By Gary Rice
Public Affairs Specialist

Effective Oct. 1, 135 employees of the Naval Air Depot’s Industrial Material Management Division transitioned to the Fleet Industrial Supply Command (FISC), Jacksonville, and became employees of the FISC Jacksonville Cherry Point Annex.

In a ceremony here Sept. 30, Commanding Officer Col. John Gumbel and Navy Capt. Ed Naranjo, FISC commanding officer, signed a Memorandum of Agreement implementing the transition. The MOA establishes support levels, process changes, organizational alignments, and the resources to be provided (i.e. personnel, funds, equipment, and facilities).

“This transition will allow for the cost of managing material to be shifted from indirect overhead to direct charges against the material used in the repair, upgrade, and overhaul of products,” Deputy Site Manager Jackie Attaway, who served as the depot’s lead on the MOA development and implementation team, said. “Now, the organization that owns the components the depot works on is the same one that owns the piece parts.”

FISC is a command under the Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP), and the Navy has decided that NAVSUP will handle supply chain management for all Navy organizations. FISC will act as NAVSUP’s agent to perform material management for the Navy’s industrial sites, including the shipyards and depots.

The Industrial Material Management Division personnel supported the depot with all material requisitioning and warehousing services. For them, the transition will be relatively transparent. They will remain in place at the depot and will not notice much difference in their day-to-day operation. However, their blue FISC ID cards will contain the NAVSUP vice the NAVAIR logo. Cmdr. Mike Ropiak is Site Manager of the new Cherry Point Annex, and he reports to Capt. Naranjo.

Work to bring about the FISC transition began last November when a Transition Partnership Team was formed with representatives from the three NAVAIR depots; FISC Jacksonville and San Diego; NAVAIR headquarters; and NAVSUP. The team’s goal was to improve the material support process by creating total supply support and optimizing the resources providing material support. Their efforts were aimed at consolidating material and inventory management into a single national inventory.

Also present at the signing ceremony was Ms. Sandra Leggieri, deputy commander, Naval Inventory Control Point (NAVICP) Philadelphia. NAVICP is another command under NAVSUP, and Ms. Leggieri was on board to show her organization’s support as a partner in the transition process. The FISC transition will result in significant cost savings for the depot and will ultimately result in the transfer of $170 million of inventory from the depot to FISC.

“This is a very good partnership from our perspective,” Sherry Dixon, work force director, FISC Jacksonville, said. “Everything has gone very well, and I’m pleased to be here to help ensure a smooth transition.”

“It’s a good thing for all concerned,” Attaway said. “It affords the depot a better supply chain management overall.”

NAVAIR provides advanced warfare technologies through the efforts of a seamless, integrated, worldwide network of aviation technology experts.

Photo 1 caption: Commanding Officer Col. John D. Gumbel signs a memorandum of agreement transferring the depot’s supply operation to the Fleet Industrial Supply Command. Navy Capt. Ed Naranjo, FISC commanding officer, and Sandra Leggieri, deputy commander of the Naval Inventory Control Point Philadelphia participated in the ceremony here Sept. 30. (photo by Gary Rice)