from an article by CDR David Hartley, USCG
The U.S. Coast Guard operates a fleet of over 200 aircraft, ranging from helicopter to jet to accomplish its wide-ranging missions in a demanding maritime environment. decision/analysis
partners assisted the Coast Guard with breakthrough analyses to improve its supply chain management and ultimately improve fleet availability and mission performance.
In the first phase of the program, the Aircraft and Repair Service Center (ARSC) in Elizabeth City, NC teamed with decision/analysis partners who used decision mapping and risk analysis
methods to identify supply chain hot spots. In the second phase, using advanced statistical analysis software from the SAS Institute, the team focused on capturing the top procurement activities most likely to
influence reliability of product delivery, repair price and durability.
The first step led to the construction of the Coast Guard aviation's first-ever data warehouse. The warehouse aggregates and melds vital day-to-day transactional data into useful
informational views. Staging key data elements empowered ARSC Inventory Managers and Procurement professionals to cut across a sea of data to focus on a comprehensive analysis of procurement drivers impacting key
business processes.
The ARSC used a "tiger team" approach, supported by decision/analysis partners, to implement process improvements in the procurement area targeted in the analysis. The team identified ways
to reduce internal inefficiencies by investigating candidate items through the previously listed criterion. With ARSC's $130 million annual repair/replenishment budget as the backdrop, the analysis pointed to
substantial opportunities to tighten links in the supply cha in between government and supplier. The analysis also provided a framework for assessing which parts could be repaired faster and cheaper internally
versus externally. The analytical framework will enable ARSC to more effectively leverage its in-house parts repair capabilities.
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