LESS IS MORE
Wal-Mart cashiers update the company’s elaborate tracking system each time they scan customers’ purchases at checkout, or point of consumption. To better manage resupply missions and resupply to remote locations, the Army should research and make efforts to embrace technology that supports superior ITV and inven- tory management. Scanning to track all classes of supply to the point of consump- tion would significantly
improve Army’s ability to manage inventory.
Companies are also more successful when they use collaborative forecasting and foster relationships with their sup- pliers. Companies in the supply industry use vendors to manage inventory, shar- ing demand data with suppliers to enable better forecasting. Whenever it is possible and not tactically, operationally or strate- gically detrimental, the Army should have suppliers manage and maintain inventory to simplify the supply chain and shorten lead time on deliveries.
Te lack of a simple, dependable and accurate ITV platform, combined with inadequate inventory management, results in historical data being lost and underused in forecasting supply opera- tions. With respect to logistics, the Army collects data, uses the information momentarily and then dumps it. Te Army’s scanning systems do not have the capability to archive historical data for easy access by leaders and logistics pro- fessionals in the future. For example, it would be extremely difficult for the logis- tics officer in the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division to retrieve the number of tires or the amount of fuel distributed to one of the brigade’s maneu- ver battalions while in Mahmudiyah, Iraq, in 2005.
Te Army needs a simple, Web-based, customizable system that collects
the
historical data by location, unit and class of supply. Tis data would be invaluable for forecasting the requirements of units in all locations, but especially in remote locations. Keeping such data would also allow units to simulate demands in the supply chain during training events. Tis would increase accuracy in forecasting and result in more efficient supply chains and, ultimately, an increase in combat power. Caterpillar cited forecasting as its biggest competitive advantage.
Te Army needs to move in the direction of civilian agencies and improve commu- nication systems in order to capture and use data to improve the logistics network.
POWER GENERATION Freeport-McMoRan has instituted sys- tems at its remote mining sites to turn waste into energy, which reduces the fuel needed, saves money and reduces the strain on the distribution network. Te systems also provide the company with a responsible and safe manner in which to dispose of waste through the use of incinerators that cleanly burn used oil to produce energy. Te Army can adopt this method to reduce the demand for resources at remote locations and improve combat power. In 2007, 50 percent of
all Army convoys were dedicated to the transportation of fuel. Reducing the amount of fuel required to sustain opera- tions would result in cost savings, a more efficient supply chain, increased asset uti- lization, better operational flexibility and greater combat power.
Te Army has operated many combat outposts in Iraq and Afghanistan over more than a decade of war, most located in remote areas next to small villages or town centers. Generators for operational power are mission-essential and are responsible for approximately 40 percent of remote base fuel consumption. Given the small quarters inside the combat outpost, efficient waste management is critical to both the health of the Soldiers on the post and the relationship with the local population.
Waste is collected in one location at these sites and burned, often with serious and lasting negative health consequences. Implementing a modular waste-to-energy incinerator would offer the Army a solu- tion to both of these issues, enabling it to provide energy to remote locations just by burning trash. Incinerators have been shown to produce fewer air particulates than open-burn pits. Waste-to-energy
Combatant commands are charged with contingency planning, but commands often lack the continuity and resources required for a deep understanding of regional challenges. The Army requires a team of professionals dedicated to making contacts with local support options, navigating bureaucracy and learning from partnerships.
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Army AL&T Magazine April–June 2015
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