Robins gains new unit as 638th SCMG stands up Published May 2, 2008 By Holly Birchfield 78th ABW/PA Robins Air Force Base, Ga. -- A group under the Air Force Global Logistics Support Center recently became an official fixture at Robins Air Force Base. A ceremony marking the inactivation of the 752nd Combat Sustainment Group and AFGLSC's official standup of the 638th Supply Chain Management Group took place April 29 in the Museum of Aviation's Vistascope Theater. Subsequently, six other squadrons also stood up under the group: the 406th Supply Chain Management Squadron (materiel), the 407th SCMS (common avionics), the 408th SCMS (electronic warfare), the 409th SCMS (aircraft), the 410th SCMS (support equipment), and the 411th SCMS (special operations forces). Bob Zwitch became the director of engineering in the group, and Carla Holt became chief of the management operations office. Employees in the former 752nd CBSG will move into the AFGLSC's 407th SCMS under the leadership of Karen Brigance. Former 752nd CBSG director Bonnie Jones, the deputy director of the 642nd CBSG, said the organizations will report to 448th Supply Chain Management Wing at Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City, Okla. - a move that has been in the works for quite some time. "We've been doing immersion training for a long time and that is where we're starting to see the organizational structure get into place for purchasing and supply chain management," she said. Scott Reynolds, 448th SCMW director under the AFGLSC, said the organizational standup at Robins affords the opportunity for positive change in the Air Force's supply chain management. "The stand up of this last group gives us tremendous opportunities to look at how we can become more effective and efficient for the war fighter," he said. Mr. Reynolds said the move allows leaders to look at how the Air Force can deliver more supplies at a lower cost, determine what processes to standardize and which ones to centralize, and determine how to operate in a more streamlined fashion for the warfighter. The AFGLSC will be the hub for supply chain management, networking logistics experts Air Force wide to link wholesale and retail logistics, as well as integrating and overseeing all logistic processes, technology, and resources to deliver end-to-end war fighter support with increased velocity and reduced cost. Patty Martin, SCMG director under the AFGLSC Robins, who formerly served as the director of the 762nd CBSG (materiel), said her group was the last to stand up under the AFGLSC. "The center, the two wings, and all of the other groups under those wings already stood up at their various locations," she said. "This culminates the initial operating capability of the new AFGLSC." Robins AFB is one of six operating locations for the AFGLSC. Others include Hill AFB, Utah; Langley AFB, Va.; Tinker AFB in Oklahoma City, Okla.; Scott AFB, Ill.; and Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton, Ohio. The AFGLSC headquarters are located at Scott AFB, Ill. Mr. Reynolds said the 448th CBSW will have 3,500 people spread across five groups that are scattered across four states. The AFGLSC functions as an enterprise-wide planning of Air Force supply chain management including planning for materiel, maintenance, and distribution; command and control as a single point of contact for customers to resolve logistics issues at the point of execution; and authority for supply chain strategy and integration. "The whole purpose of the AFGLSC being set up is so that we have a single supply chain manager across the entire Air Force," Ms. Martin said. "This center will represent the capability in that authority. That's going to allow us to focus on supply chain management issues and it's going to allow us to make decisions that are best for the entire Air Force enterprise versus each base or each major command making decisions based on what may be best for them but not necessarily best for the Air Force as a whole." The center's function includes management of business rules and procedures, providing functional requirements for supply chain systems, financial management, and measuring, assessing, and taking action to improve supply chain performance. Ms. Martin said the AFGLSC has about 50 initiatives already identified on its plate that it thinks will streamline operations, allow them to support its customers more efficiently which means saving money while at the same time maintaining and improving its level of support. The group will manage inventory, both wholesale and retail, from an enterprise perspective so that when a part is needed, it can ensure it gets there much quicker since it's issued from the retail stock, which is much closer to the area of need than the wholesale stock may be today, Ms. Martin said. Ms. Martin said the Robins component of the AFGLSC will provide further support of the Air Force's future in supply chain management. "I think that it's important for people to know that it's a new opportunity that's going to allow us to take advantage of the expeditionary logistics in the 21st Century, or what some call E-Log21, transformation initiatives that are coming online that will further transform the way we do supply chain management," she said. Mr. Reynolds said E-Log's goal is to increase aircraft availability by 20 percent by 2011 and decrease operations and support costs by 10 percent. "I'm really excited about working a little more closely with the great people at the WR-ALC," he said. "They have a great reputation. The Robins area has historically had tremendous leadership and they have outstanding community support. Those are two valuable pieces I look forward to working with."