schools. Thisis being accomplished eitherthrough direct donation toindividual schools or through theComputers for Learning worldwideweb site. However, just as thechanging technology impacts theamount of excess personal propertygenerated by the FederalGovernment, this also impacts thedonation process as schools arelooking for the latest technology,

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which usually remains in theFederal community. In almostevery warehouse visited, the teamobserved many computers thatcould not be given away becausethey were not Pentium-classcomputers.

The observations below werecommon within civilian agencies. Itis apparent that an increasedawareness of the value of thedisposal program, through itspotential cost savings, must beconveyed to top management toprovide the necessary resources tosupport the disposal program.

• Agencies tend to carry aninventory of non-mission-essential items. Many of theseitems have not been issued orused for a long period of time andhave been dubbed as “slowmoving” or “dead stock.” Federal

Surplus Personal Property Auction

NASA, Kennedy Space Center, FL


Property managers andwarehouse custodians shouldunderstand that the supplymanagement function is notcompleted until the finaldisposition of the property isaccomplished either throughreuse, transfer, donation, sale,abandonment, or destruction.

• The internal procedure forscreening property during thereuse cycle is long and tedious.This procedure is performedusing item lists passed to eachbureau within a Department oragency. The process can take upto 180 days before the property isreported to GSA as “excess.”Currently, GSA maintains theGovernmentwide database for allexcess and surplus property. Forefficiency, Federal agenciesshould consider methods ofautomating their internalscreening process to reduce thenumber of days property remainson their records. The GSAFederal Disposal System (FEDS)could be a viable system to assistthe agency internal screeningprocess through worldwide website enabled technology, whichwould make the disposalreporting process seamless.

The Navy personnel at KingsBay, GA, told the SWING teamthat they use a computerprogram to screen the supplyitems on a quarterly basis inorder to determine which itemsare “hot” and which may bepotential excess.

• To the extent practical, Federalagencies should use theMemorandum of Understandingbetween GSA and the Defense

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agencies must be encouraged tomanage their inventories moreefficiently through propermonitoring within their owninternal reviews. If there is norecurring need, items should bedeclared excess and disposed ofthrough the proper disposalprogram, thus freeing upadditional warehouse space.

• Excess personal property storagedoes not undergo the samestringent controls as does newprocurement and inventoriedstock. There is a lack ofattentiveness in housekeepingexcess stock, and there is noconsistency in storage practices(i.e., items are not stored bycommodity type). Once propertyis declared excess, it loses itsmission essentiality, and the careand handling becomes secondary.

Computers Available for Donation or Sale

HHS/CDC, Atlanta, GA


Logistics Agency’s DefenseReutilization Marketing Office(DRMO) in their local area toturn in excess property. TheDRMO provides disposal supportto GSA for the disposition ofFederal excess property.Recently, GSA has considered there-establishment of PersonalProperty Centers, but determinedthat the costs are too prohibitiveat this time. Accordingly, Federalagencies should weigh potentialcosts of performing the disposalactivity on their own versus thecost charged by the DRMO toaccept the property. Whenconsideration is given to storage,care and handling costs, as wellas rent, salary, electricity, etc., itis conceivable that turning theproperty over to the DRMO ismore economical than retentionby the owner agency.

The Defense Reutilizationand Marketing Service(DRMS) is developingan Internet basedsystem to

display pictures of excess depotstock items available for disposal.This innovative approach willpermit an interested party toactually see the item of interestwithout having to travel to thestorage location and will limit theneed to have excess propertymoved to a central disposallocation.

The DOE at Oak Ridge, TN, hashad success in its disposalprogram by unit pricing items incases where bulk pricing may notbe feasible.

• Agencies store unusable propertysince they are reluctant to usethe abandonment or destructionphase of the disposal cycle. Theyfeel the public may perceive thisto be “waste Defense Logistic Agency’s

Reutilization Storage Area

Warner Robbins Air Force Base, GA

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and abuse” of Government-ownedproperty. Under certainconditions, Executive agenciesare authorized to abandon anddestroy property, especially whenit is determined that the propertyhas no commercial value and thecost of continued handling andcare would exceed the estimatedproceeds from its sale. This is apracticable disposal process andshould be used to remove “junk”(items that no one wants eitherthrough utilization, donation orsale processes) from the system.Many examples of this “junk”were found during the site visitsconducted for this project.

Appropriate agency disposal ofoffice and warehouse items that nolonger serve a useful purpose cancreate additional storage capacitywithin existing facilities and couldtherefore provide an opportunity forcost savings. While most agenciesindicated that they periodicallypurge inventory of “dead” or non-moving items, the team found manyinstances where agencies needed tomore actively review theirinventories. In a couple ofinstances, the agency indicated thatit was in the process of acquiringadditional space due solely to theapparent lack of an adequateinternal inventory review anddisposal process.

DistributionManagementDistribution managementoperations must ensure that theareas allocated for feeding/replenishment of material are sizedto allow for adequate flow ofmaterials through the automatedand/or mechanized equipment to

provide labor and space utilizationefficiency.

Generally, all items of the sameclassification (speed of movementand size volume) should be storedand picked for distribution in thesame area. When determining ifmaterials handling equipment isnecessary, consideration must begiven to the type of materials, thedemand (fast mover to slow mover)and the volume/size. Each class ofmaterials handling equipment isdesigned to handle material for aspecific purpose. Again, thematerials handling equipmentexperts will be able to help sortthrough the various types ofequipment and determine what isappropriate for a particularsituation. Inventory should bestored and selected utilizing theproper materials handlingequipment. Otherwise, theinvestment in equipment and laborwill not be effective.

A “golden zone” approach is anexcellent method to improveproductivity in the storage andselection functions. The highestdemand stock should be stored andselected from locations that are themost easily accessible, therebyreducing storage and selection time.Storage and selection of fast movingbin type items is best accomplishedby selecting the item in chest-highor waist-high storage units. Fastmoving bulk inventory should bestored and selected close to entryand exit points unless a conveyor isreadily accessible. These methodsfollow the basic theory ofergonomics and provide effectiveuse of manpower and materialshandling equipment.

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Safety and HazardousMaterials StorageThe storage and handling ofhazardous materials are two seriousareas of consideration. Allorganizations, whether Federalagencies or private sectorcompanies, must ensure that allOSHA, EPA, and applicable localguidelines are followed. The AirForce relies on the Storage andHandling of Hazardous Materials(AFJMAN 23-209) which is a jointServices/DLA publication. Also AirForce Instruction (AFI) 32-7086,Hazardous Materials Management,dated August 1, 1997, is a usefulreference tool in the storage ofhazardous materials

Safety of the employees, visitors,and property are majorconsiderations that have a directimpact on the effectiveness of theorganization. Depending upon thetype of materials being handled(i.e., chemical, explosives, gases,etc.), there are safety requirementsfor product spill containment, firerated walls and cabinets, airflow,emergency procedures (includingfire department notification), andeyewash stations. The use ofMaterial Safety Data Sheets(MSDS) and well-marked “hazmat”signage also provides necessarysafety measures. Additionally,coordination with the local firedepartment, including fire drills, isimportant so that if a fire occurs thefire department will know whatmaterials are being stored andwhere they are located.

Integration of StorageFunctions and FacilityCapabilitiesThere is a direct relationshipbetween decisions regardingoperations, information, buildingparameters, and materials handlingequipment. All managementdecisions will have an effect onother facility and warehousingoperations. For instance, thedecision to have stationary rackstorage for a specific stock numberwill limit the labor, space, inventory,and materials handling equipmentthat can handle that stock number.

Grounds MaintenanceWhile the efficient operation of thewarehousing function is the primeconsideration in establishing afacility, grounds maintenance of thefacility also must be considered.There were several methods used inthe locations visited. As a result ofpast A-76 reviews, several

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Area Identified For Hazardous Material Storage

TVA, Chattanooga, TN


warehouses were being maintainedthrough contractor support, whileother agencies were using theirpersonnel for the maintenancefunction. At the Atlanta FederalPrison, inmates were being used forgrounds maintenance. The mostinnovative technique observed wasthe use of neighboring Federalprisoners to maintain the outsidepremises at Eglin Air Force Base,FL; and the Navy’s Saufley Field,Pensacola, FL.

Facilities OperationsThe effects of A-76 reviews havealso impacted the operationalaspects of warehousing for manyFederal agencies and militaryorganizations. While the hostagencies generally indicated that itis preferable to have agencypersonnel operating the warehouse,using a contractor enables anagency to implement cost savingsincentives that cannot be offered toFederal employees. However, theSWING team was also told at morethan one location that the use ofcontractors was cost prohibitive.

Emerging Conceptsand Practices inWarehousing Over the past several years therehave been changes in how both thepublic and private sector view theprocess of warehousing and servicedelivery. This has had dramaticeffects on warehousing programsand facility requirements, especiallythose of the Federal Government.

• “Just-in-time” ordering hasenabled point-of-sales, thusallowing agencies to limit thenumber and amount of items

stocked. Instead, themanufacturer stores themerchandise and deliveries aremade to the customer’s site basedupon computer generated reportsindicating their short-termsupply needs.

• Government Purchase Card usein the Federal Government hashad a dramatic impact on theitems ordered for warehouseinventories. Agencies indicatedthat the growing use of the cardhas reduced the stock stored andthus significantly reduced theamount of storage spacerequired. Use of the GovernmentPurchase Card has in effectenabled FSS to still be in theoffice supply business, but in anew and more efficient way.However, in some cases, it ismore convenient to order fromlocal vendors to receive next daydelivery, or to go to a local storeand pick-up the items the sameday.

• The prime vendor process takesadvantage of the private sectordistribution capabilities andelectronic data processing tosupply customers. A singlevendor (prime vendor) buysinventory from a variety ofsuppliers and the inventory isstored in commercial warehouses.The customer orders suppliesfrom the prime vendor using anelectronic ordering system. Thevendor then ships directly to theFederal agency, as needed, withina specific geographic area. Thisprocess reduces delivery time tothe customer and, by using theprivate sector’s storage anddistribution system, reducesFederal agencies’ inventories and

36


associated warehousing andredistribution costs.

In most instances, this hassignificantly reduced the need forstorage space without acorresponding reduction in spaceoccupied. It should be noted that assupply marketplace and orderingpatterns have changed in the recentpast, GSA’s FSS has been able toreduce its occupied storage needsand has gone from over 20 majorwarehouse facilities to four largewarehouse operations and sevensmaller warehouses. In the last twoyears alone, FSS has reduced itswarehouse space by approximately1.5 million sq. ft.

Other successful warehousinginitiatives in the FederalGovernment include shelf lifeconsiderations and the use ofNational Stock Numbers:

• The shelf life (usefulness) ofcertain items warehoused is timesensitive. These items should bedisposed of when they arewarehoused longer than theexpiration date marked on theitem. Sometimes an item’s “shelflife” can be extended based ontesting procedures andmanufacturer’srecommendations.

The shelf life of an item usuallyrequires a first-in-first-outinventory method. A first-infirst-out inventory procedurerequires that the first itemreceived will be the first itemshipped. This limits theinventory disposed of due to itsshelf life. Special storageprocedures must be consideredfor shelf life items because of the

time sensitivity associated withthis type of stock.

• The National Stock Number(NSN) system is an itemidentification system in whichthe majority of items carried bythe FSS are cataloged. Thissystem is the same as thethirteen-digit numbering systemestablished for items used in allU.S. Government materialsmanagement functions. The firstfour digits show the item class orFederal Supply Classification(FSC). The FSC relates likeitems of supply, i.e., differenttypes of copy paper will have the“7530” FSC designation. Thenext two numbers indicate thenation of origin. The last ninedigits (including the two digitsafter the FSC) are a uniquenumber assigned to only one itemof supply and remains with thatitem as long as it is used in theGovernment’s supply system. Allitems carried by FSS in theGSA/FSS Supply Catalog aredesignated by a NSN. The NSNis analogous to the catalognumber used by a customer toindicate which item is to beordered from a mail ordercompany in the private sector.

