AMC assembles experts to shape the OIB of the future

By Ms. Kimberly Hanson (AMC)May 21, 2014

CCAD employees work on helicopter
1 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Corpus Christi Army Depot employees Tony Fernandez (left) and Daniel Perales (right) work inside an engine test cell on a T-700 engine, used on AH-1 Apache and UH-60 helicopters. The depot, part of the Army Organic Industrial Base, is the industry le... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL
Tobyhanna Army Depot capabilities
2 / 2 Show Caption + Hide Caption – Tobyhanna Army Depot electronics mechanic Dan Nawrocki connects test cables to feed points on an MST-T1 (a) Multiple Threat Emitter System. The depot, part of the Army Organic Industrial Base, is the Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intel... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala. -- An initiative to reshape the Organic Industrial Base to remain relevant and effective for the future is under way at the U.S. Army Materiel Command.

Spearheaded by AMC Deputy Commanding General Lt. Gen. Patricia McQuistion, a team of experts from across the command will meet over the next several months to review existing, and develop standardized, policy and procedures that will guide the OIB.

"It's absolutely time for us to look out beyond the current trajectory and into the future," said McQuistion. "We must do things different than we have in the past. Our depots, arsenals and ammunition plants are national treasures, and we need to ensure they operate within a business model that provides the best efficiency and best value."

The Organic Industrial Base for Force 2025 and Beyond Integrated Planning Team (IPT), as the group is formally known, is led by subject matter experts from AMC headquarters staff. Members include deputy commanders of depots and arsenals and experts within Life Cycle Management Commands. The group met for their initial session at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, May 12-16.

The team's charter is to "optimize the OIB structure and processes to increase Army readiness by providing high quality equipment and products, on time, at the best value."

Faced with declining budgets and workload following thirteen years of war, the OIB requires an increase in efficiency to better support Warfighters and customers, said Eddie Lewis, chief of the Army Working Capital Fund at AMC, and IPT co-lead. With the customer in mind, the group is focused on lowering cost, meeting schedules, and increasing quality across the OIB.

Members will work through more than 15 prioritized OIB processes, such as supply chain management, quality management, and cost estimating. The IPT will review the current structure and processes, identify barriers to optimization, conduct root cause analyses, and ultimately develop alternatives with performance metrics.

"We need to redesign ourselves to take full advantage of [the Logistics Modernization Program], and ensure we're getting return on investment," said Lewis. "We have to consider how LMP has changed our business."

The group will also review and seek to define roles and responsibilities across the enterprise, recommending an updated organizational construct that will streamline OIB operations.

The end goal is to develop an operating structure that:

• Reduces overall cost

• Codifies roles and responsibilities

• Standardizes definitions and categorization of position descriptions

• Optimizes LMP processes

• Integrates OIB and strategic sourcing processes.

In the near term, the IPT was charged with a task to draft a new comprehensive regulation, AMC Reg. 750-1, by the end of the Fiscal Year that encapsulates business practices and rules. McQuistion gave the group latitude to also consider changing the names of depots, arsenals and ammunition plants, which several IPT members said were considered antiquated.

"You are senior leaders of the OIB, and you are being charged with thinking through how we're going to change for the future," said McQuistion. "You are the change agents. Leadership wants to hear your bold ideas."

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