The feature, written by Jeremy Grant, opens at ASCO’s 125,000 sq ft facility in Aberdeen, where thousands of critical spare parts for North Sea operators are stored and can be delivered offshore within 24 to 48 hours. ASCO believes the same approach, refined across the 50 warehouses it runs globally, is just as applicable to how the Ministry of Defence manages procurement for new platforms and how the Royal Navy organises spare parts for its ships.
Angela, who recently presented a paper in Australia on how materials management can improve submarine readiness, highlights the challenges ASCO has addressed across oil and gas, offshore wind, mining and other critical industries, including supplier fragility, ageing assets, obsolescence and a low tolerance for unplanned downtime, which equally affect defence.
Against a backdrop of rising security threats and the UK’s biggest increase in defence spending since the Cold War, Mike explains why military procurement needs to become far more adaptable and resilient. Drawing on his previous experience leading Babcock’s warships, marine and technology business, he points to opportunities for ASCO in ship programmes, major infrastructure and long-term sustainment, adding that in oil and gas “there is no warehouse offshore”, which is why the industry learned to have the right materials in place exactly when they are needed.
The article also looks at ASCO’s ambition to become one of the top UK defence logistics and support providers, the appointment of a principal defence advisor with 28 years’ experience in the British Army, and Scotland’s growing role in the defence industry.