By Dawn Jessen, Logistics Lead, Oshkosh Defense
Please can you give a summary of your role and main responsibilities?
Logistics Lead – NGDV. I lead the strategic initiatives and customer delivery for the Next Generation Delivery Vehicle – USPS. My main responsibilities include continuous improvement with processes that track quality, transportation and delivery of the NGDV. I also work with our corporate team to ensure we are partnering with the right Carriers and maintain Supplier Compliance, specifically for inbound material used to manufacture the NGDV. This includes initiatives that maintain cost and time efficiency.
Looking back at your career trajectory, how have your role and responsibilities evolved in response to the increasing digitalization of manufacturing?
Oshkosh Corporation, specifically the Oshkosh Defense segment has primarily focused on the quality of their product without the need to focus on efficient delivery systems and total cost associated. The frequency of their manufacturing model is reaching new highs with the introduction of this new contract. The customer is asking for more in a smaller window of time. Due to the new digitization of manufacturing processes, platforms need to speak to each other if they are going to be successful. Training, testing and creating standard work instructions have been added to my responsibilities to streamline the evolution of our systems and way of thinking. I have had the opportunity to collaborate with an array of functional teams to make the integrations a success, at the same time, expand my own knowledge base to effectively communicate the need at the plant level.
What were some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned as you’ve grown as an innovation leader in the manufacturing industry?
I have learned that change is hard for some leaders. When I worked at Amazon, innovation was a requirement if you wanted to advance your career. Part of the promotion process was outlining what innovative project you planned, executed and tracked throughout the year. This project had to have an impact on either the business or the people. The results had to be quantified and proven. This type of thinking was much more high speed than that of my current company and their partners. I am not saying Oshkosh isn’t in the business of growth and innovation, the process to execute is just more expansive.
It was beneficial to understand how different businesses implement change. In the manufacturing industry, a small change could be a big change for other functional departments. Knowing how to research and identify third and fourth order effects is key to the success of the proposed change. Getting “buy-in” from all key stakeholders leads to a faster turn-around on implementation.
In your opinion, what are the most crucial skills and qualities that manufacturing leaders need to possess in the digital age?
I truly believe patience and flexibility is a crucial quality to have as a manufacturing leader in the digital age. We are all guilty at some point in our careers of doing something because that’s “how we’ve always done it”. In order to evolve, you have to be open to change and humble enough to know that you may need to learn a few things to understand how a new system improves your situation.
What advice would you give to aspiring manufacturing leaders who are interested in building a successful career in this digitally transforming industry?
Stay current. Read every article, take a course, ask questions and be a sponge. Remain flexible, especially on things that you are not familiar with. We get comfortable and sometimes feel like a system or process is taking our workload which will ultimately make us look incompetent, but in fact, is the opposite. The more you know, the better. If I can use digitization to take the busy work off my hands, it opens my time to look for new opportunities for innovation and improvement. I welcome automation in my daily tasks. I welcome AI and machine learning, so that I don’t have to worry about a repetitive process. Now that time is open for me to focus on improvement, relationships or advancement.
What are you hoping to take away from the 4th MX.0 Southeast conference?
My hope is to meet SME’s (Subject Matter Experts) who can assist me in expanding my own understanding of the digital age and how it can benefit my role and my company.
