SOLE The International Society of Logistics Tennessee Valley Chapter

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Upcoming Chapter News and Events.

>> Read about Past Luncheon Speakers.  <<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Mr. Ronald Lewis, Deputy G-3/5 for Enterprise Integration, AMC, is thanked by our Chapter President, Kurt Weidenthal, for speaking at our April 2008 Luncheon.

Certified Professional Logistician (CPL) Local Training and Exam Administration

The chapter administers a CPL exam twice each year, in May and November, in concert with the international test schedule. Twice a year we offer a 50 hour Logistics Management/Certified Professional Logistician (CPL) preparation course. The course is a comprehensive review of the Logistics disciplines ranging from program concept, design, fabrication, production, distribution and sustainment, through product retirement, as well as preparing students for the next CPL exam. The course will also welcome logisticians/engineers who do not wish to sit for the CPL exam, but simply wish to broaden their logistics knowledge.

The Logistics Management/CPL preparation course meets weekly, on Monday nights at 5 PM. Our next course (click for syllabus & details) begins in January and runs through April in preparation for CPL Exam administration on the first Saturday of May. The Course Fee is $100/person which includes a CD with course materials. Classes will meet at Yulista Management Services building in the Chase Industrial Park, 1236 Jordan Rd. There are also 5 required texts. For those choosing to sit for the CPL exam on November 1st, the CPL exam fee is $225 for SOLE members and $375 for non-members. For more information or to sign up please contact Timothy Dix, CPL, at (256) 461-5428 (W) or (256) 885-1685 (H), or email timothy.o.dix@boeing.com.

Logistics Scholarship, International Society of Logistics Tennessee Valley Chapter

Jaimie Kell was awarded our chapter's 2006 Logistics Scholarship! Jaimie is the daughter of James and Elaine Kell. She graduated from Buckhorn High School (in Madison County, Alabama) Class of 2006 with a 4.0 grade point average. She is attending Tennessee Tech University, College of Engineering. She intends to pursue a major in Mechanical Engineering with a Minor in Business, and finish off with a Master’s of Business Administration. A check for $1000 is being sent to the awardee’s college or university in recognition of this award and scholarship.

The Tennessee Valley Chapter offers an annual $1.000 scholarship. This scholarship program is targeted at graduating high school seniors who are planning to enter an accredited university in pursuit of a technical degree that could reasonably lead to a career in logistics. A logistics program of study, however, is not required. Eligible seniors should apply to the Tennessee Valley Chapter Scholarship Committee using the attached application form.

Past News and Events.

Read about our Past Luncheon Speakers and in some cases download their presentations.

Upcoming/Recent Field Trips

26 Jul 05. A tour of the International Diesel Plant is planned immediately following the luncheon program.

25 Jan 05.  A field trip to the Prototype Integration Facility (PIF) at the Redstone Research Development and Engineering Center followed the January luncheon.

Huntsville Hosts the 2003 SOLE International Symposium !!!

Huntsville was the host site for the 2003 International Symposium on 10-14 August 2003 at the Hilton Huntsville and Von Braun Center.  The theme was 'Melding Defense and Commercial Logistics."  The symposium was a great success in all aspects, due in large measure to the contributions of local members working with SOLE National Headquarters members. Mr. Anthony Trovato, national president, gave recognition to chapter president Doug Baker and MG(Ret) Jim Link as co-chairmen of the event, and to Jim Wasson, Doug Barclay, and Jim Sharp for leading the local organization in planning.

The conference’s three main days started with a video of the first SOLE Symposium’s keynote speaker, Mr. Wehner   Von Braun. This was recorded during that symposium held in September of 1966, but much of it was very applicable to the logistics discipline as it stands today.  Local member, Mike Osborne, led a workshop on Performance Based Logistics. Local presenters of papers included Joe Vins and Mike Davis. Local panel leads included Marty Martyn and Artro Whitman. Panel participants included Mr. Paul Bogosian. Other activities included a Tuesday night reception at the Space and Rocket Center hosted by local companies and tours on Wednesday of local facilities including: the Marshall Space Center Payload Operations Center, the Intermodal Center for the Port of Huntsville, the Target Distribution Center (Limestone County), and the Nektar Therapeutics center in Huntsville.

Two awards were presented to the Tennessee Valley Chapter as a Medium Size chapter.

