Defense Partners with NCMS in $100,000 Maintenance Technology Challenge
ANN ARBOR, MI – December 8, 2011. The Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Maintenance, Mr. John Johns, has issued the 2012 Maintenance Technology Challenge designed to introduce new technologies to DoD’s maintenance facilities that will help sustain materiel availability at reduced cost. Mr. Johns has tapped the Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) Program, a unique collaboration between OSD and the National Center for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS) to administer the $100,000 challenge. Mr. Johns sees this as “a unique opportunity to drive innovation and maintenance technology insertion by leveraging the strong track record of the CTMA program and partnership with NCMS.” In driving in this direction, he has also emphasized “the need of bringing new, but proven, technologies from the commercial sector into DoD maintenance as a key element of a multi-pronged strategy to continue to produce the levels of materiel readiness required by our military forces, but at a substantially reduced cost.”
Concept papers are due to NCMS by March 1st, 2012. “We are looking for projects that demonstrate strong benefits not only to the DoD but to industry as well,” states Dr. Chuck Ryan, NCMS Vice President and co-director of the CTMA Program, he adds that “strong teaming with DoD maintenance facilities is also encouraged.”
The selection criterion for project ideas includes the level of innovation, overall benefits, ability to deploy the technology within 12 months, and the strength of the team. Five finalists will be given the opportunity to present their project ideas to the DoD Senior Sustainment Leader Panel, who will ultimately choose the winning team for the Challenge as part of the 2012 CTMA Symposium, being held at the U.S. Navy Fleet Readiness Center Southwest in Coronado, CA, March 26-28, an annual NCMS symposium which showcases technologies being developed with DoD maintenance activities, and features briefings by senior DoD leaders around issues and plans for the sustainment of their fleets.
In addition, a technology showcase will be hosted by FRC-SW presenting an opportunity for NCMS membership to demonstrate new technologies that may be of interest to the DoD. Up-to-date information on the Challenge, Symposium and Technology Showcase can be found at www.ncms.org.
About NCMS:
The National Center for Manufacturing Sciences, the largest cross industry collaborative Research & Development consortium in North America, is dedicated to driving innovation in commercial, defense, robotics and environmentally sustainable manufacturing. NCMS has over 25 years of experience in the formation and management of complex, multi-partner collaborative R&D programs, and is backed by corporate members representing virtually every manufacturing sector.
About CTMA:
The lifesaving Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) program is a Department of Defense supported NCMS initiative that ensures American troops and their equipment are ready to face any situation, with the most up-to-date and best-maintained platforms and tools on earth.