Industry Day: learning from industry first hand

Translog: Journal of Military Transportation Management, Jan-Feb, 2003 by Katherine J. Floyd

Ever wonder how commercial firms manage to get their goods into customer's hands--just in time?

MTMC employees receive continual insights into commercial processes such as product distribution through Industry Day sessions. We invite executives from commercial firms that work with us to come in and talk about their organizations' processes and challenges. Monthly sessions are held at the MTMC Operations Center, Fort Eustis, Va., and MTMC Headquarters Alexandria. We link the sessions by video conferencing to allow employees at either location to attend.

Recent visitors for our September session came from J.B. Hunt Transport Services, of Lowell, Ark. The firm's executives talked about distribution techniques used by the company to move products such as cereals and jeans.

They suggested that a number of their concepts might assist the movement of Department of Defense cargoes. The trucking firm's presentation included information on its new in-transit tracking technology known as Terion. The company is one of the first in the nation with the technology, which provides in-transit visibility to its trailers, said Dave Will, vice president sales national accounting.

"The services the company provides dictate the content of the presentation," said Richard Parker, a customer service analyst who coordinates the program. "A number of our staff members regularly attend the information sessions."

J.B. Hunt was invited, said Parker, because of its reliability as a MTMC contractor. J.B. Hunt, like all MTMC carriers, is qualified to carry military cargoes through the Freight Carrier Registration Program.

The Industry Day sessions are well received by staff, said Brad Bernard, a lead traffic management specialist with the Domestic Business Services Section.

"The information can help us better support our warfighters," said Bernard.

Maureen Carlo, lead traffic management specialist for carrier performance, with Global Distribution Domestic, agrees.

"Industry Day provides a great opportunity for partnering," said Carlo. "The various industries show us a variety of the opportunities we have for transporting Department of Defense cargo."

The program is designed to share information in both directions. It started at MTMC Headquarters Alexandria in 2000. It was expanded to the Operations Center early this year.

"This program provides us with valuable opportunities to gain insight into commercial best practices," said Capt. Ed Horres, director of Global Distribution.

Future Industry Day sessions at the Operations Center, said Parker, will include trucking, maritime and rail firms.