The NSN helps to simplifywarehousing operations andinformation systems within theFederal sector. Locations withinwarehouses can be tied to theNSN to indicate where aparticular item is stored.Receiving, selecting, shipping,and inventory functions are alsotied to the NSN to facilitatehandling and recordmanagement of stock.

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38

Mobility Bag Storage

Tyndall Air Force Base, FL

During the development ofthis project it was hopedthat, in addition to finding

the best practices and lessonslearned in Government warehousingprograms, the SWING team woulddiscover opportunities for thesharing of real property capacityamong the Federal agencies. Threeopportunities did come to light, andone (NARA, East Point, GA) has thepotential for realization. There wereother locations visited that hadspace available for sharing, butthere were no other Federalagencies within a reasonabledistance to share the space. Whileoutleasing the available space to theprivate sector was an option,security, access and remoteness ofthe locations severely limited thisoption. The three sharingopportunities found are:

NAS Pensacola, and Eglin Air Force Base, FL

Changing mission needs at NASPensacola resulted in the temporaryavailability of two warehouses, eachapproximately 40,000 sq. ft. Thesetwo warehouses are fully poweredand air-conditioned, and offer anexcellent working environment.These buildings could be madeavailable for other agency storageneeds for one - two years or untilfurther mission changes requiretheir use. Our discussions with thepersonnel from Eglin Air Force Baseindicated this space might meettheir needs for additional storagespace. However, after a site visit byEglin operations personnel, it wasdetermined that a larger, open floorarea was needed to accommodatetheir storage requirements, and thedistance between locations made itsuse impractical.

Jacksonville Air National Guardand GSA Leased Space, FL

The Jacksonville Air NationalGuard (JANG) has a need foradditional storage space that couldhave been satisfied withapproximately 25,000 sq. ft. ofvacant space GSA had been leasingin Jacksonville. The SWING teamprovided JANG personnel withGSA’s regional point of contact tocoordinate a site visit. When theteam followed-up on this potentialsavings situation, the team wasadvised that GSA had already takenaction to terminate the lease.

NARA, Office of RegionalRecords Services, SoutheastRegion, and GSA/FSS SoutheastDistribution Center, Palmetto,GA

The last and most promisingopportunity is the NARA facilitypresently located in a crowdedWorld War II vintage warehouse inEast Point, GA. During the team’ssite visit with NARA, the agency’sRegional Administrator, GaylePeters, described an urgent need foradditional space. In light of theamount of space that was needed(approximately 400,000 sq. ft.), theSWING team informed Mr. Petersthat GSA’s FSS was in the processof vacating and releasing a largeamount of space at their SoutheastDistribution Facility in Palmetto,GA. Mr. Peters indicated that hehad heard about that space, and hethought that discussions at a higherlevel had already commenced inthat regard. As a result of thisspace sharing; NARA will realize acost saving of approximately$500,000 annually in reduced rentalpayments for that portion of the

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Opportunities for Real Property Sharing

Opportunities for Real Property Sharing

East Point facility that will bemoved. GSA will have a rentalpayment pass-through ofapproximately $1,400,000 per yearinto the Federal Buildings Fund onthe vacant space.

Other sharing opportunities thatthe study found are being used bythe TVA’s Hartsville InvestmentRecovery Center, and DOE’s EastTennessee Technology Park, OakRidge, TN. In these cases, theagencies are working with the local

community to form economic“Enterprise Zones.” Generally, thisarrangement enables Federalagencies to provide separate andsecure access to unused warehousespace for use, or outlease by a localcommunity at favorable “rent,” andmay include minor building repair.Due to the security requirementsfound at some Federal installations,these partnership agreements canbe cumbersome to coordinate.

Shrink Wrapped Vehicles

U.S. Marine Corps DistributionDepot, Albany, GA

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The combination of the threeareas of expertiserepresented on the SWING

team provided an opportunity tounderstand how a facility interactswith its users and its uses. Thefollowing is a list of the bestpractices identified and thelocations using those practices.Some of these practices and/orlocations have previously beenidentified elsewhere in the report,but the team felt it important thatthis section specifically identifythose best practices for easieridentification and reference.Further information regardingthese noted areas may be obtainedthrough the points of contactidentified in Appendix IV, Site Visitsand Local Points of Contact.

• In-checking of receipts anddelivery of orders utilizing barcode technology to enhancesecurity, quality control andverification – VeteransAdministration Hospital (VA),Atlanta, GA.

• Vertical carousel used for highvalue, small cube items –Tennessee National Guard,Knoxville, TN.

• Conveyor system utilizing barcode technology to sort ordersreceived from vendors to specificoffice areas – Oak Ridge NationalLaboratories (ORNL), Oak Ridge,TN.

• Computer based WarehouseManagement System (WMS)integration with a conveyorsystem and other warehousingoperations – Army Air ForceExchange Service (AAFES), FtGillem, GA.

• Static racking configured toaccommodate full pallet loadsand less than pallet loads –AAFES – Ft Gillem, GA.

• Over-the-dock racking to utilizeotherwise unused cubic storagespace – AAFES, Ft Gillem, GA.

• Static racks configured on narrowaisle forklift footprint – AAFES,Ft Gillem, GA; Pep Boys andFord Parts Distribution Center,both in McDonough, GA.

• Double stacked, horizontalcarousel mezzanine systemintegrated with bar coding andconveyor system – Marine CorpsLogistics Base, Albany, GA.

• Breakaway insulated dock doors– Defense Distribution Depot,Albany, GA.

• Racking system for inside storageof vehicles and dehumidifyingsystem to reduce vehiclemaintenance and protectelectronic components – MarineCorps Logistics Base, Albany, GA.

• Triple tiered gravity flow racks inthe mezzanine – GeneralServices Administration (GSA),Palmetto, GA and AAFES, FtGillem, GA.

• Effective use of dock space forreceiving and shipping – GSA,Palmetto, GA.

• Use of open floor space to storebulk pallet loads – GSA,Palmetto, GA and Ft Worth, TX.

• Warehouse information systemdevelopment – GSA, Ft Worth,TX.

• Over aisle storage space – FordParts Distribution Center,McDonough, GA.

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Best Practices

Best Practices

• Efficient use of height (cubedspace) for tire storage – PepBoys, McDonough, GA.

• Real time manifesting using barcode technology – Ford PartsDistribution Center, McDonough,GA.

• Motorized, moveable storageracks for heavy and slow movingitems to maximize cube storage –Arnold Air Force Base (AFB) –Tullahoma, TN.

• Warehouse design for futurecommunication needs –Department of the Army, FtBenning, GA.

• Supply Asset Tracking System,tracks assets electronicallythrough supply channels, to beimplemented Air Force wide -Eglin Air Force Base, FL.

• Electronic screening of excessdepot stock - DRMO,Jacksonville, FL.

• Radio Frequency (RF) technologyto make real time adjustments toinventory - Mid-Florida FreezerWarehouse, Cape Canaveral, FL.

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Medical Supplies

Veterans Affairs Hospital,Atlanta, GA

As a result of the team’s visitsto the various warehouse,storage, and distribution

activities of the FederalGovernment and private sector,many innovative techniques wereobserved and are identified inprevious sections of this report.Many of the professional warehousepersonnel also spoke about, andacknowledged a need for changes inexisting conditions. However, dueto budgetary constraints, uncertainor evolving mission needs or otherconstraints, many of which they hadno direct control over, thesewarehouse experts were severelylimited in their ability to makechanges.

Nevertheless, the followingrecommendations are the result ofthe team’s discussions andobservations, as well as commonsense practices and best casescenarios, to effect more efficientand effective Federal Governmentreal and personal propertymanagement.

• Make the initial investment;it will save money in the longrun.

Many of the warehouse personnelthe team spoke to indicated thatmany of the warehouse limitationsand inefficiencies were the result ofa lack of investment in thewarehouse project planning process.Many of the flexibilities desired (i.e.,additional height, power andautomated equipment, computertechnology, employee comfort, etc.)are more economical to include inthe planning process than to add asa change order during construction,and even more expensive as arenovation once the facility is in

operation. In addition, onceprogrammed into a facility,budgetary allowances must beincluded for the maintenance of allfacility systems.

• Maximize the full space of thestorage facility.

Many of the facilities visited,especially those of the civilianFederal agencies, were notmaximizing their warehouse space.Space was poorly allocated; rackswere not sized to storage load;facility heights were inefficientlyused; items were obviously in “longterm” or “dead” storage modes;and/or publications were beingstored which appeared out-of-date.With the emerging trends of “just-in-time” ordering, desk top deliveryservices, the widening use of theGovernment Purchase Card, anddesk top publishing, agencies arefinding that their warehouses areno longer in the office supplybusiness. In light of streamliningFederal budgets and reduction instaffing, Federal agencies couldreduce real and personal propertyoutlays by more proactivelyplanning and managing theirexisting facilities. Specifically,agencies should explore alternativesprior to requesting additionalstorage space and look foropportunities to reduce space.

Prior to canceling a lease at afavorable rental rate, Federalagencies should contact otherFederal activities in the area to seeif there is a justifiable need for thatspace.

Using all available height in awarehouse can increase storagecapacity. The addition of onestorage level, six feet high, in a

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Recommendations

Recommendations

50,000 sq. ft. warehouse, wouldpotentially increase the space by300,000 cubic feet. This couldresult in savings of approximately$50,000 annually, not includingutilities, by not having to leaseadditional space. This cost is basedon an average rental rate of $5.00per square foot for warehouse space.This low-end estimate excludes thecost of utilities, according to CarolM. Bravo, Director of Finance andMarketing, Phillips & Company,Jacksonville, FL. While the teamsaw several instances where thisprinciple could potentially save theGovernment many thousands ofdollars in procurement activitiesand rental payments, a detailedcost-benefit analysis must be doneon a case-by-case basis to determinethe most beneficial course of actionfor the Federal Government.

• GSA should review theFederal Property Manage-ment Regulations (FPMR)and the Property Act torecommend changes thatstreamline and add value tothe personal propertydisposal process.

GSA is currently workingcollaboratively with Federalagencies to rewrite the FPMRsrelating to personal property intoplain language and to eliminatethose regulations that do not addvalue to the disposal process. Inaddition, GSA has developed alegislative proposal to change theProperty Act to provide Federalagencies more flexibility indisposing of personal property.

Throughout the course of the study,the SWING team saw whereFederal warehouses were used for

dual purposes: (1) receipt, storage,and issuance of newly procureditems; and (2) for turn-in andstorage of excess personal property.The primary objective of mostwarehouses is the care and custodyof newly procured items that meetthe mission needs of the agency.Less care and concern were devotedto the proper storage of excesspersonal property. This approach tohandling excess property indicates alack of training in personal propertydisposal processes. This can beaddressed through the following:

Federal agencies should usecurrent regulations, especiallyrelating to abandonment ordestruction of personal property(FPMR 101-48, Utilization,Donation, or Disposal ofAbandoned and ForfeitedPersonal Property), in an effort toprocess excess property in atimely manner.

Federal agencies should use, tothe fullest extent practical, theMemorandum of Understandingbetween GSA and DLA thatallows them to turn-in excesspersonal property to the nearestDRMO.

Federal agencies should take amore proactive approach toinventory reviews and controls toscreen items that are candidatesfor excess. In addition, agenciescan use existing technologies (i.e.,high-speed printers, worldwideweb sites, and increasedcomputer memory) to producehard copy documentation asneeded rather than maintainingspace and cost-consuming hardcopy inventories.

