NATO Codification in the Supply Chain

Below is a brief descripton of how NATO Codification integrates into the Supply Chain.

Codification Policy is set by AC/135 and all participating countries follow the same guidelines.

There are many Codification databases, America has FEDLOG, the French have SOPRANO, Germany have NCORE and the Spanish have SICADMIL to name but a few. In the UK we use the Item of Supply Information System (ISIS) for the benefit of our Army (A), Navy (N) and Air Force (F).

The three services each have their own Stores Management Systems which in turn control several satellite inventory management systems. The Army have Stores System 3 and systems like OLIVER, the Navy have CRISP and systems such as Oasis and the Air Force have SCCS and systems such as MJDI POC.

Using the Army as an example, when an item is introduced into service the Army apply to have the item codified. Along with the record on ISIS, NCB also creates a Supply Management Data form (SMD) which is sent to SS3 prompting the creation of a record on the stores system.

If commodity managers or users of the item discover a mistake that needs correcting, or simply want to amend or add a reference, the Army can let us know using an etasking Form. We'll update ISIS which automatically generates an 'up-issue' of the SMD which will update Stores System 3.

This process can be repeated as many times as is necessary to keep ISIS and Stores System 3 in sync and up to date. The Navy and Air Force stores systems work in exactly the same fashion.

ISIS also reconciles regularly with the three main stores systems in order to bring to the attention of commodity managers any inconsistency. Codification, in addition to providing an invaluable common supply language within the supply chain, is essential for maintaining effective and efficient stores management systems, helping to Deliver Logistics solutions to the front line.