FUJITSU INTEGRATED LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT (F.I.L.M.) – TRACKING ASSETS TO AND FROM THE BATTLEFIELD
By Julian Nettlefold
23 May 08. Dr Houtan Houshmand and Gary Mutch of Fujitsu Services, gave the Editor a brief on the FUJITSU INTEGRATED LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT (FILM) system, currently under trial by the MoD.
“FILM came about as a result of a 90 day Challenge from our Future Concepts Centre in Basingstoke,” Dr Houtan Houshmand told the Editor. (See: BATTLESPACE UPDATE Vol.9 ISSUE 34, 30 Aug 2007, FUJITSU – DEMONSTRATING THE ART OF THE POSSIBLE – IN 90 DAYS). “The aim of the Project was to demonstrate to the MoD our ability to integrate disparate logistic systems, therefore provide End-to-End visibility of joint assets, and the tracking of demands to and from the battlefield. In short FILM sees ‘Everything you’ve got, who requested what, where to deliver it and how long before it gets there ’ – it enables the authorised user to see and manage the whole logistic chain from any network web browser.”
“What is Fujitsu Integrated Logistics Management?”
“FILM is a ‘factory to foxhole’ logistics solution allowing planning, tracking,
monitoring and sustainability of the supply chain in a classified environment. Military logistics is not easy; with multiple suppliers, disparate systems and deployed locations all over the world, failures are far too common and the consequences of failure often fatal. What’s required is an E2E solution that lets you plan, track and monitor the logistics chain in both directions, forward and reverse and critically in total security.. Even when the supply chain is constantly changing, you must be able to see exactly what you’ve got, who needs it , and whether you can deliver on time and monitor the shipment progress throughout.”
“We have had numerous Reports of the MoD not being able to trace the number of vehicles, in particular, which it has either in theatre or in store, will FILM solve this type of problem?”
“Yes, once a vehicle or spare part is requested from the operational theatre, FILM will manage the demand on an end-to-end transactional backbone. It interrogates the inventory and manages the fulfilment processes seamlessly across multiple military information systems and across multiple suppliers.”
“I assume that the information requested is only as good as that fed into the system. Again we have had Reports of spares packages in particular being found at MoD Depots where there was no note of their presence on the system.”
“Of course, FILM is dependent on the accuracy and cleanliness of MOD logistic information, however it will give visibility of all stocks as well as those that are in-transit to depots and units, by access to information from the individual inventory and demand tracking systems, which are currently undergoing streamlining by the MoD.”
“Is FILM unique in its processes?
“FILM like technology is being exploited commercially by a number of major retailers and also our US Department of Defence colleagues FILM is a fully integrated resource that unites all existing systems and applications to give the user total visibility and control and, as a result, the ability to make better decisions by highlighting exceptions triggered by the relevant business rule or threshold such delivery dates or priority codes.. A web-based interface shows you the up to date picture, , allowing you to make the right decisions despite shifting demand and supply patterns. Lost items, late delivery and over or under ordering can be hugely expensive mistakes. FILM reduces such errors by an effective Logistic Decision Support (LDS) mechanism that enables the decision maker to predict failure and therefore respond timely and with confidence. By doing so in a dynamic operational environment, saves money, time, while enhancing front line effectiveness and user confidence.
Right thing, right place, right time.”
“Can you track an item as with current civil tracking systems operat