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Kuhne Foundation Provides IOM Iraq with Logistics and Supply Chain Management Training

Oct 30-Nov 3, 2011 News

Amman, October 30-November 3, 2011

Building on ongoing efforts to strengthen and grow the mission's supply chain capabilities, the International Organization for Migration's Iraq Mission recently completed a five-day training on logistics and supply chain management held in partnership with the Switzerland-based Kühne Foundation.

The Kühne Foundation (Kühne-Stiftung), a non-profit foundation created by the owner of the international transport company Kühne + Nagel, supports humanitarian organizations like IOM with improving their logistics management structures by providing expert evaluation and training. IOM Iraq has been working to improve its logistics processes with the Kühne Foundation since January 2011.

Vladimir Gjorgjiev
Head of Field Procurement Unit
IOM Manila

"Overall, this training was very inspiring. The private sector manages their supply chain excellently, and their processes are very applicable to IOM's operations. Training like this provides us with a clear direction for the future, with the ultimate goal of serving more beneficiaries while saving time and resources."

Two representatives from the Kühne Foundation, Mr. Olaf Janssen and Mr. Jonas Stumpf, facilitated the training, which was attended by 35 IOM staff from Iraq and other missions around the world.

IOM Iraq has been working to improve its logistics processes with the Kühne Foundation since January 2011. In addition to providing an initial training on supply chain management in January, the Kühne Foundation also conducted a site visit to IOM Iraq's Erbil Hub in October. During this visit, the foundation's representative was able to view and evaluate first-hand IOM's warehousing and procurement activities in the field. At this latest training, the Kühne representatives described the mission's progress as "impressive".

Jonas Stumpf
Project Manager
Kühne Foundation

"With less input IOM is able to produce more, and to me that is a huge success. Perhaps the biggest achievement is how the team is working together now. Having seen the situation nine months ago and now sitting together with the supply chain managers, I really get the feeling that they are working toward a common goal. The Iraq Mission is now operating on a much higher level, and with this training I think we've started the next phase of building IOM-wide support for supply chain management."

Over the course of the five-day training, participants were given the opportunity to put the theoretical concepts that were presented to them on logistics and supply chain management into practical use. Exercises ranging from simulated distributions for a chocolate factory to detailed case studies of successful supply chains allow participants to see the practical applications of their new knowledge.

Modher Al Hamadani
Operations Officer
IOM Iraq

"I've learned that supply chain management does not only apply to logisticians. Every aspect of the mission is linked, and the principles taught in the training can be carried over to my operations work – we all need to consider how waste can be eliminated in order to maximize our efficiency. This ensures that our beneficiaries get the best services and assistance. Everything in our lives can be looked at in terms of a supply chain, and by maintaining and improving it we can achieve more with less effort."

From the outset, the training was designed to include not only logistics and procurement staff but also operations and administrative staff, who play a major role in supply chain management. All of the functions within an IOM mission – from information technology, to public information and operations – are part of the supply chain, and thus can benefit from this type of training.

The Kühne Foundation also provided two experts from the prestigious Porsche Consulting company, a subsidiary of the automobile manufacturer, to contribute to lectures and exercises. The topics covered by the Porsche Consulting representatives included "Value Stream Analysis" and "Logistics Process Optimization."

Michael Eisenbach
Consultant
Porsche Consulting

"I appreciate the opportunity given to us by the Kühne Foundation to participate in this great training. Having never before worked with the humanitarian sector, I was pleasantly surprised by the creativity and motivation of the participants. There is a great deal of potential that still remains mostly untapped. From what I have seen, humanitarian organizations have similar challenges to the private sector, and the tools and methods that we use can be equally as effective."

The latest training incorporated the findings and recommendations from the earlier field visit to Erbil to ensure that staff were given knowledge and skills that are directly relevant to their day-to-day operational activities.

Nasir Al Atrakhchi
Logistics and Procurement Officer
IOM Cairo

"The skills and principles taught in this training are going to be very fruitful for IOM, but we need to make sure that they make the transition from paper to reality. I would like to see more IOM logisticians brought together to truly institutionalize these ideas from A to Z. IOM has proven that it can 'do more with less' than other organization, so taking the next step and implementing a proper supply chain management system will really have a positive impact."

As IOM enters a new operational phase in Iraq in the coming year, the mission will take on new programme activities while at the same time expanding and refining ongoing initiatives. In this context, the principles of effective supply chain managment will remain crucial to the mission's success in meeting the needs of Iraqis.

Mario Lito Malanca
Head of Preparedness and Response Division
IOM Geneva

"This course is timely for IOM and is linked to one of the organization's key priorities, which is staff development. In practical terms, the training has helped us learn how to streamline our processes to make sure that we can rapidly restore the lives of those affected by crises. There is a growing understanding of the importance of supply chain management within the organization. I used to say often to my colleagues that we are very good at justifying projects in terms of 'what, where, when and why,' but we need to also focus on 'how.'"

The progress made by IOM Iraq since the initial training conducted by the Kühne Foundation in January was noted by the foundation's representatives as well as the mission's senior management.

In order to further support this momentum and build upon what the mission has already been able to accomplish, IOM Iraq will continue building upon its valuable relationship with the Kühne Foundation. It is envisioned that by early 2012 IOM Iraq will have fully implemented the recommendations put forward by the Kühne Foundation in the previous year, and will continue to plan additional trainings and other activities to further strengthen the mission's capacity.

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