on Facebook
on Twitter
on YouTube
Document Information
Leveraging Complementary Distribution Channels for an Effective, Efficient Global Supply Chain
DoD makes use of five different distribution channels to sustain U.S. military forces overseas. Three are air delivery channels and two are by sea. These channels offer varying speeds of delivery and have different costs. In addition to these variables, there are certain practical constraints that must be taken into account in making choices among channels, and for surface transportation, the marginal cost of additional inventory must also be considered. In this briefing, we analyze the implications of all these factors for how the channels should be used — which transportation modes should be chosen and where materiel should be stocked — to provide effective support as efficiently as possible. We describe the distribution choices for some illustrative units in Iraq and compare them with the ideal model resulting from our analysis. We find that, through gradual evolution, the sustainment structure for Iraq is beginning to match the model. We offer several guidelines for improving sustainment in the near term by bringing current practices closer to the ideal.
Support RAND Research — Buy This Product!
Paperback Cover Price: $20.00
Discounted Web Price: $18.00
Pages: 70
ISBN/EAN: 978-0-8330-4134-0
Free, downloadable PDF file(s) are available below.
RAND makes an electronic version of this document available for free as a public service. If you find this information valuable, please consider purchasing a paper copy of the full document to help support RAND research.
Use Adobe Acrobat Reader version 7.0 or higher for the best experience.
Contents
Chapter One:
Leveraging Complementary Distribution Channels
Chapter Two:
Major Distribution Channels
Chapter Three:
Capability and Cost Tradeoffs
Chapter Four:
Ideal Distribution Channel Roles
Chapter Five:
Current Support Structure Design: A Unit View
Chapter Six:
Routes to Improvement: Unit View
Chapter Seven:
Current Support Structure Design: An Item View
Chapter Eight:
Improvements and Future Needs
The research described in this report was sponsored by the United States Army and conducted by the RAND Arroyo Center.
This product is part of the RAND Corporation documented briefing series. RAND documented briefings are based on research presented to a client, sponsor, or targeted audience in briefing format. Additional information is provided in the documented briefing in the form of the written narration accompanying the briefing charts. All RAND documented briefings undergo rigorous peer review to ensure that they meet high standards for research quality and objectivity. However, they are not expected to be comprehensive and may present preliminary findings. Major research findings are published in the monograph series; supporting or preliminary research is published in the technical report series.
Permission is given to duplicate this electronic document for personal use only, as long as it is unaltered and complete. Copies may not be duplicated for commercial purposes. Unauthorized posting of RAND PDFs to a non-RAND Web site is prohibited. RAND PDFs are protected under copyright law. For information on reprint and linking permissions, please visit the RAND Permissions page.
The RAND Corporation is a nonprofit research organization providing objective analysis and effective solutions that address the challenges facing the public and private sectors around the world. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.
* RAND research is conducted across divisions, centers, and projects; these organizational components are represented in the "Related RAND Divisions" section above.
Top
RAND® is a registered trademark. Copyright © 1994-2009 RAND Corporation. Last Modified: December 07, 2007 