Photo By Hendrick Dickson | NORFOLK, Virginia (November 2, 2022) Military Sealift Command (MSC) Transportation...... read more read more
The Military Sealift Command’s (MSC) Supply Chain Management Division, Code N48, ensures the command’s 130 ships have all the parts and materials needed to accomplish their mission, and they have to be ready to get them out of the warehouses at a moment’s notice.
Tucked away in MSC’s Transportation Office at building W-143 in Norfolk, Virginia, are two people who arrange, oversee and track the delivery of those parts from when they leave the warehouse to when they touch down on the decks of the ship. This dynamic duo is responsible for “delivering the goods” at MSC.
MSC Transportation Officer Carlos Douglas and Contract Transportation Supervisor Carly Tew align Department of Defense-approved private industry carriers with the Supply Chain Management Division to deliver materials and parts for MSC. They are responsible for all movement of materials between warehouses, vendors, shipyards, and ships
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“We make sure everything is moving,” said Douglas. “We make sure shipping requests are good and have all the right information on them; we certify invoices and track and trace material to confirm it gets where it needs to go. And we pay the invoices after they’re delivered.”
Douglas and Tew work with nearly 1,000 carriers who rely on the delivery of government-funded materials. The two oversee the movement of thousands of parts each week.
“In the past 14 days, our department has shipped 2,314 line items,” said Tew. “That number can fluctuate and get higher or lower, but there is always constant movement.”
Building a network of competent carriers is invaluable for the Transportation Office. It isn’t just about having a list of companies. It takes working with different carriers and distinguishing the ones which are best capable of meeting MSC’s needs.
“We use best value,” said Douglas. “Basically, it’s based on who gets it done and can meet the RDD (requested delivery date).
Code N48 operates 19 warehouses in various regions in the world. Douglas says the key to overcoming the challenge of operating from afar is having a network of dependable carriers and coordination with other N48 Transportation Officers (in MSCPAC San Diego and MSCO Guam) who are all keys to successful deliveries to whichever time zone or AOR.
“Right now, we have a shipment in Australia, and it needs to go to Souda Bay, Greece,” he said. We must work with people worldwide on their time frames navigating different time zones. Sometimes we’re eight hours behind schedule trying to work with people in an entirely different time zone.”
Establishing an expeditious and accurate delivery program is about more than just carriers. Tew says that supply officers in the fleet and the entire supply chain management division have a role in that the Transportation Office is able to do its job effectively.
“Having reliable information and ensuring everyone is on the same page,” she said. “If the ship isn’t updating their CRIF (Cargo Routing Information File) that can push back the delivery because we don’t have an accurate shipping information. We don’t want something going to the wrong ship or just not getting where it needs to go as soon as possible. We want to get it right the first time to avoid having to re-do it.”
MSC’s supply chain management program is a complex operation vital to mission success—not just for MSC but across the entire military spectrum. MSC couldn’t deliver without the men and women in Code N48, and Code N48 couldn’t deliver without its own delivery service and the entire Transportation team who runs it.
| Date Taken: | 01.03.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 01.03.2023 13:57 |
| Story ID: | 436219 |
| Location: | NORFOLK, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 96 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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