Lean Logistics
Delivery of ‘Lean Logistics’ in the context of the DLO Change Programme implies the complete elimination of waste so that all activities along the supply chain add value. To support this objective, LSC Group is currently involved in a number of initiatives, one of which is that of creating a Lean Logistics Model (LLM), the object of which is to bring together information from supply management systems, and engineering and asset management systems, into one single, coherent and consistent repository that is based on open neutral data standards. The LLM will draw data from a range of MoD and industry logistics information systems, and will enable the establishment of cause and effect relationships between asset events in operational use and inventory management.
The strength of the LLM will be its ability to deliver better informed support decisions, and will be achieved through an open architecture based on ISO 10303 AP 239 (PLCS) - this in consideration of the importance now placed on ensuring that product and support information is closely aligned with the evolving product definition over the entire product lifecycle. PLCS is an extension to the existing proven exchange capability of STEP, the mechanism through which organisations can integrate their internal engineering IT systems and those of their supply chain, without the reliance on proprietary software applications that create and use the data.
STEP has been adopted by MoD as a uniform standard of preference since January 2003.
As an exemplar of ‘Lean Supply’ in regard to the just-in-time principles to the supply of spares, LSC Group is actively involved in the implementation of the UK’s first production application of RAMP (Rapid Acquisition of Manufactured Parts) at Devonport Management Limited. LSC Group has been closely involved in the development of the RAMP process, and has invested extensively to develop a powerful STEP capability on which the RAMP process is based. The RAMP strategy incorporates LOCAM, LSC Group’s knowledge-based acquisition and manufacturing decision support system - a powerful and proven environment for rule-based processing of engineering data files in STEP format. The UK MoD has fully endorsed the revolutionary RAMP approach for the provisioning of spares where ‘forecast requirements’ are replaced with ‘make-to-order processes’
The leaning of the logistics process is also reaching into the world of codification, where LSC Group is working with the UK National Codification Bureau (UK NCB) to provide a production version of its pioneering Smart Codification system, again based on LOCAM. Improvements to the codification process are helping to reduce the number of wrongly codified, and duplicated supply items. Codification will now take less time, and thus support the faster acquisition of primary defence capability and as a direct result, will involve less financial expenditure.
The combination of this commitment to open data standards with deep understanding of whole-life support issues enables the delivery of best-in-class logistics engineering solutions, based on true collaborative working opens the way for the partners in any support enterprise to have complete visibility of the support chain performance and to identify areas for improvement, with the ability to measure performance against coherent Key Performance Indicators.
