The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has launched the Technical Data Management Transformation (TDMT), a new initiative to modernize and streamline its technical data processes.

The agency is piloting a system that integrates real-time technical data from product lifecycle management tools into a centralized digital repository, aiming to eliminate inefficiencies and boost supply chain responsiveness.

“Having that tech data accurate, ready and being passed digitally back and forth is absolutely essential to how we’re going to do business. That in a nutshell is what the TDMT is all about,” DLA Acting Land and Maritime Commander Kenneth Watson reportedly said while speaking at the DLA Supply Chain Alliance Symposium.

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has already achieved a high level of automation, with more than 90% of its contract actions fully automated and often completed within seconds. 

However, according to Watson, a critical gap remains in the area of technical data.

“We have automated so much of the supply chain, but the one piece we always missed was the tech data piece, and it’s so important,” he added.