GSA should continue to pursue

44

Recommendations

changes to the Property Act toenable Federal agencies to retainthe proceeds from the sale ofsurplus personal property. Thiswould provide Federal agencieswith an incentive to be moreproactive in their inventoryreview processes.

• Federal agencies should firstconsider GSA negotiatedsupply contracts before usinglocal vendor sources.

The GSA/FSS provides Federalagencies worldwide with everythingfrom office supplies to medical,safety, and fire fighting equipment.FSS purchases these items involume (in accordance with theFederal Acquisition Regulations)and at a discount that is passed onto the Federal community, andprovides guaranteed desk-topdelivery in one to three days. Directdelivery from vendors is alsoavailable for large orders using theFSS schedule program. Since FSSis a self-funding organization,

purchases made through thisprogram ensure the continuedavailability of these discounts. Theprograms offered to provide officeand related supplies include:

GSA Advantage - This on-lineshopping service provides Federalagencies with an Internet accessible“store” for purchases. GSAAdvantage can be accessed throughthe Internet at http://www.gsa.gov.

Customer Supply Centers (CSCs) -Located around the country, thesecenters stock over 11,000 items andprovide mail order service. Stockeditems are available via catalog. (seeAppendix VI - Additional Sources ofInformation for a CSC location).

In view of the Administration’sefforts to reduce staff, limit budgets,and the resulting increase inworkloads, Federal agencies shouldconsider the advantages of utilizingGSA’s FSS programs and pricingschedules for their general supplyneeds before going to the privatesector.

45


46

Embankment Mats

Tennessee Valley Authority(TVA), Norris Reservation,Norris, TN

Glossary

Bar code technology - A computer generated identification code thatallows optical character recognition and identification of anitem.

Battery charging area - An area in the warehouse that is equipped tocharge heavy duty machinery batteries, and should bedesigned with first aid capabilities such as an eye washstation.

Bin totes/boxes - Containers that are used to store bulky items. Theseboxes can be made out of wood, metal, plastic, fiberglass orcardboard.

Bridge cranes - A bridge crane runs parallel to the roof usually onstructural steel beams. Bridge cranes are used for lowvolume, heavy, large or awkwardly shaped objects.

Bulk storage - Storage of large quantities of solid or liquid supplies. Bulkstorage can include such items as coal, lumber, petroleumproducts, large pallet quantities, etc.

“C” Rack - A type of shelving rack, whose sides resemble a “C”, used to storemetal pipe, and lumber stock.

Carousel storage system - A continuous loop of moveable storage racks.

Ceiling joist - A type of beam that holds up the roof structure. Oftenconveyor systems, HVAC systems and fire suppressionsystems are mounted to these “roof” beams.

Clear stacking height - The maximum height that items can be stored.Objects hanging from the roof such as I-beams, gas pipes,HVAC units dictate and influence the clear stacking height.

Cold storage - The storage of items in a very cold warehouse atmosphere.Generally these warehouses are set up as a virtual freezer.

Computer based tracking system - A system using bar code technology toperform inventory reordering, and accounting functionsautomatically through the computer.

Dead stock - Items that rarely get moved out of the warehouse.

Drive in/drive through racks - This rack system holds pallets that aresupported on the sides and allows a forklift to maneuverwithin the structure to store or retrieve loads.

Emergency order - Requests that takes first priority and at some militarybases are filled in less than one hour.

Excess property - Property that is no longer required by the owner agencyand is available to other Federal agencies.

Floor load - The amount of weight that a floor has been engineered tosupport.

47

Glossary

Floor plan - The design of the warehouse pertaining to the placement andlocation of storage racks, offices, receiving areas, andshipping areas, etc.

Floor template - The dimensional size of the floor.

Flow through operation - This operation is characterized by havingdeliveries of items on one side of the warehouse andperforming the distribution functions on the opposite side ofthe building. This configuration produces a “flow through”system of receiving and shipping.

Forklift truck - A material-handling vehicle designed to move loads bymeans of steel forks inserted under the load.

Gantry cranes - A portable crane that is on wheels that has two “A” sidesand a center cross beam.

Hazardous materials - Property that is deemed a hazardous material,chemical substance or mixture, or hazardous waste, underthe Hazardous Materials Transportation Act (HMTA), theResource Conservation and Recovery Act (TCRA), or theToxic Substance Control Act (TSCA).

High-density storage system - An automated storage system that is avertical high-cube storage/retrieval machine.

IMPAC Card - The International Merchant Purchase Authorization Card(IMPAC) or “Government Purchase Card” is a credit cardthat the Government uses to purchase items.

Internal height - The maximum clear and free height to store items in thewarehouse.

Just in time ordering - A procurement method that reduces warehousestorage space by having supplies delivered to the user at thetime they are needed.

K Rack - A rack system whose sides resemble a “K” and is generally usedfor pallet storage.

Less that truck Load (LTL) - This is when a delivery truck is packed withless than a full load. An LTL delivery is usually moreexpensive that a fully loaded truck.

Life cycle costs - Costs measured throughout the entire useful life of anitem. For an example, the life cycle costs of a forklift wouldgauge its acquisition and maintenance costs over 10 to 15years or its estimated useful life.

Loading dock - The opening of the warehouse structure that is designed fortruck loading and unloading.

Loading dock shelter - A structure that protects the loading dock from theweather elements.

48

Glossary

Materials handling - The science and application of warehousing, moving,and the handling materials.

Mezzanine storage - A storage area of an intermediate or fractional sizebetween a floor and ceiling in a warehouse.

Moveable Storage Rack - A moveable storage system that allows storageracks to be moved together. This storage system moves theshelves to provide an aisle for retrieval of items.

Office creep - Office creep occurs when warehouse space is encroachedupon by office space.

Order picking - The selection of items from storage locations to fill an orderrequest.

Overhead conveyor system - An overhead mechanical system that movesitems through the warehouse, often attached to the roofjoists of the building structure.

Packing area - An area that is used for constructing exterior shippingcontainers and preparing items for shipment. Thesecontainers include wood boxes, cardboard boxes, and shrinkwrapping.

Pallet - A portable platform on which materials may be placed in unit loadsto facilitate vertical stacking or loading, in palletized units,by mechanical lifting equipment.

Pallet jack - A handcart with two forks that allows a person to move aloaded pallet from one place to another.

Pallet rack - Metal racks (generally “K” racks) used for vertical storage ofpallets.

Palletization - The placing of material on a pallet to facilitate handling andstorage.

Personal Property - Any property except real property, records of theFederal Government, and naval vessels of the followingcategories: battleships, cruisers, aircraft carriers, destroyersand submarines.

Physical inventory - An inventory in which each item is physically locatedand accounted for.

Pick cart - A propelled device designed to hold small packages and toteboxes.

Porta-cool fans - Large fans that blow air over water, taking advantage ofevaporation and moving air to cool an area.

Rack space - The amount of space that can be used to store items in aracking structure.

Rail dock - A loading dock designed for loading and unloading railroad cars.

49

Glossary

Rail service - The ability to receive and ship by rail.

Real Property - Describes property that is real estate in nature. Buildingsand land are considered real property.

Real time - The immediate update of information through computertechnology.

Receiving area - An area used for checking, inspecting and preparingincoming materials prior to storage in the warehouse.

RF technology (Radio frequency technology) - The ability to updateaccounting and inventory data by radio signals to a centralcomputer system.

SATS (Supply Asset Tracking System) - A supply database that tracksitems from receipt to disposition.

Skylights - Openings in the roof which allow light to enter into thewarehouse structure.

Space saver system - A storage system that has moveable racks to enablehigh-density storage.

Space utilization - The concept of how space is used.

Sprinkler code (NFPA Code) - A national sprinkler code used by manyjurisdictions. In light of their different missions andconfigurations, each warehouse should check with the localfire codes and local fire authorities.

Stackable pallets - Pallets equipped with either temporary or permanentmetal frames that permit stacking one on top of the other.

Storage bin - A container that is used to store items. Storage bins areusually an efficient way to store similar items that need to beretrieved easily.

Storage rack - A rack that is used to store items. Often this rack holdspallets.

Surplus Property - Excess property determined by GSA to be no longerrequired by the Federal Government. Surplus property canentail both real and personal property.

Tilt-roller table - A material moving table which lifts, tilts and assists inthe handling of materials.

Towveyor - A cart with a hook that attaches to a moving chain in the floorof the warehouse and tows carts in a fixed path.

Trailer latches - A latch that holds the truck trailer in place while it isbeing loaded or unloaded.

Trailer maneuverability - The ability for trucks and trailers to maneuverto the loading dock, without impeding ingress and egress.

50

Glossary

Truck wheel load/parking lot - The weight load and structural design ofthe macadam needed to support loaded trucks.

Turn key warehouse facility - When a contractor takes over all of thewarehouse functions for a fee.

Vacuum lift system - A vacuum assisted material lifting system that allowslarge, heavy items to be moved easily.

Velocity management - Velocity Management is an Army wide programdesigned to get logistics support into the hands of soldiers asfast and predictably as possible, by finding and eliminatingsources of delay and undependability in the Army Logisticsprocesses.

Warehouse layout - The design of the warehouse showing the location ofstorage racks, packing areas, receiving areas, offices, etc.

Warehouse security - The protection of real and personal property throughmeasures that may include armed guards, dogs, motiondetectors, locking gates on all doors, etc.

Worker productivity - The amount of work produced by a person in agiven amount of time.

Worldwide inventory - A large database that stores information on allGovernment owned and leased buildings.

51


52

Computer Controlled Carousel

U.S. Marine Base,Blount Island, FL

Appendices

I. Project Charter . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

II. Kick-Off Meeting Letter of Invitation & List of Attendees . . . . . . . . . 57

III. Matrix of Locations and Storage Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61

IV. Site Visit Summaries and Local Points of Contact . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Florida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Georgia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75

Tennessee. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87

Other Locations Visited . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

V. Questionnaire Survey and Synopsis . . . . . . 97

VI. Additional Sources of Information . . . . . . 103

VII. Publication Survey . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

53


54

AAFES, Fort Gillem, GA

I. Project Charter

Office of Real PropertyStrategic Storage Needs of the Federal Government

Team Charter April 6, 1998

InitiativeThe Office of GovernmentwidePolicy (OGP), Office of RealProperty, will conduct acollaborative study of the strategicstorage needs of the FederalGovernment. This will beaccomplished by the establishmentof a Strategic Warehouse InventoryNeeds Group (SWING) which willinclude representatives ofparticipating Federal agencies, aswell as a representative of OGP’sOffice of Transportation andPersonal Property, and the GeneralServices Administration’s (GSA’s)Federal Supply Service (FSS). Thisstudy will research the efficiencyand the effectiveness of warehouseand storage areas used by theFederal Government. The studywill result in a report on thefindings that will includerecommendations for achievingefficient real property assetmanagement, and provideinformation on best practices forinventory management.

PurposeThe main objectives of this studyare to work with Federal agenciesin a collaborative manner to reviewcurrent real property warehouseand storage practices and establisha method of sharing real propertyinformation and best practicesgovernmentwide. This study willprovide opportunities for Federalagencies to share resources to meetthe Federal Government’s storage

55

needs and thereby provide potentialsavings by improving the utilizationof real property required toaccomplish the FederalGovernment’s warehouse needs.This study will also explorepotential savings to the FederalGovernment based on theapplication of warehousinginventory methodology.

The goals of this initiative include:

• Encouraging interagencyparticipation in sharingwarehouse space and storagemethodology information.

• Saving resources by exchangingsolutions, sharing best practices,and taking advantage ofunderutilized resources to meetthe Federal Government’sstorage needs.

• Collaborating to solve commonreal property warehouseproblems.

• Sharing information andexpertise that lead to betterwarehouse asset managementdecisions.

