taktik(z)» Supply Chain Tag Archive | A System of Organizations, People, Technology, Activities, Information and Resources Involved in Moving a Product or Service from Supplier to Customer – taktik(z): Serving the Industrial Manufacturing Markets | Government, Defense and Infrastructure http://taktikz.com/blog Optimizing Industrial Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management Sat, 31 Jul 2010 17:44:18 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=2318 Is the Term Supply Chain Obsolete? http://taktikz.com/blog/2009/10/07/is-the-term-supply-chain-obsolete/ http://taktikz.com/blog/2009/10/07/is-the-term-supply-chain-obsolete/#comments Wed, 07 Oct 2009 17:56:58 +0000 taktik(z) http://taktikz.com/blog/?p=13512 Does the word chain accurately reflect the required communication flow of supply and demand throughout the supply network?

In actuality, the Supply Chain reflects a series or sequential set of steps that are required to build and deliver products to customers. Brand owners or manufacturers need to order and receive products or materials from suppliers, who in turn need to receive materials from suppliers and so on through the multiple tiers of a given supply chain. In addition, at each tier in the supply chain, manufacturing operations and/or assembly/test operations need to be accomplished, which in many cases are represented as levels in the respective bills of materials at each tier in the supply chain. This is what has to occur for products to be manufactured and delivered to customers.

In a lot of cases, the communication of supply or demand changes tend to follow this same linear, sequential series of steps up and down the supply chain. Communication of a demand or supply change is initiated by the brand owner or manufacturer and this has to be communicated sequentially through the multiple tiers of suppliers. In addition, the assembly or manufacturing at each tier are represented in multiple bill of material (BOM) levels at each tier. At these BOM levels, there can be production orders, firmed orders or master production schedules that hold the current schedule until a planner changes them and allow these changes to continue flowing through the chain.

Therefore, if this same linear, sequential series of multiple tiers of suppliers as well as multiple BOM levels need to be followed to communicate and collaborate changes required of supply and demand, then weeks and even months can go by before the changes reach the end of the supply chain. Obviously, by this time, another series of changes can be rippling through the links in the chain and the supply chain cannot respond to these changes in a timely manner.

This problem is only magnified when you consider the risk factors associated with increased outsourcing that can result in more supply disruptions/issues. And strikes, political issues, recessions and even natural disasters can all cause minor to significant supply disruptions that will throw off the normal chain of activities. The end result can be excess inventory or lost sales due to not having products available for delivery to the customer.

So while obviously the concept of the supply chain is certainly not obsolete, the information flow and collaboration throughout the supply chain needs to flow seamlessly and not as a linear, sequential series of steps.

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]]> http://taktikz.com/blog/2009/10/07/is-the-term-supply-chain-obsolete/feed/ 0 Vector Strategy Armor Forecast 2009 http://taktikz.com/blog/2009/09/03/armor-procurement-forecast-for-ground-vehicles-2009/ http://taktikz.com/blog/2009/09/03/armor-procurement-forecast-for-ground-vehicles-2009/#comments Thu, 03 Sep 2009 19:27:25 +0000 taktik(z) http://taktikz.com/blog/?p=13011 Vector Strategy has published the April 2009 release of their Armor Procurement Forecast for US Military Ground Vehicles.

Questions Answered in This Report

  • How much steel plate and aluminum plate will be required annually FY08 to FY15 to fulfill armor procurement for military ground vehicles?
  • What vehicle platforms and armor programs are driving FY08 material requirements and how does that change through 2015?
  • How is demand for MRAP‘s and EFP protection affecting material requirements for armor for military ground vehicles?
  • What are the sales and market share of leading armor manufacturers?
  • Who are the major suppliers of material for armor for military ground vehicles?
  • Where are the likely material bottlenecks and backlogs / shortages in the armor supply chain?
  • What percentage of composites used in armor applications are reinforced with high performance glass fibers, aramid fibers, and HMPE fibers?
  • How does the use of ceramics in armor for military ground vehicle change from 2006 to 2015 and what is Vector’s prediction of aluminum oxide versus silicon carbide use in armor for military ground vehicles?

