Jain hind Ki sena

Supply chain logistic management in the Indian army : 

 

 A vast land surrounded by trying terrains ,the Indian army has an leviathan task at hand . With 1, 129,000 active ,960,000 reserves and 158 air crafts standing guard at our borders ,the Indian army  the pride of the nation is the second largest standing army in the world . Infiltration by the Chinese , provocation from the Pakistanis and the never ending flow of refugees from Bangladesh are all concerns for the Indian army.

To thwart an enemy attack and to secure the boundaries is no easy task but the Indian army has always faced any eventuality with valor and efficiency

The Indian army is forever engaged in research,development  and acquisition of means to fortify itself .The acquisition of such capabilities requires much more than hardware . Armament is not it's only concern ,it also requires associated maintenance infrastructure , together with an assured supply chain and complete infrastructure for training .this ensures that the weapon system is sustained at the optimum level of performance by giving it  continuous back up maintenance and  having a fully proficient crew manning it .

The supply chain logistics in the military scenario has no parallel with any commercial supply chain either in scope or in the deadly serious nature of its operations . The uninterrupted supply chain is if paramount importance to the sovereignty of the nation as well as the security of life of its brave hearts standing guard .A small lapse or delay can be a matter of life and death ,of a war lost or won .

Early beginnings : a legacy from the British rule

We have to thank the British for handing to us on a platter well oiled and equipped array of workshops , depots which were developed to serve in the second world war.after independence ,the defense public sector undertakings and ordinance factories were established for manufacturing and developing defense armament under license .the public sector profile meant that there were always time run overs and capacity constraints ,so the services had to set up elaborate infrastructure for maintenance up to depot level repair and overhaul for not only the imported equipment's but also for the equipment license manufacture that these defense public sector undertakings and ordnance factories

Army supply chain : an overview

An army supply chain is a three tire alignment . First comes the chain that's fast and caters to moving light commodities like food , medicine and clothes .second comes the chain that transports  major heavy duty weapon systems that requires maintenance and repair over extended periods . The third is the deployment chain which moves large number of soldiers in very short time and in trying situations .unlike commercial supply chains army supply chain has reverse and lateral flows .as and when army inculcates a weapon in its arsenal it is entirely responsible for its maintenance , up gradation and disposition even as its users keep changing

Army supply chain divisions :

Typical army supply chain process flow

Up gradation and modernization:

In the last decades ,Indian army army has undergone s major change of improvement by integration of computer technology and adoption of flexibility in structure . It is shedding obsolete practices and outsourcing them to private concerns in the market .the various maintenance and up gradation contracts with private players is such an initiative to lessen the burden of did activities on army and to bring efficient resource management .the advent of globalization has had it's impact on the army's operations as various bills which aim at promoting collaboration

Which aim at promoting collaboration with foreign manufactures for development and research has given advancement in supply chain logistics

What the future holds :

India has one of the most hostile terrains along its border , the infrastructure needs much more development in order for the supply chain to be more efficient ,reliable ,safe and faster means of transportation network has to be created

The research and development wing of the army is galvanizing its efforts and making use of the cutting edge technology in it and logistics to maximize resource utilization so as to cater to any potential call for support from the forces

Most of the army's support systems are managed by obsolete government departments which are entwined in bureaucracy and red tap-ism .In order to tidy over this the army needs to outsource its support system to private operators on performance based contracts

The army conducts mock supply chain drills at regular intervals to keep a check on the bottlenecks ,loopholes and shortcomings so when an actual need arises they are adept at handling it

Conclusion :

They lay down their today's so our tomorrows are safe . When we go to bed in peace please remember to thank a soldier braving the odds and standing guard at sub zero temperatures , in rugged terrain , in makeshift bunkers .high morale ,patriotic to the core ,efficient and equipped ....

 That's Indian army for you . Serving you above self .