• Making the best use of Federalresources.

• Providing a final document ofvalue to all Federal agencies.

The team will achieve these goalsthrough:

• Meeting with agencies and col-laboratively identifying problems,issues, and best practices.

I. Project Charter

• Conducting a field study in whichthe physical real propertywarehouse space and theinventory methodology areobserved.

• Identifying the best practices andspecific efforts of Federalagencies that are successful inmeeting their agency’s storagerequirements.

• Identifying higher and betteruses of warehouse space bysharing information betweenagencies.

Team MembersTeam Leader:

Sheldon Greenberg(202) 501-0629

Team Members:

Hank Aldag(202) 208-3993

Gary Thompson(202) 208-7433

Michael Wayne(703) 305-5223

SponsorsDavid L. BibbStanley C. Langfeld

Team ConsultantsFederal Agency Representatives,Private Industry, and Real andPersonal Property RelatedOrganizations

56

II. Kick-off Meeting Letter ofInvitation and List of Attendees

57

April 17, 1998

Mr. Robert Peck

Commissioner, Public Buildings Service

U.S. General Services Administration

1800 F Street, NW Room 6344

Washington, DC 20405

Dear Mr. Peck

In the furtherance of its leadership role in real property asset management, the Office of

Governmentwide Policy, Office of Real Property is coordinating a pilot study of strategic warehousing and

related storage space requirements of Federal agencies. This study will be based on a collaborative effort

with Federal agencies that have, or may require the use of warehouse or storage space in the study area.

We would like to include a review of any recent real property utilization studies, if available. In addition,

on-site visits to existing agency facilities will be conducted to assist in the evaluation of the personal

property which is being stored, or may be available for shared use by Federal agencies.

To accomplish this study, we have reviewed information available in the Worldwide Inventory database

and selected the States of Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida as the geographic area to conduct this pilot

study. We feel this area offers the most potential for achieving our goal of Governmentwide economies

through identification of best practices and various other means of efficient real property asset

management and warehouse utilization. This study will result in a report that will assess current

warehousing practices of Federal agencies and make recommendations regarding the potential for

improved future facilities uses. Accordingly, we are seeking the participation of those agencies which

currently have storage facilities in the selected area and those selected agencies who may require such

facilities in the near-term future (5 years).

I am requesting that you or your representative be a member of the Strategic Warehousing Inventory

Needs Group (SWING). We will have our kickoff meeting on Thursday, May 7, 1998, at 10:00 a.m. to

12:00 p.m. in Room 6206, GSA Central Office at 1800 F Street, NW, Washington, DC. We plan to use this

initial meeting to discuss any unique or special agency interests or concerns regarding this study. Please

send the name, address, Internet address, and telephone number of your agency’s designated contact for

participation in this study by Friday, April 24, 1998, via Internet to Sheldon Greenberg at

[email protected] or call (202) 501-0629.

If you have any questions or require any additional information, please contact Sheldon Greenberg. Your

agency’s participation and input into this study will ensure a more realistic, collaborative

Governmentwide perspective.

Thank you for your assistance in this collaborative Governmentwide pilot study effort.

Yours truly,

David L. Bibb

Deputy Associate Administrator

Office of Real Property

U.S. GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

Office of Governmentwide Policy

1800 F Street, NW, Washington, DC 20405-0002

II. Letter of Invitation and List of Attendees

List of Attendees

Strategic Warehousing Inventory Needs Group Meeting May 7, 1998

Agency Representative Telephone E-Mail Address

Department of Veterans Affairs Dick Bundy (202) 565-5398 [email protected]

Department of Energy Andy Duran (202) 586-4547 [email protected]

Department of Defense Richard L. Townsend (703) 614-6399 [email protected]

Robert Hobson (703) 604-5808 [email protected]

Department of Agriculture Ann Hair (202) 720-2994 [email protected]

Department of the Air Force Charles Skidmore (202) 767-4033 [email protected]

Cathy Dee (202) 767-4383 [email protected]

Jim Enloe (703) 601-0187 [email protected]

Department of the Army Randy Klug (703) 693-4583 [email protected]

Jim Askew (703) 683-7100 [email protected]

Department of Education Denise Estep (202) 401-8366 [email protected]

Connie Blackwell (202) 401-1269 [email protected]

Department of Health and Human Services Peggy Dodd (202) 619-1755 [email protected]

Department of the Interior John Moresko (202) 208-5704 [email protected]

Department of the Navy Carl Lowery, Jr. (703) 588-6686 [email protected]

William Rutter (202) 433-4105 [email protected]

Dave Powell (202) 433-4100 [email protected]

58

II. Letter of Invitation and List of Attendees

Agency Representative Telephone E-Mail Address

Department of Housing and Urban Development Edda Aixa Nieves (202) 331-5001 edda a. [email protected]

Department of Justice Lisa Harris (202) 307-1873 [email protected]

UNICOR - Federal Prison Industry Paul Spots (202) 305-3848 [email protected]

Department of the Treasury Bob Harper (202) 622-0500 [email protected]

Brenda Hemphill (202) 622-0057 [email protected]

General Services Administration Pat Bailey (404) 331-2196 [email protected]

Scott Ayers (404) 331-0508 [email protected]

Department of Transportation Rita Martin (202) 366-9724 [email protected]

George Kuchas (202) 366-1614 [email protected]

Army Corps of Engineers Monte Ferry (202) 761-1748 not available

Environmental Protection Agency Portia Johnson (202) 260-2030 [email protected]

Tennessee Valley Authority Steven R. Ayers (423) 751-7903 [email protected]

Social Security Administration Mel Lorden (410) 965-7225 [email protected]

NASA Tony Cuticchia (202) 358-1094 [email protected]

Dave Melton (202) 358-2302 [email protected]

Department of State Dave Wilson (202) 647-3458 not available

DOD – DLA Thomas Karst (703) 767-3554 [email protected]

Darrell Sears (703) 767-3506 [email protected]

59


60

Record Storage

NARA, Regional RecordsServices, East Point, GA

III. Matrix of Locations and Storage Function

61

Florida G/O = Govt Owned L = Leased PS = Private Sector

G/O Sq Ft Gen Excess Supply Primary Purpose of Location L or PS* (000) Storage Storage Distrib Warehouse and Storage Facility

1 NAVAL AIR STATION PENSACOLA G/O 1,022 X X Active base supplies and a distribution area thatincludes FL, TX, TN, and Cuba.

2 US AIR FORCE, SAUFLEY FIELD, PENSACOLA G/O 38 X Provides all base supply including local purchasingfunctions.

3 EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE G/O 1,233 X X Maintains aircraft parts, and performs local distribution functions.

4 TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE G/O 382 X X Provides aircraft parts & performs local distribution functions.

5 NASA, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER G/O 2,187 X X X Maintains administrative supplies, spacecraft payload supplies, and facility spare parts.

6 PATRICK AFB & CAPE CANAVERAL AFS G/O 438 X Provides launch support, aircraft parts, hazardous materials and other base supplies.

7 MID-FLORIDA FREEZER LTD., CAPE CANAVERAL P/S 500 X Storage and shipment of newsprint paper and citrus concentrate liquids.

8 IDS, INC., CAPE CANAVERAL PS 50 X X Provides foreign trade zone storage facilities including bar coding and freight forwarding.

9 MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE G/O 658 X X Storage of aircraft & related parts for base functions.

10 JACKSONVILLE AIR NATIONAL GUARD G/O 14 X X X Supports aircraft, personnel, & provide base supplies.

11 US MARINE BASE, BLOUNT ISLAND G/O 262 X Turnaround activities to unload, check, and reload supply ship.

12 NAVAL AIR STATION, JACKSONVILLE G/O 1,341 X X X Provides supply and support for base aircraft, personnel.

13 DLA DEFENSE REUTILIZATN OFC, JACKSONVILLE G/O 70 X Local point for disposal of excess and surplus personal property items.

14 GSA WAREHOUSE, JACKSONVILLE L 34 X Vacant (terminated) leased space.

15 MAYPORT NAVAL STATION, MAYPORT G/O 185 X X Provides storage for reconditioned parts, and local base supplies.

16 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, MIAMI L 40 X X X Staging for distribution of new computers, and storage of hurricane, medical & facility supplies.

TOTAL 3,444


62

Georgia G/O = Govt Owned L = Leased PS = Private Sector


1 US NAVY TRIDENT REFIT FACILITY, KINGS BAY G/O 285 X X Provides bulk and binnable storage for US, UK and other tenant submarine activities.

2 NARA, REGIONAL RECORDS SERVICES, EAST POINT G/O 221 X X Maintains storage facilities for Federal records, archives, and records management.

3 GSA WAREHOUSE, 2115 MONROE DRIVE, ATLANTA L 10 X X Storage of excess personal property, and slow moving office supplies.

4 DOBBINS AIR FORCE BASE, MARIETTA G/O 107 X X Provides all base supplies for the entire base. Inventory is turned over 3 to 4 times a year.

5 NAS ATLANTA & GEORGIA AIR RESERVE, MARIETTA G/O 160 X X Ready storage of quick deployment items such as trucks, tanks, and other field equipment.

6 HHS/CDC, ATLANTA L 65 X X X Supports CDC contagion research operations.

7 HHS/CDC PUBLICATIONS WAREHOUSE, CHAMBLEE L 26 X X Publication, mailing, and storage of CDC literature.

8 INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE, TUCKER L 64 X X X Storage of IRS office supplies, forms, furniture, and items to be declared excess.

9 UNICOR FEDERAL PRISON INDUSTRIES, ATLANTA G/O 300 X X Repair of USPS mailbags, assembly of military uniforms and mattress construction operations.

10 USDA/FS, CHATTAHOOCHEE NF, GAINESVILLE G/O 50 X X Support facilities for operations and maintenance of the Chattahoochee & Oconee National Forests.

11 VETERANS AFFAIRS HOSPITAL, ATLANTA G/O 22 X X X Storage and distribution of medical supplies to support the VA hospital.

12 GSA/FSS SOUTHEAST DISTRIB FACILITY, PALMETTO L 1,334 X X Distribution center for materials provided by FSS. Location is highly automated and mechanized.

13 US ARMY INFANTRY CENTER, FORT BENNING G/O 1,101 X X Deployment center and storage facility for army infantry clothing and gear.

14 USDA, CARTER PLANT MATLS FACILITY, AMERICUS G/O 26 X X Storage facilities for agricultural plant and related outdoor research equipment.

15 FEMA/GSA FACILITY, THOMASVILLE G/O 33 X X X Maintains emergency FEMA field equipment, and GSA facility maintenance supplies.

16 COE/USAF, 204 WELCH ST, SYLVESTER L 42 X X Storage of large tents and support equipment ready for immediate deployment.

17 DEFENSE DISTRIBUTION DEPOT, ALBANY G/O 1,877 X X Provides complete warehousing facilities for co- located USMC and other DOD customers worldwide.

18 USMC LOGISITICS BASE, FLT SUPPORT CTR, ALBANY G/O 1,791 X X Warehousing and storage yards for military personal property and equipment.

19 USAF DISTRIBUTION DEPOT, ALBANY G/O 80 X X Provides storage for aircraft revetments (protective ground cover).

20 USDA, SE NUT RESEARCH FACILITY, BYRON G/O 23 X Storage of pesticides, greenhouse supplies, and hazardous wastes to support facility reserarch .

21 WARNER ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE G/O 3,748 X X Warehousing for facilities support of maintenance and operations.

22 WARNER ROBINS DRMO G/O 38 X X Local point for disposal of excess and surplus personal property items.

23 PEP BOYS WAREHOUSE, MCDONOUGH PS 400 X X Warehousing of automotive parts and supplies for the PEP Boys Company.

24 FORD PARTS DISTRIBUTION CENTER, MCDONOUGH PS 500 X X Distribution center for Ford auto parts and supplies to TN, KY, VA, NC, SC, AL, and MI.