Materials Addressed in This Report

  • Steel Armor Plate
  • Aluminum Armor Plate
  • Titanium
  • Depleted Uranium
  • Other Metals (Such As P-900 Cast Steel Plate)
  • Transparent Armor (I.e. Ballistic Glass)
  • Ceramic Powder and Ceramic Tiles
  • Composites
  • Materials Used in the Construction of Composites Such as Resin, High Performance Glass Fibers, Aramid Fibers, and UHMWPE Fibers
  • Miscellaneous Other Materials

Highlights from the forecast include

  • Vector Strategy projects that $16 billion of armor for US military ground
    vehicles     will be procured by the DoD for US military forces between 2009 and
    2015 (seven years inclusive).
  • The armor procurement forecast for FY09 through FY11 represents a steady, but
    even, decline from peak armor procurement in FY08.
  • In this forecast, Vector Strategy conceptually starts to link funding for
    HMMWVs, MATVs, and JLTVs    . This is an important consideration over the entire
    forecast horizon.
  • With the forecasted expansion of MRAP/MATV vehicle and armor programs, all
    vehicle categories now share a significant portion of total armor procurement.
  • B Kit and Add-On-Armor Kit procurement for medium and heavy tactical vehicles
    (such as FMTVs, HEMTTs, M915s, MTVRs, and LVSRs) are important contributors to
    total armor procurement.
  • This forecast very aggressively incorporates upgrade and RECAP programs, PIPs,
    and modernization efforts     for current force vehicle platforms in FY12 to FY15.
    These programs include armor upgrades.
  • Vector Strategy has made significant changes in their assumptions regarding the following platforms: JLTV, FCS MGV, EFV, ECV2, MRAP/MATV, and the MPVF (Mine Protected Vehicle Family).

According to Marcia Price, president of Vector Strategy, “To develop our armor procurement forecast, we have analyzed SECDEF Gates April 6 statements on Department of Defense (DoD) procurement decisions, the FY09 DoD supplemental budget request of April 10, current Administration defense priorities, and policy papers from leading Washington DC think tanks.”

“This release also incorporates all vehicle and armor contracts awarded since August 2008 and the FY09 DoD Appropriations Act and Authorization Act. We believe we have developed a thorough and well positioned armor procurement forecast for FY09 to FY15 that reflects the best information available to the industry today.”

Source: Material Requirements and Supply Chain Analysis of Armor Procurement for US Military Ground Vehicles

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]]> http://taktikz.com/blog/2009/09/03/armor-procurement-forecast-for-ground-vehicles-2009/feed/ 0 Design, Engineering and Prototyping Services http://taktikz.com/blog/products-services/manufacturing-management/design-engineering-and-rapid-prototype-services/ http://taktikz.com/blog/products-services/manufacturing-management/design-engineering-and-rapid-prototype-services/#comments Mon, 17 Aug 2009 02:28:53 +0000 taktik(z) http://taktikz.com/blog/?p=126364c0b31050de38 Delivering innovative designs and that produce cost effective and superior quality, service and speed.

Our highly trained and experienced design team is driven by methods and processes within our quality management system that promotes continuous product improvement. We are experts in structural steel design and fabrication along with our vast knowledge of plastics, open and closed cell foams, woods, fabrics, rubbers and urethane products allows us to offer a variety of solutions to meet your needs.

Engineering & Part Design

  • Program & Data Management
  • Value Engineering & Analysis
  • Part Drawing Review & Analysis
  • DFM/DFA (Design for Manufacturability/Design for Assembly)
  • 2D & 3D Modeling Versions
  • On-Site Support
  • Material Specifications and Selection
  • Market Research & Testing
  • Rapid Prototyping
  • Build Drawings
  • Development of Standards
  • Assembly Line and Building Layout

By working closely with our customers, partners and manufacturing team, we assure designs are functional, can be manufactured efficiently and built with repeatable quality.

Program Management

  • Single Point of Contact
  • Technical and Schedule Reporting
  • Optimized Internal Communication Structure
  • 24/7 Online Program Management Access

Warehouse & Logistics

  • Proprietary Kanban Inventory Management System
  • Just In Time (JIT) Manufacturing
  • Freight Forwarding Management
  • Packaging and Shipping Simulation Tests

We will work with electronic part data, physical parts or with physical parts as required in the development process. Our prototype team excels at quick turn around, solving problems and refining products for manufacturing and ergonomics.

