SPANGDAHLEM AIR BASE, Germany – The 52nd Logistics Readiness Squadron vehicle management customer service section recently completed a refurbishment project aimed at improving efficiency, streamlining maintenance operations and enhancing customer support for units across the wing.
The upgraded customer service section supports vehicle maintenance operations that directly impact daily mission execution across Spangdahlem and its geographically separated units.
Servicing emergency response vehicles, flightline support equipment and general-purpose government vehicles, the section serves as the primary intake point for a vast majority of the installation’s vehicle maintenance and repairs.
“Our mission is to support sortie-generation and sustaining operations on the flightline, but we also provide support base-wide across the entire installation,” said Staff Sgt. Justin Holt, 52nd LRS vehicle management customer service noncommissioned officer in charge. “Customer service also does quick-turnaround maintenance and in-field repairs to keep vehicles from being down for long periods and to keep the mission going effectively.”
The three-person section handles tasks including inspections, minor maintenance, accident and abuse processing, parts coordination and vehicle diagnostics for four geographically separated units in addition to Spangdahlem operations, Holt said.
Senior Airman Dakota Whitaker, 52nd LRS vehicle management customer service journeyman, said the section’s ability to perform the more abundant, simple repairs helps reduce workload on the other, larger maintenance shops, allowing them to focus on more extensive repairs.
“The biggest thing we offer is the minor maintenance and in-field repair and mobile maintenance aspect,” Whitaker said.
The refurbishment project focused on both appearance and functionality. Airmen reorganized the workspace, repainted the customer area, improved wiring and installed new shop equipment to reduce repair timelines and increase in-house capabilities.
Among the additions were a tire machine, tire balancer and expanded working stock inventory, allowing maintainers to complete more repairs without relying on the heavier maintenance shops for time, parts or equipment.
“We [now] can effectively work those smaller jobs specifically from customer service without going across the street to the other shops,” Holt said.
The updated workspace also gives customers a more professional and welcoming environment while showcasing the accomplishments of vehicle management Airmen.
“We wanted to show what vehicle management represents and what we do across the base,” Holt said. “A lot of people don’t see what customer service or vehicle management does in general.”
Whitaker said the operational improvements behind the scenes may have the greatest impact on customers, even if they are not immediately visible.
“The renovations we did on the shop floor help cut down maintenance times to get the vehicle back to the customer as fast as we could,” Whitaker said. “Our working stock, parts on hand and shop-use tools cut down the process of how long it takes to do a quick repair.”
“I honestly can’t think of one thing vehicle maintenance doesn’t touch that doesn’t directly support the wing mission,” Whitaker said. “Without vehicle maintenance there would be no vehicles, and the mission couldn’t happen.”