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US Army Medical Materiel Center, Europe
7th Medical Command
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USAMMCE History

Command newspaper articles

Comments (George O'Brien)

 
USAMMCE History
 
 
If you have more information on the history or organization of USAMMCE, please contact me.
 
Command newspaper articles
 
Medical Materials: The Army's best-kept secret, By Irene Weber, March 1988
Located on a hilltop in Pirmasens, the U.S Army Medical Materiel Center, Europe (USAMMCE), is one of the Army's best-kept secrets. A secret in the sense that most, who use the medical supplies and equipment that originate from USAMMCE, never realize the enormous effort involved in their procurement, processing and distribution.

USAMMCE's overall peacetime misson is trifold: to furnish the medical supply support; to provide maintenance support for medical equipment; and optical fabrication to the Army, Navy, Air Force and State Department activities found in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. USAMMCE also supports military and diplomatic personnel stationed within the Soviet Block.

Additionally, USAMMCE has a readiness mission that includes: the replacement an maintenance of medical supplies and equipment contained in the medical assemblages that would be issued to U.S. units in the event of war in Europe; the stockage of war reserves of medical supplies to resupply units in combat and the planning for medical supply during the transition-to-war period.

According to Col. Thomas E. Kistler, USAMMCE Commander, "the scope of the mission is easier to understand if you look at it in terms of sales. Last year, we issued $53 million worth of materiel and maintained $113 million worth of inventory. Also, we manufactured 162,000 pairs of glasses."

USAMMCE processes an average of 27,000 requests for medical items each month and maintains an inventory of over 16,000 different items. Most customer requests are routinely processed within 14 days. Special requests, such as those used to treat patients in life or death situation, are processed more quickly.

"Most 'Life or Death' requisitions can be filled from supplies already stocked at USAMMCE or shipped from the United States within a 24 hour period," Kistler stated.

"The 'Life or Death' requisitions not available in-country can be shipped from New York or Baltimore by commercial carrier and hand-carried for pick up at Rhein Main Airport, Frankfurt," Kistler continued. "High priority requisitions (other than 'Life or Death') are normally filled within 7 days. Normal requisitioning, counting from the time of order to time of receipt, takes about 21 days." 		The majority of medical supplies arrive at USAMMCE by Air Force cargo pallets. These pallets are provided by depots maintained in the continental U.S. and flown out of Dover Air Force Base, Delaware. The supplies are flown to Ramstein AFB via Air Lines of Communications (ALOC) and trucked to Pirmasens. USAMMCE receives an average of 170 pallets per month.

Additionally, USAMMCE receives 40-50 vanloads of supplies on a monthly basis. Medical supplies are also received by mail.

The physical scope of USAMMCE is quite staggering. Sprawled across 93 acres of hilltop, is a wide assortment of buildings, warehouses, equipment depots and storage sheds. The warehouses contain over 800,000 square feet of storage space and are divided into heated, unheated and refrigerated storage areas.

One of the most interesting warehouses is the one that houses USAMMCE's stored medical supplies. Here, in what is called the "bin storage", can be found an assortment of medical and dental supplies ranging from gauze to alcohol swabs. Pilferable items, such as injection needles or other small, sensitive items, are kept in a fenced-in area of the bin known as the "cage". All security items, such as dental gold or any controlled medical supply, are housed in what is called the "vault". The areas containing drugs are maintained at a constant temperature to ensure the effectiveness of the medications.

Also, located in this warehouse is the storekeeping section. Stored here are 15,000-16,000 different item locations. Many of these items are kept in multi-story rotary bins operated by the push of a button.

These new rotary bins have cut down both time and work load for the 30 employed in this warehouse. These bins can contain 12,000 additional locations. Workers here process an average of 1200 customer orders each day. These customer orders are called Medical Release Orders (MROs). MROs represent issues that are processed for the 430 customer units supported by USAMMCE.
 
Distribution and transportation
In June 1986, the Army implemented Tri-Service support. Since that time, there has been a steadily increasing demand for supplies. Once an MRO has been selected and packed, it is released to the Transporation Division for shipment to the customer. This division is part of the Directorate of Distribution and Transportation.

Transportation is responsible for the planning, coordination and supervision of all shipments from USAMMCE.

Transportation not only checks, consolidates and repacks supplies prior to their shipment, but it is also responsible for the selection of the mode of transportation to be used.

The types of transportation used vary and are as follows: 80% of all medical supplies from USAMMCE are transported by truck, 15% are flown by either military or civilian aircraft, 3% are sent by Parcel Post, 1% is sent UPS and 1% is sent by rail. The type of transportation depends on the supply's destination.

To help make loading and shipping easier and more time efficient, Kistler, in 1979, suggested a method called "Shrink Wrap". Shrink Wrap looks like ordinary, kitchen plastic wrap, but it is used at USAMMCE to wrap around stacks of medical supplies. Not only does the Shrink Wrap make loading and shipping easier by allowing the supplies to be bound together, stacked higher and protected, but it is also transparent. This transparency enables the supplies to be easily viewed and stocking mistakes are less likely to be made.

Assembly and reconstitution
One of the most amazing sections at USAMMCE is the Assembly and Reconstitution Division, part of USAMMCE's Directorate of Operations. The Assembly and Reconstitution Division is responsible for reconstituting all medical assemblages ranging in size from first aid kits to complete field hospitals.

Last year, they built two 500-bed hospitals and they routinely build 200-bed hospitals. It takes two teams, or a total of 28 people, approximately 4 months to build a 500-bed hospital. According to Cpt. Irene Logan, chief of Assembly and Reconstitution, "Our biggest problem is getting the requisitions from the U.S. quickly. We're hard workers here, we get the job done."

