In 2008, CPT Chad Lynn was focused on outfitting his fitness business in Texas with the latest equipment and supplies to give him an edge over his competitors. When replenishing items through his supply chain, the wait for consumable goods was as short as two days, while equipment orders would take weeks. Later that year, the Army reservist found himself managing the medical supply chain for 400 customers and fulfilling 12,000 demands for critical medical supplies every month from the frontlines of Iraq.
Capt. Lynn is the accountable officer with the Task Force 111th Multifunctional Medical Battalion, Class VIII Supply Support
Activity (SSA) for the Iraq Joint Operation Area in Balad, Iraq. When he arrived in theater, he saw a supply chain that relied heavily on manually processing orders from paper forms. This resulted in shipping delays and the inability for customers to track the status of their orders after the SSA processed them.
Capt. Lynn increased the use of Defense Medical Logistics Standard System Customer Assistant Module (DCAM) through face-to-face visits, worked with the local technical personnel to establish network connectivity and developed new policies and procedures to improve the management of supplies through the use of the MC4 medical logistics (MEDLOG) system.
Today, more than 85 percent of level 1 and 2 MEDLOG customers in Iraq now use DCAM to submit orders for their class VIII supplies, thus significantly decreasing the manual submission of paper forms [Department of Army (DA) 3161s], and customers have improved visibility of when class VIII supplies will arrive.
When you arrived in theater, what were some of the issues customers experienced?
About a month ago, I had a conversation with a customer. He had been in theater for approximately one year. He told me that he had not received one order electronically from his level 1 customers the entire time he was in country. They received 3161s and hand jammed them into the system in order to process the orders.
- “We have achieved a 70 percent increase in efficiency.”
This was one of my better ordering customers telling me this. I never knew this problem existed for him. I mentioned some of the steps to get his customers connected to his DCAM machine and that this situation could have been fixed months ago.
When we first got here, we received 300 separate orders on the 3161s every month. Today, we receive approximately 90 orders monthly to be processed manually. We have achieved a 70 percent increase in efficiency.
This success is the result of implementing different steps to help the customers in the field. We worked very hard to eliminate the use of that form. We’ve done a heck of a job getting people to use DCAM. As a result, customers utilize the automated tools to improve the basics of supply chain management to procure class VIII supplies.
What are some of those steps?
First, we contact units shortly after they establish an account with the SSA to ensure that they have everything they need to procure their class VIII supplies. We also schedule site visits with incoming brigade medical supply offices (BMSOs) within 30 days after their arrival to discuss theater MEDLOG business processes and determine the needs of the local unit.
We help customers determine if they can use DCAM at their location. If the local network infrastructure will support the use of the system, we’ll help the customers work with the local director of information management (DOIM) and Combat Service Support Automation Management Office (CSSAMO) personnel for the correct IP addresses and resolve any firewall issues.
We also hold training sessions to educate users how to best use the system to fulfill their needs. We created and implemented a MEDLOG battle rhythm—the processes performed by the level 1 and 2 customers to synchronize the ordering of medical supplies with the SSA.
Our efforts have helped to eliminate many of the orders submitted on paper forms to be hand jammed by the level 2 customer. It has also helped everyone to take ownership of the entire process and streamline the supply chain. The customers love the automated MEDLOG systems and there is a lot of traction for DCAM right now.
Why are the site visits important?
The face-to-face meetings stress the importance of DCAM and reinforce use of the system. We also teach the customers how to make the system work the best way possible for them. Not everything about DCAM is user friendly, such as generating metrics and reports to manage the stock of the BMSO.
We learn from the customer what their supervisors require and then show them how DCAM can generate the required information for accurate performance indicators.
Why did you develop the battle rhythm processes for MEDLOG customers?
We started teaching the processes and procedures of the MEDLOG Battle Rhythm to manage the supply chain more efficiently. As a result, the customer does not have to rely on calling the SSA customer support to determine the status of orders. It also alleviates avoidable situations to help process orders faster. When customers factor in the conditions to submit their orders, they manage the supply chain more efficiently.
What is an example of a problem that the battle rhythm helped to alleviate?
- “The customers love the automated MEDLOG systems and there is a lot of traction for DCAM right now.”
If a level 1 customer submits an order at 1715 local time, the order will not be processed by the level 2 customer until the next day. Level 2 customers process orders that come in before 1700. As a result, the order submitted by the level 1 customer after the cutoff time is delayed a full day.
As customers become accustomed to the battle rhythm, it helps make them accountable to the processes. It also helps to reduce the wait time for orders and improves their ability to manage the supply chain.
Have customers expressed interest with DCAM, but say that they could not use it because of network issues?
Many times I have heard customers say that they would like to use DCAM, but that they can’t for various reasons. Connectivity is usually the culprit. That’s why commanders need to get involved. We try to help the customer by talking with the unit’s S6 (Signal) shop and local DOIM to help resolve network issues. The commanders on the ground have much more influence to establish those relationships and tackle the issues.
Why have all customers in Iraq not migrated to DCAM?
We have some customers that are in remote locations and they do not have the infrastructure to support the system. There are teams that visit that are on the road constantly and do not have the means to send in orders electronically. When they are in the area, they drop off their DA 3161s to replenish supplies before they hit the road again.
Did you get any resistance from customers about using DCAM?
We got some that resisted the change, but most customers realized that the system would make their lives easier and they were ready for the change. The thing to remember is that the supply chain had a kink that needed to be worked out. Level 2 customers received the 3161s and hand jammed the orders into the system. DCAM eliminates that step.
What are some improvements that you would like to see made to DCAM?
DCAM is a great tool and does what it was designed to do—help level 1 customers with their orders and the level 2 customers process the orders from the lower levels. That being said, the level 2 customers are struggling to manage their warehouses. It would be good if an automated tool was added to DCAM to help the BMSOs manage the stock of their warehouses.
It would also be good if the school houses would dedicate more time to “train as you fight” with DCAM. Sometimes when we talk with the users, it’s as though they were given a tool, but they have no idea how to use it to manage the stock of their warehouses or conduct basic supply chain management.
- “We’ll have a lot less waste and we’ll also become better stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars.”
BMSOs working with the level 2 machines are having a hard time doing stock analysis, determining which items to stock and anticipating customer demand. This would improve their demand accommodation, customer satisfaction and improve customer wait times.
They can pull the number of orders that are keyed in, but it is a tedious process to sort through the orders. DCAM does not perform automated tabulation and does not break down the supplies into categories.
The BMSOs typically manage approximately 350 line items and level 1 users at the battalion aid stations manage approximately 50. I spoke to some level 2 customers and they report stocking 650 line items. This is double the inventory they should have. This information, along with the amount of supplies we receive at the SSA for destruction, tells me that the customers have no control over inventories and do not have an effective system to determine authorized stock lists (ASLs), requisition objectives (ROs) and reorder points (ROPs).
I think if we can implement processes to utilize automated tools to determine and anticipate customer demands with greater precision, the customer will begin to trust the supply chain to deliver the supplies with reasonable order ship times (OSTs). We’ll have a lot less waste and we’ll also become better stewards of the taxpayers’ dollars. We’ll also develop skill sets that rival those in the civilian marketplace, thus, preparing young logisticians for life after the Army.