• NORFOLK, Va
Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Fleet Logistics Center (FLC) Norfolk recently updated supply ordering procedures for its Navy Food Management Team (NFMT) — including the adoption of Defense Commissary Agency (DeCA) online ordering — marking the first success of “The Forge,” a new initiative designed to solicit and implement employee ideas.
Capt. Kelly House, FLC Norfolk commanding officer, described The Forge as an external “Shark Tank.”
“It’s a platform that gives our people — the ones doing the work every day — a direct line to leadership to pitch and execute ideas that make us faster, smarter and more efficient,” House said.
FIRST PROJECT
The first Forge project implemented came from Dyamante Williams, a purchase card holder in the Business Support Department.
Williams is responsible for purchasing the food used by the NFMT to provide hands-on training for fleet culinary specialists throughout the year. She explained that the process was manual and time-consuming, with card holders required to go to the commissary in person and do the shopping for each order, a process that could take hours. Her idea was simple: replace the in-person shopping by using DeCA’s digital platform. “I got the idea during a commissary run,” Williams recalled. “Whilechecking out, the cashier handed me a small flyer that mentioned online ordering was now available.
“It led me to consider how we could leverage that existing option to streamline the purchasing process and reduce the need for time-consuming, in-person trips.” Williams said the new method has been a success since its inception in March. “It reduces time away from primary duties, improves efficiency and increases capacity — all without requiring additional resources or policy changes,” she said.
“The shift to an online commissary ordering process has significantly improved efficiency, saving approximately one to two hours per shopping trip for NFMT seminars,” said Chief Warrant Officer Aleithia Castro, NFMT director.
“By eliminating the need for in-store selection and reducing coordination with the credit card holder for a shopping trip, the team now only needs to pick up pre-filled orders, streamlining operations and freeing up time for other mission priorities,” Castro noted.
FUTURE INNOVATIONS
House says he looks forward to future innovative ideas from the workforce. The goal is to implement commercial efficiencies and processes into the command’s operations supporting the fleet. “’The Forge’ isn’t a ‘feel-good’ initiative; it drives hard metrics that deliver tangible results across the command,” he added. “These are employee-generated wins that are direct investments to improve operations for the workforce.”
Source: NAVSUP FLC Norfolk, Va., via DVIDS
Edited by Larry Lapka
