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Original Date: 02/28/2000
Revision Date: 01/18/2007
Information : Serialized Security Items
Crane Army Ammunition Activity has responded to the new requirement of inventorying and recording the Standard Depot System Category I weapon systems by serial number. The use of bar codes/scanners and personal computers has improved the inventory process and reduced overall man-hours.
Crane Army Ammunition Activity (CAAA) has responded to the new requirement of inventorying and recording the Standard Depot System (SDS) Category I weapon systems by serial number. Before this requirement, the Activity housed Category I items, such as launchers and cartridges, by lot number. As a result, the facility and associated process were designed for lot-type inventory, storage, and record keeping.
With the serialization requirement, buildings and inventory processes were redesigned. Aisles were adjusted for better accessibility, and bar code scanners and roller ladders were purchased to improve all inventory-related procedures. To better manage this change, the Inventory Management Division developed an Excel database so that data could be pulled from the SDS listing and formatted into grids corresponding to locations within a facility. The SDS listing is sorted by condition, owner, lot number, and serial number. The grid is sorted by lot and further by serial number.
With serial numbers scanned by bar code scanners, data is collected and stored in a personal computer. As a result, records are more accurate, easily read, and readily moved by e-mail. This proactive approach also means that more than one crew can work in a site because they have access to a specific grid rather than the whole SDS listing. Instead of spending an entire month performing inventory, 12 people can now perform the semi-annual inventory in two days. The benefits to shipping and receiving include the elimination of potential errors, the ability to maintain a more accurate database of current assets, and fewer man-hours expended in trips back and forth to verify numbers. The process has resulted in more organization and less opportunity for error. The use of bar codes scanners, combined with the improved inventory process, have reduced overall man-hours by 25% compared to the previous manual process.
For more information see the
Point of Contact for this survey.
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