Tech 101: Digital Supply Chains

Registration will open soon!

Streamlined and efficient logistical capabilities have always been a critical component of warfighter success. To maintain this efficiency, the Department of Defense (DoD) and defense industrial base are undertaking an ambitious effort to digitize their supply chains. This move will bring substantial advantages over traditional approaches to defense logistics, from improved acquisition timelines and accelerated design reviews to automated data-driven decision-making and just-in-time part delivery. Digital supply chains will foster collaboration between functional domains, allowing program managers, contracting professionals, engineers, logisticians, financial managers, and test professionals to collaborate seamlessly in real time. However, many critical steps must be taken to ensure the widespread adoption of digital supply chain technologies and practices, including ensuring access to digital material management (DMM) tools, training a digital workforce, instilling a digital-first culture, developing digital strategies, structuring and securing data, and modernizing IT infrastructure. This presentation will discuss the basics of digital supply chains, illustrate the importance of digital supply chains to the DoD, and provide an overview of ongoing DoD and government activities to develop and implement digital supply chains across the defense enterprise.