25 FORT GILLEM G/O 3,100 X X Warehousing and distribution for AAFES. New facility is highly automted and mechanized.

TOTAL 15,403


63

Tennessee G/O = Govt Owned L = Leased PS = Private Sector


1 DEPT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, JOHNSON CITY L 19 X X Storage and distribution of medical supplies to support the VA hospital.

2 HOLSTON AMMUNITION PLANT, KINGSPORT G/O 256 X X Facilities support for maintenance and operation of facility.

3 TVA, SEVIER FOSSIL FUEL PLANT, ROGERSVILLE G/O 10 X X Storage of spare parts and other materials to support power generation plant.

4 DOI/NPS, SMOKY MOUNTAIN NP, GATLINBURG G/O 44 X Warehouse and storage yard support information center and park maintenance needs.

5 TYSON AB, TN NATIONAL GUARD, MCGHEE G/O 53 X X Provides base supply and field unit deployment equipment.

6 TVA, NORRIS RESERVATION, NORRIS G/O 132 X X Storage related to supplies for the hydroelectric plant, and water management research equipment.

7 DOE, OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LAB, OAK RIDGE G/O 13,132 X X Warehouses, stores, and distributes a wide variety of materials and supplies for the large facility.

8 TVA, HARTSVILLE INVESTMENT RECOVERY CTR G/O 1,200 X X X Storage, distribution and sales of TVA facility related equipment.

9 ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TULLAHOMA G/O 145 X X Storage of aviation research materials.

10 TVA, CHATTANOOGA POWER SRVC, CHATTANOOGA G/O 145 X X Supports the TVA research laboratory, as well as repair items for electrical contractors.

11 DEPT. OF VETERANS AFFAIRS, MEMPHIS L 34 X X Storage and distribution of medical supplies to support the VA hospital.

12 NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY, MID-SOUTH, MILLINGTON G/O 122 X X Provides facility support for Naval Recuiting, Personnel R&D & Corps of Engineers Financial Center.

13 DOI/FWS HATCHIE WILDLIFE REFUGE, HATCHIE G/O 11 X X Storage area includes open outdoor equipment structures & shop buildings to support the refuge.

TOTAL 15,404

Total Square Footage of Facilities VisitedFlorida . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,444,000

Georgia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,403,000

Tennessee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15,404,000

Grand Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39,251,000


64

Narrow Isle Storage


Site VisitsSite visits were the core of thiswarehouse study. At each site, thevisit commenced with a briefing ormeeting with the facility manager,base commander, or other personnelresponsible for the maintenance oroperation of the facility followed bya “walk and talk” tour of the facility.During these tours, our discussionswith the agency personnel providedmany perspectives on warehousingthat were often mission specific andimpacted the warehouse operations.

The ensuing pages contain a map ofthe three states in the study, adescription of the occupant Federalagency’s mission (or private sectorcampany’s mission) and our localpoint of contact with voice and e-mail information. All the squarefootages are rounded to the nearest1,000 sq. ft. and are based either onthe Worldwide Inventory databaseof 1996 or more precise informationprovided by the agency.

65

IV. Site Visits and Local Points of Contact


66

Newsprint Paper Rolls

Mid-Florida Freezer Warehouse Ltd.,Cape Canaveral, FL

Small Parts Storage


1 NAVAL AIR STATION, PENSACOLA

2 US AIR FORCE, SAUFLEY FIELD,PENSACOLA

3 EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE

4 TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE

5 NASA, KENNEDY SPACE CENTER

6 PATRICK AFB & CAPE CANAVERAL AFS

7 MID-FLORIDA FREEZER LTD., CAPECANAVERAL

8 IDS, INC., CAPE CANAVERAL

9 MACDILL AIR FORCE BASE

10 JACKSONVILLE AIR NATIONAL GUARD

11 US MARINE BASE, BLOUNT ISLAND

12 NAVAL AIR STATION, JACKSONVILLE

13 DLA DEFENSE REUTILIZATN OFFICE,JACKSONVILLE

14 GSA WAREHOUSE, JACKSONVILLE

15 MAYPORT NAVAL STATION, MAYPORT

16 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS,MIAMI

Florida

67

2

13

4

1011

12 13

14 15

5 7

6 8

9

16

Florida

1.Naval Air Station,Pensacola, FLPoint of Contact:

Randy Hendricks

Phone Number:

(850) 452-4515 ext. 335

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

1,022,000 SQ. FT.

This Air Station is the Navy’s initialtraining station for all pilots. Thewarehouse operation at NASPensacola supplies the base as wellas the post-exchange (PX). Thisfacility stocks active supply that isreceived by tractor-trailer. Thedistribution area of this warehouseoperation includes the entire GulfCoast from Memphis, TN, to DallasTX, to Jacksonville, FL, and toCuba.

3.Eglin Air Force Base,FLPoint of Contact:

Joseph R. Reed, Deputy Chief of Supply

Phone Number:

(850) 882-4300

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

1,223,000 SQ. FT.

Eglin Air Force Base’s mission is toprovide for the developmentaltesting of all aviation equipment.Currently, this base is preparing forthe new F-22 with new hangars andwarehouses to accommodate thisnew aircraft. Since 1957, this basehas stocked general supplies, jetengines, and overseas readysupplies. Most of the storage isshort-term, with short-noticedistribution readiness capabilities.Due to the high profile of the baseand the nature of the items stored,Eglin Air Force Base has automatedmost of its operation.

68

2.U.S. Air Force, SaufleyField, Pensacola, FLPoint of Contact:

Commander James Cruz

Phone Number:

(850) 452-2732

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

38,000 SQ. FT.

Air Force operations at SaufleyField are co-mingled with a Federalprison. Prison inmates maintainthe grounds and the militaryoperates the warehouses, which arelocated behind 10-foot high fences.The warehouse visited is used tosupply the base “local purchasing”function.

High, Narrow Isles

Naval Air Station,Jacksonville, FL

Florida

4.Tyndall Air Force Base,FLPoint of Contact:

Bill Libbey, Base Supply Officer & Functional Area Chief

Phone Number:

(850) 283-4314

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

382,000 SQ. FT.

The Tyndall Air Force Basewarehouse operation providesaircraft parts and distributes localsupplies. The warehouse operationhas active turnover with no long-term storage. The supply andtransportation functions have beenrelocated to the same warehouse inorder to facilitate the urgencyassociated with both operations.

5.NASA, Kennedy Space Center, FLPoint of Contact:

Terry Krzywick

Phone Number:

(407) 867-7475

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

2,187,000 SQ. FT.

NASA and the Kennedy SpaceCenter share the same facility andservices, but are run by differentagencies: NASA and DOD,respectively. The warehousefacilities at these sites provideadministrative, payload, and facilityspare part supplies. Theuniqueness of their missionsimpacts their storage facilities. Thewarehouses have overhead cranes,50-foot high-density storagesystems, and other special materialhandling equipment.

69

6.Patrick Air Force Baseand Cape CanaveralAir Force Station, FLPoint of Contact:

Donna Wenzel

Phone Number:

(407) 494-8639

E-mail:

donna [email protected]

Square Footage:

438,000 SQ. FT.

Warehouse space is located at bothfacilities that are part of the 45thSpace Wing. These warehousesfunction as the base supply for CapeCanaveral and Patrick Air ForceBase and two downrange launchsupport locations. Storage forMobility Spares Kits, aircraft partsfor the C-130 and HH-60’s, criticallaunch support spares andhazardous material are also storedat these locations.

Jet Engine Storage

Tyndall Air Force Base, FL

Florida

8.Integrated DistributionServices, Inc.,Cape Canaveral, FLPoint of Contact:

David T. Adams, President

Phone Number:

(407) 799-9100

E-mail:

Not Available

Square Footage:

50,000 SQ. FT.

Integrated Distribution Services,Inc. (IDS), a subtenant of Mid-Florida Freezer Warehouses, Ltd.,offers freight forwarding, bar codedstorage, transportation, and foreigntrade zone warehousing. TheDisney Cruise Line is IDS’s primaryclient.

9.MacDill Air Force Base, FLPoint of Contact:

Bob Schiaffo

Phone Number:

(813) 828-2038

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

658,000 SQ. FT.

The MacDill Air Force Basewarehouses, stores anddisseminates aircraft parts andlocal base supplies. Presently, anew warehouse facility is beingbuilt in an aircraft hangar to storeaircraft parts on the flight deckarea. This new warehouse spacewill use high-density verticalstorage technology.

70

7.Mid-Florida FreezerWarehouses, Ltd.,Cape Canaveral, FLPoint of Contact:

Mark Demary,Information Systems Manager

Phone Number:

(407) 783-9623

E-mail:

[email protected]

Website:

http://www.mffreezer.com

Square Footage:

500,000 SQ. FT.

This private sector company, and itssubtenant, Integrated DistributionServices, Inc. (IDS), provides foreigntrade zone storage for foreigncompanies. These companiesstrongly believe in the use ofcomputers and real-time radiofrequency technology which enablesthem to check a shipping manifestbefore inbound cargo arrives in port.Damaged goods can be identifiedand remedies negotiated usingcomputer file photos (.jpg, .gif, .tifsoftware pictorial files are used).International informationexchanges are also accomplishedusing Electric Data Interchange viathe internet.

Covered Reutilization Staging Area

DLA Defense ReutilizationOffice, Jacksonville, FL

Florida

10.Jacksonville AirNational Guard,Jacksonville, FLPoint of Contact:

Major Richard Entwistle

Phone Number:

(904) 741-7401

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

14,000 SQ. FT.

The Jacksonville Air NationalGuard provides air support for theState of Florida. The warehouseoperation on this base provides basesupplies to support the aircraft andpersonnel. The warehouse wasbuilt in 1969 with ceilings that areonly 13-feet high. Presently, thereare plans to add a high-densitystorage system that would increaseoperational efficiency by 20-30%.The Jacksonville Air NationalGuard has approved plans to builda new 4,000 sq. ft. warehousefacility in the near future.

11.U.S. Marine Base,Blount Island, FL Point of Contact:

Chip Newton

Phone Number:

(904) 696-5063

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

262,000 SQ. FT.

Blount Island’s mission is to providewarehousing services to supply 13ships around the world. Theseships carry supplies and equipmentto sustain 60,000 soldiers for up to30 of days of war. Almost all of thestorage is short-term. Thewarehouse uses a rotation systemthat requires all of the stockeditems to be unloaded from the ships,rechecked, and then restocked backonto the ships.

71

12.Naval Air Station,Jacksonville, FLPoint of Contact:

James A. Morgan, Deputy Facilities Officer Chief Engineer, Facilities Department

Phone Number:

(904) 502-2118

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

1,341,000 SQ. FT.

Naval Air Station Jacksonvilleprovides training for pilots and hasa Navy campus on base. Thewarehouse function supports thebase aircraft, personnel, anddisposition of unused items. Thesewarehouses often ship items such asaircraft, ships, and barges thatnever enter the warehouse facility.This operation ships itemsworldwide.

Hydraulic Lift Tables

U.S. Marine Base,Blount Island, FL

Florida

13.DLA DefenseReutilizationMarketing Office,Jacksonville, FLPoint of Contact:

Linda Poole

Phone Number:

(904) 772-9248 ext. 28

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square footage:

70,000 SQ. FT.

The center sells and distributessurplus and refurbished items,using the Internet and first-in-first-out method of inventory control.These items can be sent to anyagency at any location.

14.GSA Warehouse,Jacksonville, FLPoint of Contact:

Carol Bravo, Director of Finance and Marketing,Phillips and Company

Phone Number:

(904) 396-9960

Square Footage:

34,000 SQ. FT.

