PHILADELPHIA –
The Defense Logistics Agency Troop Support’s Medical supply chain is using radio-frequency identification to enhance precision in warfighter support by streamlining the tracking of medical materiel pallet shipments.
The United States Army Medical Materiel Command East is Medical’s first customer using the RFID. During a site visit, USAMMCE collaborated with DLA and the Prime Vendor to provide a solution for their requirement for this technology to identify urgently needed pharmaceuticals. This effort was implemented in April.
“[The warehouse] can receive up to 10 pallets of pharmaceuticals in a day,” said Ruth Herman, Medical pharmaceuticals prime vendor division chief. “If something was urgently needed, they couldn’t easily tell which pallet to open first to get at the product immediately to fill patient demands. This technology helps improve swift identification of urgent shipments.”
Leveraging the innovative application of RFID ensures Troop Support continues to optimize support to warfighters, said David Dymond, Medical tailored vendor logistics specialist.
“Use of the RFID technology is integral to maintain DLA Troop Support’s battle rhythm," said Dymond, “especially, when meeting our warfighter’s demands. Having the RFID technology decreases the turnaround time of when an order is received at DLA Troop Support and processed providing precise delivery of medical materiel for the warfighter.”
Working closely with USAMMCE, Medical supply chain members researched a variety of technical options to improve the receipting process.
“Over the next several months, we discussed options to improve the receipting process,” Herman said. “We determined that using RFID tags on the pallets that links to a list of products in the pallet would help provide that visibility. In accordance with DLA Troop Support’s dedication to precision in support of the warfighter, an extensive testing period was followed by a phased implementation to ensure they meet military requirements.”
Responding to the direct request, the Medical supply chain was able to implement usage of this new technology for USAMMCE.
“We are very happy that our team is agile enough to meet the most technical customer needs,” said Herman. “We are always looking to implement the latest technological support of our customers in a way that optimally streamlines the efficient supply of the most urgent medical materiel."