FORT BELVOIR, Va. -- The U.S. Army Materiel Command is bringing its logistics data collection system into the 21st century with the use of an Enterprise Resource Planning tool.
The ERP tool, better known as the Logistics Modernization Program, will modernize the ArmyAca,!a,,cs national logistics business practice and supporting technology to meet current and future military readiness requirements. It is the cornerstone for the Single Army Logistics Enterprise and is the first step to enabling end-to-end supply chain visibility for AMC, its depots, industry partners, and the warfighter.
Aca,!A"LMP will let everyone see the same data at the same time,Aca,!A? said Cathy Dickens, Army Aviation and Missile Life Cycle Management Command project manager and integrator for LMP. Aca,!A"[AMC] is the ArmyAca,!a,,cs sustainer, and as the ArmyAca,!a,,cs sustainer, it is very important to have the accuracy and visibility of our entire inventory and costs. This integrated system will allow us to look across all the disciplines AMC is responsible for: procurement, logistics, industrial base operations, budget, and finance in one single system.Aca,!A?
When LMP is fully implemented across AMC, it will eliminate 2,200 unique bridges associated with legacy systems, and enable communications across the enterprise. With multiple instances of data, it made it difficult to accurately forecast requirements and identify available inventory across the enterprise. Aca,!A"It affects our bottom line,Aca,!A? Dickens said. Aca,!A"Full accountability of our inventory or documenting actual costs is very difficult because our systems are not fully integrated; so many times we are looking at different data. We expend a lot of resources to reconcile these differences because we are not in sync.Aca,!A? she said.
Dickens states that with LMP, AMC will reduce redundant and stovepipe IT investments and move Logistic support into the future.
Aca,!A"LMP is the ArmyAca,!a,,cs solution for modernizing AMCAca,!a,,cs 30-year-old legacy logistics systems (Command Commodity Standard System and the Standard Depot System). The solution is SAP, a commercial-based software system that provides uniformity and accuracy of data. It will enable AMC, its depots and industry partners to operate in the same system. It provides improved forecasting tools to support the warfighter and provides our depots a material and capacity requirements planning capability. ItAca,!a,,cs very exciting to know that we will have this additional power and capability that we never had before,Aca,!A? she said.
Dickens explains that instituting LMP will take a systematic approach and have long-range benefits.
Aca,!A"As SALE is realized, it will provide an enterprise view and make sure we have full accountability from a cost and inventory perspective,Aca,!A? Dickens said. Utilization of a commercial product like SAP will help the Army to leverage industry best business practices and continue to take advantage of both emerging technology and business practices,Aca,!A? she said.
AMCAca,!a,,cs CECOM Life Cycle Management Command and Tobyhanna Army Depot and its industry partners are already users of LMP.
Aca,!A"CECOM and Tobyhanna were first to deploy LMP in 2003. Now, itAca,!a,,cs our turn and our transition is scheduled for deployment in May. The Defense Logistics Agency, Navy, NASA and prime contractors such as Raytheon and Northrop Grumman -- are utilizing SAP,Aca,!A? Dickens said. Aca,!A"They are already managing their supply chains with SAP. The future will allow AMC an ability to integrate with our partners, further improving the capabilities, visibility and processes that support the warfighter. The enterprise data will be available through a single warehouse, the Army Enterprise System Integration Program, or the data exchange piece.
Aca,!A"Through this tool, partners such as DLA will have improved visibility of Army depots and we will see their inventory, allowing immediate feedback on supporting the demand. The Soldier will know what AMCOM has by way of inventory, know whether their requisition is being released and on its way. It will all be instantaneous in one system,Aca,!A? she continued.
The transformation process to LMP from the old legacy systems appears to be a win-win situation for all involved.
Aca,!A"The change will have a major impact on the civilian staff,Aca,!A? Dickens said. Aca,!A"AMC employees will become well versed in enterprise resource planning that is widely used by industry. It will give them a very marketable skill. Standardizing our processes and providing an enterprise view means employees can quickly support any weapon system within the AMC supply chain at the different LCMCs. They will see all of AMCAca,!a,,cs data and inventory and will be better able to forecast warfightersAca,!a,,c requirements to meet their needs,Aca,!A? she continued.
Aca,!A"When we initially deploy LMP, we will learn that the system is only the beginning of the journey and will actually discover the power of the system over the next three to five years,Aca,!A? Dickens said.
AMCAca,!a,,cs TACOM Life Cycle Management Command and Joint Munitions Command are slated to complete the LMP transition in 2011.
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