This GSA leased facility wasformerly occupied by the IRS andwas built to accommodate thestorage of documents. At present,the lease has been terminated.

72

Naval Aircraft HistoricPreservation Facility

Naval Air Station Pensacola,Pensacola, FL

Florida

15.Mayport Naval Station,Mayport, FLPoint of Contact:

Bob Patrinni, Deputy Supply Officer, Supply Department

Phone Number:

(904) 270-6160

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

185,000 SQ. FT.

The Mayport Naval Stationsupports the H60 and H2helicopters. This warehouse stores“A” (ready to use) reconditionedparts and local base supplies.

16.Department ofVeterans Affairs,Miami, FLPoint of Contact:

Gwen Moore

Phone Number:

(305) 324-3281

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

40,000 SQ. FT.

This warehouse serves the MiamiVA Medical Center in Miami,Florida. The inventory at thislocation has a high rate of turnover,which consists of computers,hurricane supplies, medicalsupplies, building managementstock, and excess items.

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Warehouse Staging Area



74

Loading Dock

U.S. Navy Trident Refit Facility,Kings Bay, GA

19 USAF DISTRIBUTION DEPOT,ALBANY

20 USDA, SE NUT RESEARCH FACILITY, BYRON

21 WARNER ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE

22 WARNER ROBINS DRMO

23 PEP BOYS WAREHOUSE, MCDONOUGH

24 FORD PARTS DISTRIBUTION CENTER,MCDONOUGH

25 FORT GILLEM

1 US NAVY TRIDENT REFITFACILITY, KINGS BAY

2 NARA, REGIONALRECORDS SERVICES, EASTPOINT

3 GSA WAREHOUSE, 2115MONROE DRIVE, ATLANTA

4 DOBBINS AIR FORCE BASE,MARIETTA

5 NAS ATLANTA & GEORGIA AIRRESERVE, MARIETTA

6 HHS/CDC, ATLANTA

7 HHS/CDC PUBLICATIONSWAREHOUSE, CHAMBLEE

8 INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE,TUCKER

9 UNICOR FEDERAL PRISONINDUSTRIES, ATLANTA

10 USDA/FS, CHATTAHOOCHEE NF,GAINESVILLE

11 VETERANS AFFAIRS HOSPITAL,ATLANTA

12 GSA/FSS SOUTHEASTDISTRIBUTION FACILITY,PALMETTO

13 US ARMY INFANTRY CENTER, FORTBENNING

14 USDA, CARTER PLANT MATLS FACILITY,AMERICUS

15 FEMA/GSA FACILITY, THOMASVILLE

16 COE/USAF, 204 WELCH ST, SYLVESTER

17 DEFENSE DISTRIBUTION DEPOT, ALBANY

18 USMC LOGISITICS BASE, FLT SUPPORTCTR, ALBANY

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24

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23

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15

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1918

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10

Georgia

Georgia

76

1.U.S. Navy, Trident Refit Facility, NavalSubmarine Base,Kings Bay, GA Point of Contact:

Fred S. Culvyhouse, Captain, SC, USN

Phone Number:

(912) 673-2925 ext. 9740

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

285,000 SQ. FT.

The warehouse and distributionoperation of the Supply Departmentat TRIREFFAC serves and supportsall the tenant activities for theentire submarine base (10 Tridentsubmarines, United Kingdomsubmarines and various othercustomers). The majority of thematerials stocked are missionspecific. Of the eight warehouses,the two largest utilize automatedstorage systems for binnable itemswhich make up approximately 55%of the items stocked. Theremaining 45% are bulk materials.

Excess Personal Property

GSA Warehouse, Atlanta, GA

Georgia

77

2.National Archives and RecordsAdministration(NARA), Office ofRegional RecordsServices, SoutheastRegion, East Point, GAPoint of Contact:

James McSweeney

Phone Number:

(404) 763-7438

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

221,000 SQ. FT.

The NARA, Southeast Regionfacility has holdings in excess of 1.3million cubic feet of records,including 72,000 cubic feet ofhistorically valuable permanentrecords. NARA provides recordsstorage and reference services forFederal agencies in the SoutheastRegion and provides workshops andreference services to members ofacademic, genealogical, archival andresearch communities. Thiswarehouse was built as a WorldWar II Army supply depot.

3.GSA Warehouse,2115 Monroe Drive,Atlanta, GAPoint of Contact:

Joel Pederson, GSA

Phone Number:

(404) 562-0053

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

10,000 SQ. FT.

This warehouse is leased and usedby GSA. The space is currentlybeing used to store large displayand slow moving office supplyitems.

Record Storage

NARA, Regional RecordServices, East Point, GA

Georgia

78

5.Naval Air Station,Atlanta & Georgia AirReserve, Marietta, GAPoint of Contact:

Linda McEver

Phone Number:

(770) 919-4809

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

160,000 SQ. FT.

The Naval Reserves use “Hangar838” as a storage building which isco-utilized by the Marines. TheMarines use one part of the hangarto store supplies required to buildan airfield facility close to abattlefront. Other areas of thehangar store trucks, tanks, etc.,that require quick deployment.

6.HHS/CDC, 4998C SouthRoyal Atlanta Pkwy,Atlanta, GAPoint of Contact:

Pat Fisher

Phone Number:

(770) 723-7081

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

65,000 SQ. FT.

This GSA leased facility is theHealth and Human Services,Centers for Disease Control’s(CDC’s) largest warehouse inAtlanta, GA. The warehousesupports CDC field operationsrelating to contagion research.Because of security concerns at theCDC, the warehouse is responsiblefor the receipt and shipping of allCDC addressed items.

4.Dobbins Air ForceBase, Marietta, GAPoint of Contact:

Linda McEver

Phone Number:

(770) 919-4809

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

107,000 SQ. FT.

The primary mission of this base isto service and support the C-130aircraft. The warehouse operationsupplies the entire base, includingitems formerly provided at the basesupply store which closed last year.The warehouse uses moveableshelving to consolidate space and hasan automated high-density storagearea for small parts. The ware-housed inventory has a turnover rateof three to four times per year.

HHS/CDC Publication Storageand Shipping Warehouse,Chamblee, GA

Georgia

79

8.Internal RevenueService, 2650 ButtonGwinnett Rd.,Tucker, GAPoint of Contact:

Don Maloney

Phone Number:

(770) 446-3767

E-mail:

None Available

Square Footage:

64,000 SQ. FT.

This GSA leased warehouse storespaper supplies, IRS forms, anditems that are going through theexcess process, including a largeamount of furniture.

9.UNICOR FederalPrison Industries/Federal Prison,Atlanta, GAPoint of Contact:

Robert Turner

Phone Number:

(404) 635-5410

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

300,000 SQ. FT.

UNICOR’s main warehouse wasbuilt approximately seven yearsago. This modern facility hasHVAC, 20-foot high ceilings, three-phase electricity, and a 25,000 lbs.capacity elevator. This warehousesupports the assembly ofmattresses, DOD uniforms, andUSPS mailbag repair.

7.HHS/CDC Publication Warehouse,1275 Oak Brook Dr.,Chamblee, GAPoint of Contact:

Pat Fisher

Phone Number:

(770) 723-7081

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

26,000 SQ. FT.

This is a GSA leased warehouseused by CDC to receive and stockits publications. This facility hasthe capability to produce copies ofpublications using high speed, highquality reproduction technology.This warehouse operation isresponsible for shipment of thepublications using a computermaintained mailing list.

Outdoor Equipment Storage

USDA/FS Chattahoochee,Gainesville, GA

Georgia

80

11.Department ofVeterans AffairsHospital, Atlanta, GAPoint of Contact:

Ron Coleman

Phone Number:

(404) 235-3066

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

22,000 SQ. FT.

This warehouse is located in thebasement of the VA hospital. Dueto the hospital’s mission, thewarehouse includes “clean room”space to store sterile surgical stock.The operating room storage areahas a sterilization center forsurgical instruments, with anelevator to the operating room.

12.GSA/FSS, SoutheastDistribution Facility,Palmetto, GAPoint of Contact:

Elmer Campbell

Phone Number:

(770) 463-6020

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

1,334,000 SQ. FT.

This warehouse and distributionoperation is highly mechanized anduses conveyor systems, gravity flowracks, and an extensive range ofautomation. The facility was builtwith a towveyor system, which is nolonger in operation due todownsizing of the overalldistribution program. Space is to bemade available at this location forpossible occupancy by NARA,currently located in East Point,Georgia.

Conveyor Delivery System

GSA/FSS, Palmetto, GA

10.USDA/FS,ChattahoocheeNational Forest,Gainesville, GAPoint of Contact:

Mike Ferguson

Phone number:

(770) 287-9771

E-mail:

Not Available

Square Footage:

50,000 SQ. FT.

This facility supports and facilitatesthe operations in the Chattahoocheeand Oconee National Forests.Covered storage and warehouseareas store vehicles, equipment, andsupplies in a “work yard” setting.

Warehousing

U.S. Army Infantry Center,Fort Benning, GA

Georgia

81

14.USDA, Jimmy CarterPlant MaterialsFacility, Americus, GAPoint of Contact:

Malcolm Kirkland

Phone number:

(912) 924-4499

E-mail:

None Available

Square footage:

26,000 SQ. FT.

This facility was established in 1936and is located on about 300 acres ofland. Research on plants for waterquality and/or soil erosion isperformed here. The storage needsat this location relate to outdoorwork and equipment.

15.FEMA/GSA Facility,Thomasville, GAPoint of Contact:

Rhonda Collins, GSA

Phone Number:

(912) 225-4608

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

33,000 SQ. FT.

FEMA has two buildings at thislocation. The first building is a3,600 sq. ft. steel butler buildingthat stores rolls of wire andemergency deployment items. Thiswarehouse is set up in a drive-through configuration. The secondbuilding is a World War II vintagewarehouse that is used for long-term storage of maintenance andhard to find items. GSA alsooccupies a similar World War IIvintage building for the storage ofplumbing items and office furniture.

13.U.S. Army Infantry Center,Fort Benning, GAPoint of Contact:

Irma Davis

Phone Number:

(757) 727-2576/2560

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

1,101,000 SQ. FT.

Fort Benning is a major U.S. Armytroop deployment center. Thewarehousing mission of this base isto provide clothing and gear to themen and women in the U.S. Army.Every week, Fort Benning supplies50-150 people with full outfit gear.Fort Benning has recently built a50,000 sq. ft. warehouse toaccommodate heavy troop supplydeployment. This warehouse hasthe capability to install computerworkstations anywhere in thewarehouse. The overhead doorsallow several deployment activitiesto take place simultaneously.

Georgia

82

17.Defense DistributionDepot, Albany, GAPoint of Contact:

Nora S. Huete,Lieutenant Colonel, USMC,Commander

Phone Number:

(912) 439-5801

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

1,877,000 SQ. FT.

This DLA depot provides completewarehousing and distributionservices to the co-located MarineCorps Logistic Base, Albany, GA(MCLB) and other DOD customersworldwide. The depot has twostate-of-the-art storage facilities forMeals Ready to Eat (MREs) andhazardous materials storage. Otherinventory includes clothing, textiles,protective wear, combat andmilitary vehicle components,electronics, radiological equipment,and weapons components. Thecovered storage facilities include 12warehouses constructed entirely ofconcrete.

18.Marine Corps Logistics Base, FleetSupport Center (FSC),Albany, GAPoint of Contact:

Rodney J. Jarvis, Lt. Colonel, USMC, Director, Fleet Support Center

Phone Number:

(912) 439-5880

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

1,791,000 SQ. FT.

