(From our Cadet Intern, 1/c Ryan Cassidy. Read Part One and Part Two and Part Three)
Last week, I addressed BM3 Duffy's question about the management of FORCECOM and DCMS, and I said I would talk about an information system the Coast Guard will be using in the future to ensure accurate and timely maintenance and supply schedules. As I said in my last post, the Coast Guard has always found ways to "get the job done," but often working outside of an established logistics system. This creates a whole slew of problems including non-standardized platforms and an ineffective and inefficient system of supply-chain managment and logistics support. The Coast Guard has realized this and has started to make a transition to a service and asset-wide information system to make supply and maintenance more efficient, flexible and adaptive.
The Coast Guard currently employs a maintenance and supply information system for the aviation community. ALMIS (Asset Logistics Management Information System) has been used in the aviation world as a tool to improve the maintenance and support for every air station in the Coast Guard. Although the process is somewhat complex and the thought of writing it all out puts me to sleep, the idea is to provide timely supply for scheduled maintenance, and quick response when the unexpected occurs (You can get a more technical explanation here.) The thought was, if it works at air stations, why can't it work for small boat stations and cutters? One of the obvious answers is that the system is designed specifically for aircraft which do not have the same requirements cutters and small boats do. The Coast Guard realized that ALMIS was the best technology we could use in the short-term to improve the maintenance and support for small boats and cutters, but it is not ideal. First, some of the technology within the system is outdated and it needs to be updated. Second, it needs to be relevant to all Coast Guard units and not just aircraft.
The new system that will eventually replace ALMIS is called CG-LIMS (Coast Guard Logistics Information Management System.) CG-LIMS will keep all of the best features of ALMIS and include additional features that will focus on a standardized configuration and maintenance driven supply chain which will provide useful support to all units. (If you have not seen the video about CG-LIMS, I recommend you watch it, as it will give you a better picture of the capabilities of the program.) The system will be set up to allow for units to replenish parts before they run out of inventory for scheduled maintenance and create a better supply chain in the event an emergency repair needs to be made. One of the other features of the system is the ability for units around the country to communicate with one another on supply and maintenance issues. An example may be if a unit requires a part, but there is another station somewhere in the country that has it, the station that needs the part can see who has the part and can request it from the other station via CG-LIMS. This allows the transfer of Coast Guard approved parts to be used interchangeably between units, keeping parts within the Coast Guard's system. This will hopefully standardize the maintenance process and keep units on top of maintenance schedules so they don't find themselves buying an essential part from an outside vendor or maintaining excess stores just to get the job done.
Additionally, the CG-LIMS system will be a valuable source of data for operational commanders and asset and program managers, allowing them to identify new or changing trends across the life of an asset and proactively adjust accordingly to avoid significant and unexpected reductions in availability or capability.
It seems like our second motto has always been "Do more with less", but with CG-LIMS in place and a strong support structure like DCMS, we should be able to embrace the phrase "work smarter not harder". Thanks for reading!!
1/c Ryan Cassidy
"Cadet Disclaimer: These posts are my attempt to try to make Modernization more relevant and understandable to the junior workforce. These are the thoughts of a simple cadet and should not be taken as those of the Commandant. I still have some time to go before I could do that."
0 comments:
Post a Comment