General Dynamics and 33 Sqn 4 Regt RLC Problem Solving Exercise
After months of planning, a problem solving exercise took place on 3 May 2017 at General Dynamics Mission Systems site at Oakdale Business Park in South Wales. Scoping for the exercise was carried out by Ernst & Young and the exercise involved logistic supply specialists from 33 Sqn, 4 Regt RLC and a General Dynamics team of supply chain experts.
The exercise focused on supply chain issues relating to Industry and the Army across the Purple Gate, using General Dynamics’ Bowman support experience to highlight various problems.
General (Retd) David Shouesmith, Chairman RLC Foundation opened the exercise with an overview of the RLC Foundation and then highlighted the need to engage with industry and academia to promote professional excellence and personal development within the Corps.
The morning session of the problem solving exercise involved detailed presentations by both General Dynamics and 33 Sqn. The afternoon session concentrated on the key challenges faced within both the military and commercial environments with ‘end to end’ supply chain visibility. Through collaborative working both General Dynamics and 33 Sqn were able to learn from each other and identify key supply chain issues and opportunities for improvement.
The main problems identified concentrated on ‘Communications’ and ‘Information Systems’. Several quick win steps were identified and could potentially deliver immediate benefits in the near future. General Dynamics will now attend the newly reinstated AWG and use the BUCK portal to help inform decision making.
Solutions have been identified to improve supply chain visibility with greater interface of Information systems software. Discussions also embraced the requirement for training collaboration between General Dynamics and 33 Sqn and, potential work placements for 33 Sqn personnel to work alongside their General Dynamics counterparts.
This initiative will be developed in the future and a return visit for General Dynamics to 4 Regt is planned for later this year.. Overall, a very productive and worthwhile exercise. Our thanks to General Dynamics for hosting the event and their informative presentation, to 33 Sqn for addressing the military aspects of supply chain management and to Ernst & Young for scoping the exercise and producing a Summary Report.