- Platinum Award for the overall Chapter achievement
- Silver Award for our Challenger newsletter.

Delta IV Launch Vehicle Factory, 6 November 2002

On the 6th of November, SOLE sponsored a tour of the 1.5 million square foot Delta IV Launch Vehicle manufacturing facility in Decatur. Last year's tours were focused on transportation (Huntsville Intermodal facility) and warehousing (Target Distribution Center). This fall we looked at manufacturing touring the factory where Boeing builds five basic space launch vehicles, with variants that are offered to both the government and commercial launch sectors. The factory is designed to manufacture the major elements of the Boeing Delta IV family of rockets, including the common booster core (CBC), the heavy upper stage, payload fairings and adapters. The largest element, the common booster core, is 150 feet in length and 16 feet in diameter - roughly the size of a Boeing wide-body airplane fuselage.

The completed assemblies are moved to docks on the nearby Tennessee River via a specially de-signed transporter. Next, they are loaded onto the Delta Mariner, a 312-foot vessel, built specifically for shipping the assemblies to Boeing launch sites at Cape Canaveral Air Station, Fla., and Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif. The next launch of the Delta IV is scheduled for October 9 th .

Among the stringent requirements Boeing had for visitors was 'no cameras' so sorry, we have no pictures.

Tour of Target Distribution Center, Feb 2002

SOLE hosted a special monthly luncheon at the 'New' Greenbrier Restaurant on Tuesday, 19 February 2002.  Lunch was followed by a tour of the nearby Target Distribution Center (TDC).

The Target Distribution Center services 67 Target Stores in the Southeastern United States. With 750 employees (approximately 200 per shift), the center operates nearly 24/7 (four hours of downtime during four mid-week mornings). The tour group was briefed on these topics:

– Inbound Processing
– Warehousing
– Packing
– Outbound
– Automation

Thanks to the Target Distribution Center, including Mark Jensen, Transportation Manager, for providing the tour. Also appreciation goes to Mr. Tom Billings, Vice Chair for Special Events, for arranging the tour.

Tour of Huntsville Airport Inter-modal Transportation Facility, October 2001

On October 24, 2001, SOLE sponsored a tour of the Inter-modal Transportation Facility near the Huntsville airport at 2852 Wall Trinana and Electronic Boulevard. In case you've not been in the area, a key landmark is a very large yellow crane (the only one of it's kind). Attendees learned answers to:

* * How does this operation move 1,000's of short tons an hour?
* * What role does Logistics actually play in its day-to-day operations?
* * What is the impact to Tennessee Valley area businesses?
* * How does technology support both physical logistics and logistics information?

Marshall Space Flight Center Tour, 21 March 2001

The TVA Chapter of SOLE toured the National Aeronautics Space Administration's Marshal Space Flight Center on the 21st of March.  The tour consisted of a Center overview which was presented by the MSFC Associate Director, Mr. Axel Roth. He provided the group background history of NASA and presented the core mission and functions of MSFC, which included Micro Gravity, Payload Operations and the National Center for Advanced Manufacturing.

The Labs were equally interesting. The NACAM, had the tools and techniques to streamline the development of prototypes, and production components. These ranged from 3D computer simulation of the manufacturing process, to LASAR lithography used in the production of prototypes from Computer Aided Design files, and cutting edge technology using fiber (Kevlar/Carbon) to manufacture nozzles, tanks, containers and other rocket components. The Microgravity Development Lab presented the group with the techniques used to house, manage, and conduct microgravity experiments in space.  At the Payload Operations Integration Center we were able to observe the controllers as they managed various aspects of the International Space Lab. This was particularly interesting because of the transition of control from the Russian crew to the Americans as a result of the recent crew replacement.

An after action survey was provided to all attendees, and the overwhelming consensus was that the tour was a great success. Ms. Ola Metcalf from the NASA PAO, was instrumental in packaging the tour for us and we are grateful for her efforts.

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SOLE, Tennessee Valley Chapter
P.O. Box 1104, Huntsville, AL 35807
CHAIRMAN: Robert S. Hardison, Jr, LTC(R), 256-799-1022  robert.hardison@yms-hsv.com
MEMBERSHIP: Serge Corvington, Jr, 256-461-3950, serge.corvington@tbe.com
WEBMASTER:  Blake Copple  bcopple@excite.com