This operation is one of the largestsupply operations on the EastCoast. Some of the buildings thathouse the warehouse operation areconstructed of concrete. Thisfacility has a large amount of openland acreage used for long-termparking of tanks, jeeps, portablebridges, etc., that are maintainedand ready for deployment. Toextend the shelf life and perioduntil re-inspection of the storeditems, many of the buildings aredehumidified. Also, where feasible,the Marines are using shrink-wrapplastic to protect and extend theuseful life of vehicles and othermachinery stored in the openparking areas.

16.COE/USAF,204 East Front Street,Sylvester, GAPoint of Contact:

Gerald Mann, Corps of Engineers

Phone Number:

(912) 652-5032

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

42,000 SQ. FT.

This COE facility is leased for theAir Force and located near theAlbany, Georgia, Marine CorpsBase. This is a steel butler buildingthat is presently storing tent andrelated equipment for deploymentand field use. Upon issuance ofthese items, they will not berestocked. COE has indicated thatthis warehouse is currently under amonth-to-month lease agreementand that the Air Force plans toreuse the facility for a yet to bedetermined purpose.

Georgia

83

20.USDA, SE NutResearch Facility,Byron, GAPoint of Contact:

Jack Ellis

Phone Number:

(706) 546-3575

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

23,000 SQ. FT.

This research facility studies pecanand peach trees. Many of the itemsare stored under equipmentoverhangs and in a steel butlerbuilding. Items stored includepesticides, greenhouse supplies, andhazardous wastes.

21.Warner Robins AirForce Base, GAPoint of Contact:

Carlos Fagundo

Phone Number:

(912) 926-5820 ext.104

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

3,748,000 SQ. FT.

Warner Robins has a very largewarehouse facility. This Air ForceBase storage facility supplies andsupports the C-130, C-141, B-1, C-5,F-15 aircraft, and local base.However, because of issuesassociated with the A-76 study, DLAwould not permit the SWING teamto visit the majority of itswarehouse space. The CivilEngineering maintenancewarehouse that providesmaintenance support for the basewas visited. Building materialsmade up the biggest component ofstored materials in this warehouse.

19.U.S. Air ForceDistribution Depot,Albany, GAPoint of Contact:

Staff Sargent Callahan

Phone Number:

(912) 439-5957

E-mail:

Not Available

Square Footage:

80,000 SQ. FT.

This warehouse is on the U.S.Marine Corps military base atAlbany, Georgia. The warehouse isused to store aircraft revetments(steel protection and covering foraircraft). This warehouse andoutside storage area also functionsas a depot for large items thatrequire specialized repair ormaintenance.

High Density Storage Unit

NAS Atlanta, Marietta, GA

Georgia

84

23.PEP Boys RegionalDistributionWarehouse,McDonough, GAPoint of Contact:

John Monroe, Plant Manager

Phone Number:

(770) 957-7337

E-mail:

Not Available

Square Footage:

400,000 SQ. FT.

PEP BOYS is a 75-year-oldcompany that sells automobilerelated parts and supplies. Thiswarehouse was built in 1990 anduses its 35-foot high ceiling spaceeffectively. The warehouse operateson “just-in-time” and “real-time”computer information to ship to 60stores a day using 20-30 trucks.

22.Warner Robins DRMO,Warner Robins AirForce Base, GAPoint of Contact:

Ann Williams

Phone Number:

(912) 926-1110

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

38,000 SQ. FT.

This is a large DRMO operationthat is responsible for receiving anddisposing of government equipmentand supplies that are no longerneeded. Also, there is a scrap metaloperation on-site.

Tire Storage

Pep Boys Regional Distribution Warehouse,McDonough, GA

Georgia

24.FORD Atlanta PartsDistribution Center,McDonough, GAPoint of Contact:

Gary Rabourn

Phone Number:

(770) 914-3198

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

500,000 SQ. FT.

This warehouse operation ships allFord dealership parts to TN, KY,VA, NC, SC, AL, and MI. Fordleases the warehouse, but had thefacility built to its specifications,this includes a rail spur that leadsdirectly into the warehouse forbulky parts. This facility also has aconveyor and towveyor system inoperation. The warehouse stocksand ships 60,000 separate partsthat are worth over $570 million ayear.

25.U. S. Army Base,Fort Gillem, GAPoint of Contact:

Dao Huynh, Installation SpaceManager/Industrial Engineer

Phone Number:

(404) 464-2789

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

3,100,000 SQ. FT.

This warehouse is part of anAAFES facility. This is a new andvery large warehouse thatconsolidated its warehouses for thestorage and distribution of productsto AAFES stores in the northeast.This facility was built withconnecting entries into four (corner)adjoining warehouses.

Multi Level Racking

Fort Gillem, GA

85


86

Outside Equipment Storage

Tennessee Valley Authority(TVA), Norris Reservation,Norris, TN

10 TVA, CHATTANOOGA POWER SERVICECENTER, CHATTANOOGA

11 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS,MEMPHIS

12 NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY, MID-SOUTH,MILLINGTON

13 DOI/FWS HATCHIE WILDLIFE REFUGE,HATCHIE

1 DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS,JOHNSON CITY

2 HOLSTON AMMUNITION PLANT,KINGSPORT

3 TVA, SEVIER FOSSIL FUEL PLANT,ROGERSVILLE

4 DOI/NPS, SMOKY MOUNTAINS NP,GATLINBURG

5 TYSON AB, TN NATIONAL GUARD, MCGHEE

6 TVA, NORRIS RESERVATION, NORRIS

7 DOE, OAK RIDGE NATIONAL LAB, OAKRIDGE

8 TVA, HARTSVILLE INVESTMENT RECOVERYCENTER, HARTSVILLE

9 ARNOLD AIR FORCE BASE, TULLAHOMA

Tennessee

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2.Holston ArmyAmmunition Plant,Kingsport, TNPoint of Contact:

Paul Hively

Phone Number:

(423) 578-6295

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

256,000 SQ. FT.

The Holston Ammunition Plant isan Army facility that producesexplosives. The minerals andchemicals that are used to producethe explosives are brought to thesite by railroad. Coal, gravel, andpipes are stored on outside storagelots. The warehouse structures aretypical World War II woodconstruction with heavy floor loadcapacity. This operation and basemaintenance has been contractedout since 1942. There are plans fora major renovation to the plant inthe near future.

88

1.Department ofVeterans Affairs,East King Street,Johnson City, TNPoint of Contact:

Lee Roy Bennett

Phone Number:

(423) 926-1171 ext.7595

E-mail:

bennett.lee [email protected]

Square Footage:

19,000 SQ. FT.

This is a GSA leased facility. Thiswarehouse operation has nowmoved into a new facility adjoiningthe VA hospital in Johnson City.The location of the new warehouseeliminates the several mile traveldistance that was encounteredwhen transporting items from thewarehouse to the hospital.

Steel Frame “C” Racks

TVA, John Sevier Fossil FuelPlant, Rogersville, TN

(photo at right)Temporary Storage Sheds

Tennessee National Guard,Tyson Air Base, McGhee, TN

Tennessee

4.DOI/NPS, Great SmokyMountains NationalPark, Gatlinburg, TNPoint of Contact:

Wayne Newcomb

Phone Number:

(423) 436-1278

E-mail:

None Available

Square Footage:

44,000 SQ. FT.

The warehouse operations consist ofa warehouse, open storagestructures and storage yards forvehicles, boats, and supplies to runthe National Park. The storage isspread over several different areasacross the Park. This facility has asmall office that abuts a steel roofedwarehouse building addition.

89

3.TVA, John Sevier Fossil Fuel Plant,Rogersville, TNPoint of Contact:

James Lawhon

Phone Number:

(423) 717-2071

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

10,000 SQ. FT.

The John Sevier Fossil Fuel Plant is a TVA coal burning electricgeneration plant. The warehouse isconnected to the plant and consistsof an upper (street level) and lowerfloor with supplies for themaintenance shop located on theupper floor. The majority of thestorage is bulky and is located onthe lower floor. Movement of theseitems to and from storage is byelevator.

5.Tyson Air Base,Tennessee NationalGuard, McGhee, TNPoint of Contact:

Sargent Harris Huffstetler

Phone Number:

(423) 985-3340

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

53,000 SQ. FT.

The Tennessee National Guard’smission here is to support the 13thAir Refueling Wing. These aircraftrefuel other aircraft while in flight.The base supply, which wasestablished in 1957, warehouseseverything from “airplane parts topaper towels.” The warehousespace is very efficient and has ahigh degree of flexibility which isaccomplished by utilizing highdensity storage, special bins forbulk storage, automatic movingshelves, and accordion roller tables.

Tennessee

7.DOE, Oak RidgeNational Lab,Oak Ridge, TNPoint of Contact:

Katy Kates

Phone Number:

(423) 576-0977

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

13,132,000 SQ. FT.

The DOE facility consists of three“campuses” (Oak Ridge NationalLaboratory, Y-12 Plant, and EastTennessee Technology Park). Thefacilities store, protect, handle,recycle, and recover highly enricheduranium, heavy water, plutonium,lithium materials, etc. Themethods of storage andwarehousing at this location arematerial specific. Many of thecontainers were designed forradiation confinement. The originaldevelopment of this facility includedmany buildings that are notcurrently used due tocontamination, special useconstruction, or major renovationneeds.

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6.TVA, NorrisReservation, Norris, TNPoint of Contact:

Charles Overstreet

Phone Number:

(423) 632-3690

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

132,000 SQ. FT.

The Norris Reservation is the site ofa TVA hydroelectric plant. Thewarehouse and storage yardsupplies the hydroelectric plant andwater management research.

Floor Level And MezzanineStorage

Arnold Air Force Base,Tullahoma, TN

Tennessee

9.Arnold Air Force Base,Tullahoma, TNPoint of Contact:

Lt. Chris Boone

Phone Number:

(931) 454-7077

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

246,000 SQ. FT.

The mission of this base is aviationresearch and support, and storageof the associated research materials.Jet engines are studied as well asaerodynamics. Part of the researchfacility includes one of the world’slargest wind tunnels. Thewarehouse is constructed with anoverhead crane system to moveextremely heavy wind tunnel partsand a unique motorized rackingsystem.

8.TVA, HartsvilleInvestment RecoveryCenter, Hartsville, TNPoint of Contact:

Bill Weeks

Phone Number:

(256) 314-7452

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

1,200,000 SQ. FT.

This site is the location of thepartially complete HartsvilleNuclear Electric Plant. This plant’sconstruction began in 1979 andwhen the project was canceled inthe early 80’s, construction wasstopped. With this majorinvestment of infrastructure notbeing used for the purpose that itwas designed for, TVA turned thissite into a major distribution centerfor TVA supplies in 1985.

Bulk Storage

Tennessee Valley Authority(TVA), Hartsville InvestmentRecovery Center, Hartsville,TN

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12.Naval Support Activity, Mid-South,Millington, TNPoint of Contact:

Rodger Aitken

Phone Number:

(901) 874-5625

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

122,000 SQ. FT.

The storage function of this baseoperation is to provide support for29 tenant commands, including:Naval Personnel Command, NavyRecruiting Command, NavalPersonnel Research andDevelopmental Center, and theCorps of Engineers FinancialCenter

Tennessee

11.Department ofVeterans Affairs,2924/2926 DatsunDrive, Memphis, TNPoint of Contact:

Florence Winfield

Phone Number:

(901) 577-7227

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

34,000 SQ. FT.

This is a GSA leased facility. TheVA stores medical equipment andsupplies in this warehouse. The VAis currently building a new hospitalon Jefferson Street in Memphis,TN. The VA indicated that duringthe “move in period” additionalstorage space would be required andGSA has leased contiguouswarehouse space to facilitatestocking the new hospital.

10.TVA, ChattanoogaPower Service Center,Chattanooga, TNPoint of Contact:

Bill Weeks

Phone Number:

(256) 314-7452

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

145,000 SQ. FT.

