A record amount of freight was processed through the Hanford Site central warehouse in the last fiscal year.
Office of Environmental Management
March 3, 2020
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RICHLAND, Wash. – A record amount of freight was processed through the Hanford Site central warehouse in the last fiscal year, a key indicator of the increase in cleanup momentum across the site.
Resources varying from computer and office gear to specialized equipment used in the tank farms go through the site’s central warehouse managed by EM Richland Operations Office (RL) contractor Mission Support Alliance.
“You usually don’t see or hear about them, but the warehousing and delivery team is very important in moving the Hanford cleanup mission forward,” said Jeff Frey, assistant manager for mission support. “They are responsible for receiving shipments, delivering materials to all contractors across the 580-square-mile site, and storing spare parts and equipment.”
In fiscal 2019, which ended Sept. 30, the property and warehouse management team processed more than 239,000 pieces of incoming freight, a jump of more than 30 percent over the previous year. The team processed nearly 20,000 freight items per month, sometimes 1,600 or more a day.
“This is the highest volume of freight that has come through the warehouse in at least 10 years,” said John Horton, manager of Hanford’s central warehouse. “The increase in warehouse traffic is a reflection of cleanup progress across the site.”
Horton said the team managed the increase and maintained its delivery schedule without having to bring in additional staff. As the site prepares to transition to 24/7 operations with the startup of the Direct-Feed Low-Activity Waste program to treat tank waste, Horton expects the team to stay busy receiving and delivering materials to workers across the site.