Parque y Centro de Abastecimiento de Material de Intendencia

The Quartermaster Material Supply Center and Depot owes its existence to the perceived need of providing practical teaching assets to the Military Administration Academy, created in 1873, that would complement and make theory more effective.

With this eagerness to improve the training, cabinets and laboratories of Physics and Chemistry began to be created and installed in the Academy, as well as museums of military and technological stuff necessary to complement the theoretical explanations.

However, if such cabinets, test and experimentation laboratories and material museums were justified for the training of the officers of the Academies, other centers of technical nature, circumscribed to the general fulfilment of the corporate goals, assisting and perfecting the management and advice to executive centers, were no less necessary.

Cuartel de los Docks

The Museum included the prototypes of the assets in use and the first technical library was established.

The Cabinet of Tests, created "to ascertain the goodness and special conditions that the first matter must meet", according to the RO, was endowed with a budget of 10,000 pesetas and worked as a quality control laboratory and center of studies and experiments, trying to unify the different existing Services, as well as to coordinate and direct the work of the military factories (their methods and organization). In short, it took care of the correct development of the technical-economic-administrative management. Its work was completed with statistical studies, infrequent at that time, on Spanish industries related to military interests, with special attention to their strategic location, being the first Army Center to carry out logistic studies.

The departure of General De Salamanca from the General Directorate of Military Administration, when he was appointed Governor General and Captain General of Cuba in 1887, meant a period of stagnation, if not regression. The Cabinet of Tests was underutilized, accumulating a great amount of technical, statistical data, studies... because the governing heads of the Military Administration considered more important to carry out an administrative-accounting and supervising management, than experimentation and studies, leaving the Center from being consulted for technical-professional questions. (It was just granted a small laboratory for analysis and recognition of flour, bread, blankets, etc..., things not manufactured by the Military Administration).

In 1896, the Quartermaster Gerardo Palanca was able to continue with the initial purpose, creating the "Permanent Board of Studies and Experiences", which would replace the technical work of the lethargic Museum and Cabinet of Tests.

In 1900, on the initiative of Mr. José De Areba, the Board's task was extended to the study and experimentation of all the Military Administration assets, reorganizing the Board in 1906 by Royal Order and ordering that, from now on, it would be called "Commission of Studies and Experiences of the Assets and Administrative Services", and also entrusting it with the revision, summary and publication of the regional and local administrative statistics (work previously initiated by the Museum).

Subsequently, Mr. Narciso Amorós, very effectively strengthened the almost inactive Museum - Test Cabinet, merging it with the Library and the Commission of Studies and Experiences in a single organism called TECHNICAL CENTER OF MILITARY ADMINISTRATION, already with full fledge staff attached to the Section of this Branch and later to the General Military Quartermaster, putting at the head of this Technical Center the Deputy Quartermaster Juan Romero y Abarca, as director.

Quartermaster of the Army Narciso Amorós y Vázquez de Figueroa

On August 31, 1911, the Military Administration Branch split into two: the Quartermaster and the Military Intervention. The Technical Center of Military Administration took the name of QUARTERMASTER TECHNICAL CENTER (CTI) and subsisted as an organ under the General Military Quartermaster until, by a new reorganization in 1913, the CTI became the second Section of the Quartermaster Central Establishment.

In 1919, the Technical Center and the Quartermaster Central Establishment were merged under the name of QUARTERMASTER CENTRAL ESTABLISHMENT.

It remained so until September 1, 1954, date on which it was renamed again as QUARTERMASTER TECHNICAL CENTER, becoming dependent on the technical aspect, of the General Services Directorate of the Ministry of the Army, and in the governmental and jurisdictional regime, of the General Captaincy of the 1st Military Region.

In 1976, the Ministry of the Army was reorganized once again, and it became part of the Logistic Support Superior Command.

According to Army General Staff Standard N-4/88 (5th Div) on “Land Force Support organization” it is constituted as a Supply and Maintenance Central Logistic Organ under the Supply and Maintenance Directorate of the Army Logistic Support Superior Command.

Pursuant Army General Staff GI 3/91 (5th Div) on Land Force Support organization, it is organized as Supply and Maintenance Central Logistic Organ for of the Army Logistic Support Superior Command.

By decision 181/1997, of September 26th, the QUARTERMASTER CENTRAL DEPOT was officially deactivated as an organic Unit of the Army.

By General Standard 1/97, that expands Instruction 5/97 (Organizational Adjustments), issued in application of the attributions conferred to the Lieutenant General Army Chief of the Staff by the article 48 of the Rules of Classification and Provision of Posts of Professional Military Personnel approved by Ministerial Order 120/93, of 23 December, the Personnel of the deactivated QUARTERMASTER CENTRAL DEPOT, is integrated in the QUARTERMASTER TECHNICAL CENTER.

By General Standard 2/98 (Organizational Adjustments), the QUARTERMASTER TECHNICAL CENTER is renamed QUARTERMASTER MATERIAL SUPPLY CENTER AND DEPOT, personnel of the original Unit stays in the Unit with the new denomination, with the requirements and conditions of the vacancies they cover.

In 2008, the PCAMI facilities were moved to the "San Cristobal" Barracks in Villaverde, Madrid, where it shares the premises with, among other Units, the facilities of the of 1st Armored Systems Maintenance Center and Depot, the Army Central Laboratory and the of MALE´s Logistic Management Sub-directorate. 

San Cristobal-Villaverde Barracks Entrance

By GS 01/13 "Supply Subsystem (SUBABTO)" it is established that the PCAMI chief, as authority of the Supply Subsystem (SUBABTO), is responsible to the Director of Weapons Systems of the Logistic Support Command for the execution and control of the supply activities of the assets under his responsibility. Likewise,it is established that the PCAMI is an execution unit of the SUABTO, being part of the said Subsystem´s Support Network.

Directive 05/14, "Organic Concept of the Army Logistic Support Command", establishes a new organic structure, articulating the MALE IN THE FOLLOWING BODIES:

a. Headquarters

b. Procurement Directorate (DIAD)

c. Integration of Logistic Functions Directorate (DINFULOG).

Likewise, a Logistic Centers Headquarters (JECELOG) is set under the scope of the DINFULOG. The Central Logistics Organs (OLC), including the Quartermaster Material Supply Center and Depot (PCAMI), will report to the JECELOG.

The Order DEF/1265/2015, of June 29, which develops the basic organization of the Army, maintains the organic structure established by the Directive 05/14, "Organic Concept of the MALE", and leaves with no effect, regarding the place and chain of command of the PCAMI, the following rules: Instruction 70/2011, GI 06/11 update 2012 and GS 01/13.