So How Will Telesto Improve USTRANSCOM Operations?
We know that USTRANSCOM uses about 60 different systems to track item movements around the world. And we know that Telesto was selected to merge those 60 systems into many fewer. But how? The answer is…in phases.
There are eight main factors the USTRANSCOM’s new Transportation Management System (TMS) will address:
Lack of integrated operations globally (locations and systems don’t talk to each other)
Inability to link movement requirements to specific assets
Specific solutions for each mode of transportation (air, ship, truck, etc.)
Inability to plan/coordinate transportation among more than one mode of transportation
Poor integration with vendors (cargo ship carriers, logistics trucking companies, etc.)
Limited movement visibility
Lack of financial traceability from order submission to payment received
Proper cybersecurity measures
Telesto is implementing an out-of-the-box SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system to create the USTRANSCOM’s TMS and is deploying capabilities in phases, as prioritized by the customer.
In the fall of 2018, the first phase rolled out that provided a visibility dashboard across CONUS operations that showed things like the amount of freight being shipped by carrier as well as some cost metrics per carrier.
In May 2019, the first delivery came and went from the two U.S. mainland sites to the Army & Air Force Exchange Service in Hawaii via an ocean freightliner and trucks. TMS users scheduled, tracked, and managed the entire shipment from start to finish for the first time ever!
In the summer of 2019, TMS added eight more locations that manage unit moves and use sea and aerial ports. This phase linked assets from air or ship to trucks from multiple locations at multiple times.
In the fall of 2019, TMS will welcome the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to its user ranks. DLA manages the global supply chain for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, 10 combatant commands, other federal agencies, and partner and allied nations. With such a huge inventory of items to be shipped and tracked, this phase was the largest to date.
With a program schedule that goes out to February 2020, there will be many more phases and even more and more TMS users to streamline USTRANSCOM operations and support global readiness.