Photo By Pam Goodhart | 250807-A-BS696-4044 CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – Col. Caleb Lewis (far left), Letterkenny...... read more read more
CHAMBERSBURG, Pa. – Showcasing innovation, advanced technology, and continuous transformation, six Letterkenny Army Depot interns and one co-op student presented their new project ideas to depot leadership on Aug. 7.
The project ideas included:
• Building 350 low bay fall protection courses of action
• Use of DocuWare - document management software and workflow automation
• Appropriate use of Artificial Intelligence using ChatGPT
• Daily revenue report dashboard
• Building 350 floor space layout
• Programming programmable logic controls for use in dip tank operations.
“This year’s project presentations exceeded expectations,” said Kirstin Raith, LEAD Directorate of Strategic Management training officer. “The feedback we received is that the interns and co-op represented all their directorates extremely well and had innovative aspects to their projects.”
For their projects, the students received a template that aligns with LEAD’s overall project management efforts. The template required the students to lay out the scope of their project, current and future states, any barriers that would prevent project success, a list of influential/interested stakeholders, how they intended to communicate with their stakeholders, and what resources they had or still needed to accomplish the effort.
“Several of our projects this year aligned with the notion of continuous transformation, and those that didn’t were focused on continuous improvement so that we remain competitive and flexible while we focus on future opportunities,” said Jennifer Coccagna, LEAD DSM strategic integrator.
Coccagna highlighted two specific projects that fell within the notion of continuous transformation.
Zack Manning, a LEAD Directorate of Resource Management intern, created the daily revenue report dashboard using Power BI.
“This project provides an excellent visualization of a concept that has always been held in spreadsheet format only and is incredibly complex and difficult to understand,” said Coccagna. “Zack focused on creating a product that was easy to navigate and understand so that revenue information is transparent and accessible to everyone.
“He is already working on gaining access to additional data sources to make the report more functional for a wider audience so that decision-making at all levels can be informed and not based on potentially old data.”
Jakob Stropas, a LEAD DSM co-op, challenged the status quo of the programmable logic controls to support dip tank operations.
“His programming standardizes the human machine interface screens associated with dip tank operations, which creates an easier user experience and ensures safer operations,” explained Coccagna. “Jakob has written the code in an organized manner so that artisans can quickly complete future changes to the program or the dip tanks.
“By acquiring these skills and making this effort in-house, instead of hiring a vendor to perform the work, LEAD was able to save roughly $40,000.”
LEAD leadership in attendance during the roundtable presentation judged the interns and co-op on their presentations.
“We introduced a ‘People’s Choice award’ this year to recognize outstanding achievement from the perspectives of those who attend the LEAD Forum,” said Raith. “Attendees listened to the project presentations and voted for the project they believed to be the most beneficial to the depot.
The People’s Choice award went to Stropas for programming PLCs for use in dip tank operations.
“All of our students are deserving of recognition for their hard work and dedication to these project ideas,” said Raith. “We are so grateful for their investment in the continuous transformation and improvement efforts of Letterkenny Army Depot.”
| Date Taken: | 08.27.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 08.27.2025 09:06 |
| Story ID: | 546623 |
| Location: | CHAMBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 44 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Cultivating the future workforce — LEAD interns present continuous transformation projects, by Todd Wivell, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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