Defense logistics agency issue - KMI Media Group

Some items, like flu vaccines, have a limited
shelf life and must reach every base and
ship annually within a strict time window.
Others, such as CT scanners, need to go into
buildings before all the walls are in place, as
these may prevent installation.
One cost-saving strategy being pursued
involves lining up supplies of generic drugs as
replacements to name brands as soon as this
becomes possible, Buchwald said. Another is
the development of an integrated operating
room, which is intended to save both time
and money in setting up such facilities.
Larry Stepp is vice president of national
accounts for the government division of
Chesterbrook, Pa.-based AmerisourceBergen,
a prime pharmacy vendor for DLA Troop
Support. The company offers a 24-hour turnaround
on any product that it carries, with
the contract measuring performance by delivery
against what’s ordered over a specified
period. Those service levels are 98 percent
or higher, leading to greater supply chain
efficiency, Stepp said.
One of the changes that he sees on the
horizon is the greater use of electronic ordering.
Another involves track-and-trace bar
code initiatives that will support supply chain
data and integrity. Pharmaceuticals and medical
supplies also have pedigree requirements,
mandating that additional information be in
the bar code.
“That’s all the way down to lot numbers
and things like that. That’s what I think the
future is. The manufacturers will begin to
provide more of that data in their bar codes
on the actual products,” Stepp said.
more than construction
equipment
DLA Troop Support’s Construction and
Equipment Directorate handles perhaps the
largest and most diverse array of goods of any
of the directorates. The list includes lighting,
metals, lumber, firefighting equipment,
materials handling and special operations
equipment.
“We do some lighting type items. We
do heavy equipment,” summarized Tony
D’Ambrosio, deputy director of construction
and equipment at DLA Troop Support. “We
have a full range of items. They range from
light bulbs to bulldozers.”
Commodity items are handled via a justin-time
delivery system. For others, a category
that includes heavy equipment, that’s
not really possible. In all cases, procurement
is handled via contracts that have been set up,
30 | MLF 6.5
with customers ordering items against those
contracts.
SAIC of McLean, Va., is one vendor
responding to those customer orders. It does
so under an integrated prime vendor program,
as well as a maintenance, repair and
operations tailored logistics support program.
John Ptakowski is division manager for
SAIC’s prime vendor program, which he said
handles over 36,000 unique stock numbers.
These are used to fill over 99,000 bins at three
fleet readiness centers, where technicians
repair and refurbish helicopters and other
assets.
“The requirement that we have as a contractor
is to keep those bins filled so that the
mechanics do not stop their job for a lack of
supply parts,” he said.
The bin fill rate is currently over 99 percent,
several points higher than called for in
the contract.
As for the tailored logistics support program,
some 250,000 individual line items
go through it a year, said Christian Frye,
prime vendor maintenance repair and operations
division manager. SAIC can handle this
thanks to its procurement professionals, an
IT backend that can handle the load, a nimble
response to what can be a rapidly changing
situation, and enhanced customer facing
technology.
“We provide a web interface to the individual
customer so they can come to use
with their individual requirements as they
are needed. Some things are planned because
they’re going to do some expansion. Many
things are not planned; that’s where things
can break down without the right level of
support,” Frye said.
Another equipment supplier is ADS of
Virginia Beach, Va. Jack Pellicci, DLA sales
manager, said the company leverages its buying
power and implements commercial practices
to generate savings. These are then
passed along to the government, something
that Pellicci is happy to see.
“We’re very, very proud to provide these
services and cost savings to the government
to ensure that our warfighters are getting
the latest and greatest equipment that they
need,” he said.
the cLothes on their Back
The final DLA Troop Support supply
chain involves clothing and textiles. This covers
everything from utility uniforms, helmets,
body armor and boots to dress uniforms,
backpacks, tents and sleeping bags, said Gary
Colello, director of customer operations for
the Clothing and Textiles Directorate.
Unlike the other supply chains, this one
cannot use just-in-time delivery system and
must stockpile items in depots, in part due
to the Berry Amendment. That requires that
all of the clothing and textiles products be
domestically sourced. At the same time, they
have to be made to detailed and restrictive
military specifications. As a result, there is
a small industrial base to support the warfighter,
with only one wool manufacturer in
the U.S., for instance. There are only four
companies that produce the fabric used in
camouflage uniforms.
Dealing with this situation mandates that
the demand be closely monitored, which
is done by tracking the number of incoming
recruits. There’s also an online ordering
system that picks up the demand signal from
those already in the military.
This information then is constantly communicated
to the vendors, who may have only
one customer for the products, Colello said.
“They need to plan in advance. You can work
your way all the way back through the supply
chain to ensure there’s enough coming
through but not too much.”
Some clothing and textile items change
very slowly. Others have been undergoing
a rapid evolution, with such being the case
for body armor. One supplier of such gear is
BAE Systems, which in March was awarded
a four-year contract to produce tactical vests
equipped with soft body armor. These are produced
at the company’s Jessup, Pa., facility.
In discussing future directions in this
type of technology, Eric Gavelda, program
director for warfighter protection at BAE
Systems, noted that there is an open solicitation
out for an advanced combat helmet. The
spec includes a weight reduction, with the
aim of shaving as much as 10 percent weight
off when compared to past helmets. That
sort of advance is now typical of what DLA
Troop Support attempts to do in modernizing
through sustainment.
As Gavelda said, “It almost always focuses
on those two items: weight reduction or
increased capability.” O
For more information, contact Editor-in-Chief
Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com
or search our online archives for related stories
at www.mlf-kmi.com.
www.MLF-kmi.com