The reconstitution of old sets requires checking for items no longer needed or obsolete and the inspection of all items. This inspection is to guarantee the continued usefulness and effectiveness of an item. If the item fails inspection it must be replaced. "We check the life-cycle of supplies," Logan explained. "Even band-aids are inspected. As long as they stick, they're good."

The Readiness Division of USAMMCE also falls under the Directorate of Operations. This division is reponsible for the management of medical assemblages owned and stored by the Combat Equipment Group, Europe (CEGE) as POMCUS and for decrement assemblages owned and stored by USAMMCE.

The Pre-Positioning Of Material Configured to Unit Sets (POMCUS) consists of material stored at various sites that is ready for units from the U.S. to fall in on it. Decrement assemblages consist of medical equipment necessary for 7th MEDCOM hospitals to displace from their peacetime facilities and operate in the field.

The Readiness division also provides technical surveillance of the medical equipment and materials in warm-base hospitals and is the caretaker for 7th MEDCOM contingency hospitals. A warmbase hospital is a POMCUS hospital maintained by CEGE. It is a physical structure with equipment already available; all that is needed is for personnel to move in. A warm-base hospital saves time and money because it is already erected. Any structure can be adapted. All that is needed is sufficient space, electrical lines and a water source.

A contingency hospital is a decrement hospital maintained by USAMMCE. Equipment and stock are stored and maintained in the event of a possible but uncertain need. USAMMCE is the caretaker for the 7th MEDCOM contingency hospitals.USAMMCE is also responsible for the fabrication of spectacles and optical inserts for all DOD personnel and their dependents. In addition, the optical laboratory provides civilian-type frames for eligible personnel. 		Quality control
Quality is a major concern in the optical department as well as throughout USAMMCE. Optical standards are closely monitored by the Directorate of Quality Control (QC) at USAMMCE. QC performs a 100 percent inspection of all optical appliances manufactured. All optical fabrications must meet the F.D.A. standard, Z-80, or it is not sent out to the consumer. In fact, the quality of work is so high, they have only a 0.94 return rate. This represents less than one pair per 1,000 spectacles returned.

"All of us here at QC, we're called the bad guys", chuckled Sgt. Samuel King, NCOIC of Optical Quality Control. "We keep a running list of goods. If the glasses don't meet the standard, they don't go out. We want to be known for our high quality."

The Directorate of Quality Control is headed by Herr Harry Schindler, a member of the 8040th Civ. Support Group, who reports directly to the commander. The Directorate of QC at USAMMCE is the largest of its kind in the U.S. Army Medical Department.

QC is responsible for the inspection of the medical supplies received, stored and issued, as well as, all equipment reconditioned by the Medical Maintenance Shops. The QC division checks everything that is accomplished at USAMMCE; no department escapes their close scrutiny.

Acknowledged Schindler, "We leave nothing to chance, we inspect prior to issue so that there will be greater customer satisfaction."

The QC division has three main missions. In addition to inspection of all topics, they are responsible for supply and maintenace control.

The supply side of QC inspects a representative sampling of outgoing shipments in an effort to guarantee that the highest possible standard is met. They inspect material received from CONUS depots and vendors to ensure that the correct items and quantities are received and that they are properly packed, marked and serviceable.

QC is also reponsible for cyclical surveillance of supply items. A close watch is kept on expiration dates of medications and shelf-life of materials stocked at USAMMCE.

The Maintenance Division of QC performs a 100 percent final inspection on items before they are issued to the customer. They inspect repaired and stored medical equipment prior to issue, change condition classifications on items and equipment and reconstitute such items as batteries for x-ray machines and equipment odometers.

The QC Support Division acts as the main focal point in Europe for medical material complaints. This division not only receives input from CONUS, but also issues quality control directives throughout Europe.

These directives may contain any of the following: an extension authority for potency dated items, suspension instructions, drug recalls, warning notices for hazardous conditions and destruction notices for suspect material. They are also responsible for customer complaints as well as ensuring customer satisfaction.

"The in-house control is tight," says Schindler. "The patient and health care providers need the best material. We are here to see that they get it when they need it. Our concern is customer satisfaction."

Modernizations at USAMMCE also help to create greater chance for customer satisfaction, but recent budget cuts have hit even this facility. The result is that their mission, difficult as it is, is now even more difficult.

At the beginning of FY 88, USAMMCE's recognized manpower requirements totaled 702 (employees). Of the 702 recognized, only 638 positions were authorized. Currently, USAMMCE has 641 personnel assigned including overhires. USAMMCE is able to fulfill its mission of supplying medical support, optical support and medical maintenance support to all of its customers even with a shortage of 61 recognized positions.

When asked what represents the biggest obstacle for a commander to overcome at USAMMCE, Kistler responded simply,"A lack of people."

Summing up USAMMCE's role, Maj. Larry Browning, Deputy for Administration, replied, "USAMMCE is one of a kind. There's not another like it. We provide all the medical supply support to Europe, the Far East and Africa. Added to this, we do optical fabrication. Once you can accept this mission and realize that we do this with a total of only 641 employees (390 civilian, 251 military), then you can understand USAMMCE. We perform our mission well and we perform it as a family."
 
COMMENTS on USAMMCE
Additional information provided by George O'Brien who served in the ADP Division, USAMMCE.

I was assigned to Einsiedlerhof from 1969-1973 in the ADP Machine Br. We provided ADP support for the depot. As I recall we shipped medical supplies to an area that stretched from Iceland to Moscow, on an east-west axis, and from Sweden to Morrocco, north to south.