CAD Systems

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]]> http://taktikz.com/blog/products-services/manufacturing-management/design-engineering-and-rapid-prototype-services/feed/ 0 Intralogistics http://taktikz.com/blog/2009/06/14/intralogistics/ http://taktikz.com/blog/2009/06/14/intralogistics/#comments Sun, 14 Jun 2009 05:57:29 +0000 taktik(z) http://taktikz.com/blog/?p=12314 (...)
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]]> http://taktikz.com/blog/2009/06/14/intralogistics/feed/ 0 Twitter Updates for 2009-03-04 http://taktikz.com/blog/2009/03/04/twitter-updates-for-2009-03-04/ http://taktikz.com/blog/2009/03/04/twitter-updates-for-2009-03-04/#comments Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:43:00 +0000 taktik(z) http://taktikz.com/blog/2009/03/04/twitter-updates-for-2009-03-04/ Twitter Updates for 2009-03-04

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]]> http://taktikz.com/blog/2009/03/04/twitter-updates-for-2009-03-04/feed/ 0 Big Three Failure Would Impact Defense Supply Chains http://taktikz.com/blog/2008/11/17/big-three-failure-would-impact-defense-supply-chains/ http://taktikz.com/blog/2008/11/17/big-three-failure-would-impact-defense-supply-chains/#comments Mon, 17 Nov 2008 21:40:31 +0000 taktik(z) http://taktikz.com/blog/?p=9829 A failure by one or more of the Detroit Three automakers and their suppliers could put national security as well as the economy at risk, since the defense industry supply chains draw heavily on such companies, government officials said Monday at the Michigan Defense and Innovation Symposium at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, MI.

Gen. James Cartwright, U.S. Marine Corps vice-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said an automotive failure would disrupt some defense supply chains. But he stopped short of saying it would threaten security or cripple the nation’s defenses.

But U.S. Sen. Carl Levin, who chairs the Senate Armed Services Committee, did say the possible loss of one or more automakers and their suppliers could be a security problem.

Levin was returning to Washington to seek support Monday for allocating $25 billion out of the recent $700 billion stabilization or federal bailout package toward automotive bridge loans.

The Army Tacom Life Cycle Management Command, headquartered in Warren, MI managed about $30 billion in various contracts with companies making tank and automotive products for the Army during fiscal 2008.

The automotive industry accounts for 4 percent of U.S. gross domestic product and an estimated 1 in 10 U.S. jobs is in some way auto-related, according to federal data.

Source: Failure of the Big Three Would Impact Defense Supply Chains

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]]> http://taktikz.com/blog/2008/11/17/big-three-failure-would-impact-defense-supply-chains/feed/ 1 Inventory Turnover http://taktikz.com/blog/2008/10/07/inventory-turnover/ http://taktikz.com/blog/2008/10/07/inventory-turnover/#comments Tue, 07 Oct 2008 17:26:24 +0000 taktik(z) http://taktikz.com/blog/?p=1797 Inventory turnover is a ratio showing how many times a company’s inventory is sold and replaced over a period.

This is usually calculated as sales divided by average inventory.  A better way to calculate it is to divide cost of goods sold by average inventory because inventory is usually recorded at cost, not market value.

So for example, if we sell $120,000 worth of product during a year and the cost of goods relating to those sales was $100,000 and the average inventory was $25,000 then the inventory turnover would be 4.  If the inventory level averaged $50,000 then the inventory turnover would be 2.

Inventory turnover is important because it is a measure of investment productivity.  A good way to evaluate that is GMROI or gross margin return on inventory investment.  In the above example, when our inventory turnover 4, the GMROI was $20,000/$25,000 or  80%.  When the inventory turnover was 2, the GMROI was $20,000/$50,000 or 40%.

It’s much better to make an 80% return than a 40% return which shows how important inventory turnover is.

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]]> http://taktikz.com/blog/2008/10/07/inventory-turnover/feed/ 0 Interest In RFID Projects Growing http://taktikz.com/blog/2008/10/01/interest-in-rfid-projects-growing/ http://taktikz.com/blog/2008/10/01/interest-in-rfid-projects-growing/#comments Wed, 01 Oct 2008 15:26:00 +0000 taktik(z) http://taktikz.com/blog/?p=8995 Information technology (IT) channel companies report that their customers are showing more interest in radio frequency identification (RFID).

Source: Survey: Interest In RFID Projects Growing.

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]]> http://taktikz.com/blog/2008/06/09/taktikz-links-2008-160-7/feed/ 0 Redesigning Supply Chain for Sustainability http://taktikz.com/blog/2008/06/09/redesigning-supply-chain-for-sustainability/ http://taktikz.com/blog/2008/06/09/redesigning-supply-chain-for-sustainability/#comments Mon, 09 Jun 2008 20:08:28 +0000 knowlimit New study of future supply chains discovers benefits such as reduction in transportation, handling, lead time and lower emissions.

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