Kandahar Airmen use AFSO 21 at war

by Lt. Col. David Glass
451st Expeditionary Aircraft Maintenance Squadron

9/21/2009 - KANDAHAR AIRFIELD, Afghanistan (AFNS) -- Members of the 451st Expeditionary Maintenance Group here took the first steps on its continuous process improvement journey by initiating a rapid improvement event in the A-10 Thunderbolt II phase inspection shelter.

Using Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century principles, the Airmen took procedures for improving processes and eliminating waste.

The purpose of the rapid improvement event was to apply an organization method called "6S," which refers to the using sort, straighten, sweep, standardize, sustain and safety in their work processes. Using 6S ensures everything has a place and that everything is in its place.

During the three-day event, a five-man team was led by Master Sgt. Emery Makany and consisted of Senior Airman John Grady, Staff Sgt. Chad Brewer, Tech. Sgt. Charles Anderson and Capt. Tony Vieira.

After a brief Lean training session, the team proceeded to inventory all of the items in the shelter essential to the A-10 phase inspection operation and segregate the things they did not need or use. Once finished, the team straightened the area and gave it a good cleaning by sweeping the floors and turning in unneeded items to supply.

The last part of the process involved identifying where the best places were to store required tools, equipment and supplies and standardize the shelter by clearly marking where the items should be placed.

The team was able to identify more than 270 items that were nonvalue added to their aircraft inspection effort. By turning them in to supply, the Air Force was able to recoup more than $1.08 million. Additionally, the team freed up more than 125 square feet of the shelter providing more space and a provide a safer working environment.



The inside of an A-10 Thunderbolt II phase inspection shelter before Airmen applied Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century September 19, 2009, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. David Glass) Hi-res



The inside of an A-10 Thunderbolt II phase inspection shelter before Airmen applied Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st century September 19, 2009, at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan. (U.S. Air Force photo by Lt. Col. David Glass) Hi-res

Source