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Tinker hosts supply-chain seminar with Republic of Korea

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  • By Mike W. Ray
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  For the second time, Tinker AFB hosted a U.S. Air Force/Republic of Korea Air Force supply chain management seminar recently. The event was held Oct. 21-24 and featured myriad briefings.

For example, Nicole Robie, Depot Supply Chain Management chief in the 848th Supply Chain Management Group, provided an overview of depot supply chain management. The DSCM process "looks at how supportable the requirement will be over the next 90 to 720 days. We look at current usage, current inventory, and what we expect to buy or repair to fill the future requirement." Based on that information, "We provide a supportability assessment," she said.

Jerry Gray of the 429th Supply Chain Management Squadron discussed the Air Force Sustainment Center's implementation and execution of the industry-standard Supply Chain Operations Reference model. A significant benefit achieved through utilization of the SCOR model was a roughly 100 percent increase in demand forecast accuracy, from 29 percent in September 2008 to 58 percent in September 2012, records reflect.

Frank Washburn, director of the 948th Supply Chain Management Group, provided insight into the mandate of Lt. Gen. Bruce Litchfield, AFSC commander, to achieve cost-effective readiness. Of particular interest to the ROKAF were the observations and lessons learned from the standup of the "5 Center Construct". One important lesson learned is the value of collaboration and cost-effective readiness to be gained by placing supply functions and maintenance functions under the same commander.

The most significant portion of this year's seminar, however, was a discussion of strategic sourcing as a vital contributor to SCM process improvements. In addition to leveraging buying power, strategic sourcing improves supply chain flexibility and aligns suppliers more closely to the mission. In terms of cost benefits, strategic sourcing lowers overhead with smaller inventories, while reducing lead times for items procured.

The USAF/ROKAF SCM seminars began in accordance with an agreement among the Air Force Materiel Command vice commander, the commander of the former Air Force Global Logistics Support Center, and the South Korean Air Force Logistics Command, said Barbara Tourville, director of the 430th Supply Chain Management Squadron.

Officers from the ROKAF visit the Air Force Sustainment Center "for mutual discussions concerning supply chain management practices, innovations and lessons learned," said Tera Huizenga of the 430th SCMS, who works for the International Business Squadron.
ROKAF officers participating in this year's event were Col. Lee Dong Won and Lt. Col. (select) Lee Jae Hong. Also in attendance was Lt. Col. Yun Keungbok ("Kevin"), an ROKAF officer assigned to the OC-ALC as a foreign liaison officer.

After hosting the inaugural seminar in 2010, the ROKAF plans to host the 2014 seminar in South Korea.

The seminars "focus on SCM topics of mutual interest and provide a forum for the exchange of information," Ms. Tourville said. The 2013 seminar held at Tinker, headquarters of the Air Force Sustainment Center and the 448th Supply Chain Management Wing, provided on-site access to many AFSC process owners and fostered valuable face-to-face dialogue with ROKAF participants, she explained.