Page 27 - Linkline Summer 2017

Deploying
In the absence of military aircraft, a 3PL Ocean Freight solution was needed. Equipment was loaded at Ringaskiddy Port using LIFO bound for Halmstad Port in Sweden. The loading concept of choice was RO-RO (8-hour operation) but LO-LO (20-hour operation) was the procured system due to 3PL availability and sailing schedules. This presented another immediate challenge in that it would have required two drivers moving four containers at a time from Halmstad to the brigade assembly point 141km away in Skillingaryd. Comdt James Hourigan expertly negotiated with the Swedish Forces and secured their assistance to move 13 of the Irish containers using seven of their trucks.
Lessons Learned
In the business domain, strategic renewal is a perennially- unfinished process that all organisations undertake as they aim to alter their path, and positively affect their long-term prospects.
For most logisticians and supply chain professionals, such renewal is often ‘directed’ by the business goals of senior management.
There seems to be an absence within academic literature as to how supply chain operations can influence the formulation of subsequent strategies.
However, although directed, there is naturally a degree of ‘shaping’ or ‘re-framing’ of strategies to resolve logistical challenges and to align with situational needs, without moving outside the boundaries of the organisation’s core competencies (and strategic orders). Most reframing in the present climate is in order to enhance agility and responsiveness, where supply chain disruption is rising significantly due to increased globalisation and security threats.
Logistics: An Irish Defence Forces story
The Logistics Branch of the Irish Defence Forces successfully re-framed and aligned ‘business’ strategy to operational readiness as part of Ireland’s rotation of the Nordic Battle Group. It was demonstrated how a senior management directive (strategy) underwent an extensive period of preparation, shaping and re-framing to align with situational
needs, while simultaneously maximising stakeholder value (the Irish taxpayer) and ensuring actions taken were to the benefit of future rotations and missions. Arising from this mission, and potentially leading to greater influence on future strategic formulation were some key findings:
Preparation Phase: The extent of shaping and re-framing (a natural phenomenon) of the directed strategy is an indication of the shared understanding between senior management and the logistics division. One would hope that excessive re-framing would justify involvement in future strategic formulation rather than the predominant role of ‘execution’ that our discipline plays, particularly when such execution is time sensitive.
After Action Review: (stand down) led by Lt. Col. Paul Carey: This was an open forum in which lessons learned were communicated and recommendations made for future deployments, a process of retrospective analysis that is detrimentally not often utilised by corporate firms. One example was the consolidated transfer of vehicles to the next battle group, which would not have been considered prior to the NBG rotation.
Financial: Incremental cost efficiencies for subsequent missions arising from container utilisation demonstrates the benefit of testing the boundaries of core competencies. The ability and foresight to achieve this, however, should be factored into the strategic formulation process, given the importance of value recognition.
The Irish Defence Forces are international leaders in areas such as bomb disposal, peacekeeping and humanitarian missions amongst others. The success of the Nordic Battle Group rotation and the accolades received from their Swedish counterparts suggests that the proficiency and resolve of the Logistics Branch is indistinguishable to that of their peer divisions.
Credits: Lt. Col. Paul Carey, Comdt Laurence Egar, Capt Robert Moriarty and Comdt James Hourigan and Grainne Lynch, Immediate Past Chairperson 2016-17 Term, CILT Southern Section.
Steve O’Sullivan
Logistics Manager - NuaLight stosullivan@nualight.com Doctoral Candidate
Article edited by Universal Media
The CharTered InsTITuTe of LogIsTICs & TransporT 27
LOGISTICS