The TVA has an electricallaboratory at this location. Theitems warehoused at this facilityconsist of two parts: researchlaboratory equipment and stockitems for the electrical contractors.The laboratory and contractorsupply operations are located inseparate buildings.

Tennessee

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13.DOI/FWS, HatchieWildlife Refuge,Hatchie, TNPoint of Contact:

Janice Hinsley

Phone Number:

(901) 772-0501

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

11,000 SQ. FT.

The mission of the Hatchie WildlifeRefuge is to support waterfowlwildlife and to increase its presence.The storage area in this nationalrefuge consists of several equipmentoverhang structures, an office andworkshop building, and a carpentrybuilding.

Veterans Affairs New WarehouseUnder Construction

Department Of Veterans Affairs,Johnson City, TN

(photo at left)

Typical Wooden WWII Storage Building

Naval Support Activity,Mid-South, Millington,TN


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Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,Dayton, OH

GSA/FSS, Southwest RegionalDistribution Center,Fort Worth, TX

Wright-Patterson Air Force Base,Dayton, OHPoint of Contact:

Marty Greer, Chief Engineer

Phone Number:

(937) 257-3078

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

Not Applicable

The mission at Wright-Patterson isto provide engineering and designservices for the Air Force’s materialhandling/warehousing functionworldwide. These IndustrialEngineers provide design servicesthat include warehousereconfiguration, automation, andconstruction.

GSA/FSS,Southwest RegionalDistribution Center,Fort Worth, TXPoint of Contact:

Bob Hominick

Phone Number:

(817) 885-6901

E-mail:

[email protected]

Square Footage:

1,400,000 SQ. FT.

This distribution center is housed ina multi-building configuration.Currently, FSS is consolidating fourwarehouse buildings in an effort tostreamline and improve theefficiency of its warehouse anddistribution operations.

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Other Locations Visited


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Nuclear Rated Cable Storage

Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA),Hartsville Investment Recovery Center, Hartsville, TN

V. Questionnaire Survey and Synopsis

Questionnaire for Personal Property of SWING

1. How many people are employed at the facility?

2. What is the size of the facility?

Open Storage _______

Covered Storage _______

3. How many total pieces and tonnage are received during the day/month?

4. How many total line items and tonnage are shipped during theday/month?

5. What are the total dollars sales shipped during day/month?

6. What was your total operating cost for FY 96 and 97?

7. What is your projected operating cost for FY 98 and 99?

8. Are items received checked for descriptions, quantity, and condition atthe time of arrival?

9. Is your stock record system automated?

10. Do you perform periodic inventories?

11. Are periodic spot checks conducted to reasonably verify the quantity andcondition of the material?

12. How is obsolete inventory handled?

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13. Do you perform reutilization, transfer, donation and sales functions(RTD&S) at this facility? If no, skip Question 14.

14. How much of your operating cost is attributed to RTD&S programs?

15. Given the list below, please estimate the percentage of personal propertydisposal outcomes for FY 1997.

Disposal Outcomes Approx. Percentage

Withdrawn for retention, after initial reporting as excess . . . . . . . _______

Reused within agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _______

Reused within department . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _______

Reused within Federal Government . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _______

Reused/donated through Special Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _______

Donated through State Agencies for Surplus Property . . . . . . . . . _______

Sold . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _______

Abandoned/Destroyed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . _______

Total . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100%

16. Is your RTD&S program conducted using an automated or manualsystem?

17. How is your RTD&S program linked to the acquisition programs in yourdepartments and agencies?

18. How do your acquisition systems check for available excess materialbefore proceeding with new acquisitions?

19. What RTD&S policy changes would you recommend to GSA?

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Strategic Warehousing Inventory Needs GroupReal Property Related Questions

1. Facility name and address (including city and county)

2. Facility size:

3. Utilization percentage of the facility being used for storage:

3a. Is this storage need projected to continue over the next 5 years?

3b. Is this active or long-term storage?

3c. Is the inventory storage consistent or fluctuating?

3d. What material is being stored?

4. What material was used in the construction of the facility?

5. Year of construction:

6. Floor load capability:

7. Ceiling height:

7a. Clear ceiling height (stacking height):

8. Technology/automation available within facility:

Conveyor

Rail system

Temperature/humidity control

Fire suppression/sprinkler system

Security system

Loading dock facilities (leveling system)

Truck drive in rail line running through facility

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9. Method of storage used:

Racks

Pallet stacking

Bulk

Other

10. Could this facility be used/shared with other users:

Federal agencies

Local government

Private sector

As the purpose of this project is to gather information regarding the bestpractices and lessons learned of warehousing functions, please give a littlethought to the following questions and provide as much detail and insight asyou can in your responses.

11. What have you observed as the best practices used in warehouse/storagefunctions at this facility?

12. What are the lessons you have learned during the operations of thewarehouse/storage function of this facility?

13. What changes would you suggest in the maintenance, operations, orphysical layout of this facility that could improve or enhance itsefficiency and effectiveness?

14. Would this facility be more functional if it was located elsewhere on theproperty?

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QuestionnaireSynopsisAt each site visit a survey packagewas given to our local point ofcontact. In total, 56 site visits weremade, 54 survey packages givenout, and 19 surveys were returned.The SWING team did not providesurveys during the site visits atWright-Patterson Air Force Base inDayton, Ohio, or GSA/FSS,Southwest Regional DistributionCenter in Fort Worth, Texas. Thesetwo site visits were forinformational purposes only.

This study encompassed atremendous diversity inwarehousing with various sizes ofwarehouse operations, locations,and missions to support. Many ofthe questions on the survey weregeneric to warehousing. Some ofthe questions were not pertinent toevery warehousing operation, andnot every agency answered everyquestion. The returned surveysprovided specific information on thewarehouse structures, number ofitems handled, type of storageperformed, and candid insights ofcurrent warehousing issues andpractices. Many of these insightswere used to compose therecommendations and were animportant component of this report.

Some of the main issues that werepresented in the returned surveysare:

The Disposal of PersonalProperty - Almost all of the surveysaddressed the issue of personalproperty disposal. Many agencyrepresentatives are unaware of anestablished mechanism for thedisposal of excess property. Many of

the warehouses hold the excessproperty until another organizationwithin the agency takes thenecessary action to dispose of theproperty. The surveys reflected thatexcess property is often perceived tobe difficult to dispose of, and it iseasier to store the excess items thandispose of them. From the surveysand conversations with the agencyrepresentatives it appears that mostof the agencies need an easier wayto dispose of property as well asadditional information on theproperty disposal process.

Computer Controlled SupplySystems - A majority of surveyrespondents expressed thatcomputer-controlled supply systemsprovided better inventory controlthan methods used in the past. Barcoding and computer technology ismore accurate than “keeping thebooks by hand.” Computerizedsupply systems save time, money,and FTE.

Radio Frequency (RF)Technology - The private sectorcompanies, and some Federalagencies, noted how important RFtechnology is during our discussionsand on their surveys. RFtechnology facilitates real timeconnectivity that is essential for thespeed needed in warehousing today.When an item is bar coded in thewarehouse, the RF technologytransmits the bar code informationto a main computer which updatesthe inventory and makes theinformation available to the entirewarehouse organization.

Configuration for EfficientWarehousing - Some of thesurveys stressed the importance ofproper configuration in which high

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reaching pallet storage racks andnarrow aisle configurations makethe most efficient storage operation.This is best accomplished with anautomated storage system. Some ofthe respondents commented that bygrouping similar items together, theentire warehousing operationbecomes more efficient. Also,storing active materials nearest tothe receiving area and the deliveryfunction expedites warehouseprocesses.

Equipment Maintenance - Manyagencies noted problems withproper maintenance on thewarehouse equipment and facility.Time is money. Having in-housepersonnel (FTE or contract support)is a must to ensure an efficientwarehouse operation.

Just-In-Time System - The mostprogressive survey answer wasregarding the concept of “just-in-time” warehousing.

The concept associated withyesterday’s warehousing was to buya large amount of an item, andstore it until the inventory wasused. The money saved by a lowerprice was so great that itoutweighed the cost of storing theitem.

The concept of today’s warehousingis “just-in-time” warehousing inwhich items are ordered just beforethey are needed. Instead ofcarrying 1,000 items of which threeitems are used in a year, only threeitems would be ordered, just beforethe customer needs them. Use ofthe “just-in-time” system reduceslabor costs, inventory in thewarehouse by millions of dollars,and amount of space needed tofulfill warehouse obligations. The

provider then maintains the largerinventory rather than the Federalagency. The money saved by notcarrying extra inventory is verysubstantial and justifies using thesystem.

Consolidate/Get Rid of Zero orLow Demand Items - Severalagencies stated that one of theirbest practices has been toconsolidate personal property andget rid of zero demand items. Byreviewing the demand criterionquarterly or biannually, warehousecubic space can be optimized. Theuse of computers and associatedtracking systems enables anorganization to track hits on storeditems to determine need andnecessity to hold in storage.

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Many organizations areavailable to provideinformation on

warehousing, material handlingequipment, and informationsystems. Information is providedthrough industry shows, magazines,professional societies, and classroominstruction. Following are some ofthe organizations that provideinformation related to thewarehousing field:

National Supply Chain ExpositionConference (industry shows):www.nawdec.com

ProMat (industry shows):www.mhia.org

Modern Material Handling(magazine): www.mmh.com

Warehousing Management(magazine):www.warehousemag.com

Material Handling Engineering(magazine): www.mhesource.com

Council of Logistics Management(professional society & seminars):www.clm1.org

Warehousing Education & ResearchCouncil (professional society &seminars): www.werc.org

Georgia Tech Logistics Institute(professional education courses):tli.isye.gatech.edu

Tompkins Associates (seminars):www.tompkinsinc.com/events

Contacting private sector firms thatwarehouse and/or distribute similarinventory can provide additionalinformation. Ideas for organizingwarehouses, space requirements,material handling equipment, andstorage techniques can be gained

from the study of comparableprivate sector businesses.

In addition to the above contactpoints, the following information isprovided to assist in obtainingGSA/FSS material for the purchaseof office and office related supplies:

GSA Advantage - electronicshopping method for Governmentsupplies provided by FSS. GSAAdvantage can be accessed throughthe Internet at http://www.gsa.gov,accepts IMPAC Card payment, andoffers direct shipment of largeorders directly from the vendor.

GSA - Customer Supply Centersoffer mail order service, acceptGovernment Purchase Cardpayment, and offer direct shipmentof large orders directly from thevendor. Catalogs can be obtainedby contacting the CentralizedMailing List Service (CMLS) at(817) 334-5215 and using code 5-7-00010. A Customer Supply Centercatalog (a smaller version of thesupply catalog) can also be obtainedusing the same phone number andcode 5-9-00005. Additionally,requests for catalogs can be faxedusing (817) 334-5227. The Internetaddress for the CMLS, throughwhich catalogs can be ordered, [email protected].

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VI. Additional Sources of Information


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Overhead Crane

Arnold Air Force Base,Tullahoma, TN

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Publication Survey

General Services Administration

Office of Real Property (MPE)

Office of Governmentwide Policy

1800 F Street, NW

Washington, DC 20405

First Class Mail

Postage & Fees Paid

GSA Permit No. G-30

(top to bottom)

Typical WWII Storage Facility,GSA/FEMA Thomasville, GA

Moving Shelf Storage System,Dobbins Air Force Base,Marietta, GA

Gravity Flow Pallet Lanes,GSA/FSS Distribution Facility,Palmetto, GA

Strategic Storage Needs of the Federal Government - GSA · Storage Needs of the Federal Government...

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Transcript of Strategic Storage Needs of the Federal Government - GSA · Storage Needs of the Federal Government...