TEAM KCS Cold storage, warm hearts 24 25 decavision 2009!Vol. 18, No. 4 ! Proud professionals continue tradition of quality support Austin Romesburg III Chief, Kaiserslautern Central Distribution Center Over the past half century, the proud professionals of Kaiserslautern Cold Storage, Germany, continuously put forth their effort and talents to ensure the military and their families were provided with first-class perishable
subsistence. The supply chain was never broken; the doors were never closed – they served their customers with fine style. These people of KCS have always given their best and adjusted as necessary to get the job done right. Since DeCA took over in 1997, the range of items stocked soared from 1,200 lines to more than Austin Romesburg III 1,900 lines. Commitment and teamwork brought the activity to its present level of operations at the tip of the sword through a state-ofthe-art warehousing management system, ongoing facility improvements, office upgrades and increased automation capabilities. Partnership with DeCA’s nearby Consolidated Meat Processing Plant resulted in an efficient and economical distribution system for providing fresh beef to customers. The transformation of military operations in Europe continues to evolve, so we can only pause a moment to reflect upon yesterday’s ac<strong>com</strong>plishments. We have not reached the end of our journey. Today, tomorrow and beyond will bring new demands and challenges to be met, and the workforce ! of KCS will translate the concept of “can do” into “will do” actions. We will capitalize on automation capabilities to increase our value to our customers and the agency. As we grow, we’ll continue to liaison with our business partners to achieve best business practices and serve as a benchmark in attracting additional business. Innovation, creativity and boldness must be our guidelines in conquering future challenges. Using our successes of yesterday as a springboard, I’m confident the professionals of KCS will make it happen into the future. As we celebrated our 50 th anniversary, we realized our mission and ac<strong>com</strong>plishments rely heavily upon our successful bonds with many other activities. Buyers, stock controllers, vendors, store directors, transportation carriers, vehicle operators, mechanics, veterinarians, guards, engineers and construction personnel, <strong>com</strong>puter operators, clerks, technicians, specialists, and managers of numerous disciplines constitute the many participants in the logistics of providing subsistence to the ultimate customers – the American forces and their families. The workforce of KCS is proud of its ac<strong>com</strong>plishments and stands ready to continue the spirit of quality support to American forces through the <strong>com</strong>ing years. ‘American cold storage’ Huge facility buzzes with activity Gerri Young DeCA Europe public affairs officer M ost people drive down the road to the east gate of Ramstein Air Base, Germany, without giving the large, low building behind the trees a second thought. Observant among them might wonder what the brown sign on the road means by “Amerikanische Kuehlhaus,” German for “American Cold Storage.” They’ve <strong>com</strong>e to know the turn brings them to the ELVS gate, as in Elvis Presley, followed by a quick right turn to encounter a security gate not considered part of the military security force network on the base. The differences are easy to see. A team of KCS-contracted guards perform around-the-clock security for the installation. There is no other gate quite like it. To the right is a picnic table sitting next to a small fish pond built by the head guard, Horst Lieb, who has worked at KCS for nine years. On the left is a mannequin dressed as a gate guard and “on duty” 24 hours a day. All visitors to the installation are provided with a visitors badge at the gate and given instructions where to park for the type business they are conducting. A warm and friendly reception is the norm. Directly in front of the gate, a huge spread of asphalt for the 780 trucks a month awaits for loading or unloading. To the right is a picnic pavilion for fair weather lunches or team-building parties. The enormously long and low building, containing offices, docks and giant freeze and chill rooms, sits between the container staging area and the picnic ground. The constant movement of frozen and chilled merchandise is the lifeblood of the place as arctic-parka-clad employees in high-tech headgear buzz expertly back and forth between subzero temperatures in the freeze rooms to the 806-foot shipping and receiving dock. Myriad trucks line up at the doors, consuming or disgorging hundreds of pallets of freight each day. Only a few years ago did this decidedly male atmosphere start to include female forklift drivers. Visitors to the cold rooms sometimes wear arctic parkas w 25
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