Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army on DDDC Visit: ‘Awesome’
John Stoneburg, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Military Personnel & Quality of Life), visited the Dan Daniel Distribution Center on Sept. 4 and had a succinct summation of the experience.
“When it came to DC operations and Exchange support,” said DC Manager David Hill, “he had a one-word answer: ‘Awesome.’”
Philanda Morgan, the Exchange’s Department of Defense liaison officer, accompanied Stoneburg on a tour of the DC. Executive Vice President/Chief Logistics Officer Alan French and Assistant DC Manager Ronald Willis were also part of the tour.
“Mr. Stoneburg was personable and engaging, and seemed highly interested in our use of technology,” French said.
Dan Daniel Distribution Center Fashion Managers Nona Capel and Zachary Cox, right, talk with John Stoneburg (in tie), John Stoneburg, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Military Personnel & Quality of Life) during Stoneburg’s tour of the DC. Also pictured, from left, are DC Manager David Hill; Philanda Morgan, the Exchange’s Department of Defense liaison officer; and Executive Vice President/Chief Logistics Officer Alan French.
Among the technology Stoneburg witnessed during the tour was the DC’s use of robotics and drones. He was impressed with the center’s receiving area and the amount of product —30,000 to 35,000 cases—the receiving team brings in each day.
He also expressed amazement at the productivity increases since the Logistics Autonomous Robotic Initiative (LARI) launched in late 2021. Dan Daniel uses robots to assist in picking, packing and shipping items. These processes have significantly reduced training time for new associates (from two weeks to one day) while increasing productivity, reducing labor and saving on transportation costs.
Storage associates demonstrated the DC’s use of drones, providing Stoneburg with another example of how logistics associates use technology to streamline operations and lower costs. “What used to take a team hours to complete by counting hundreds of locations now takes minutes to complete with a drone,” Hill said.
Stoneburg also rode in a turret truck and climbed into the cab of one the DC’s tractors. He also learned about how the DC uses technology to assist drivers. And he shopped in the DC’s Express, where he said that Tornados are one of his favorite snacks.
John Stoneburg, Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (Military Personnel & Quality of Life), in the cab of one of the Dan Daniel Distribution Center’s tractor-trailers during his tour of the DC.
Stoneburg, who enlisted in the Army in 1991 and retired in 2012, had assignments that took him all over the world, including Alaska, Iraq and South Korea. He shared stories of how the Exchange supported him.
“He’s a former Soldier, so he knows the benefit the Exchange provides,” Hill said.
He entered the civil service immediately following his military retirement. For the past 15 years, Stoneburg managed resources and force structure as a senior force manager on the Army staff. In his current role, one of his responsibilities is Army Quality of Life, which fueled his curiosity about the distribution center and the Exchange in general.
“He was very inquisitive about Exchange operations,” French said. “David Hill and the DDDC Team shined bright, hosting a first-class tour, leaving John with a look behind the supply-chain curtain supporting our service members globally.”
