Maintenance and Sustainment Strategy Implementation
NCMS Project #: 141021
Problem: Industrial production organizations are facing complex maintenance and sustainment product support decisions to increase capability and reduce costs with an acceptable level of risk. These decisions are further complicated by factors such as data rights acquisition, manpower and training requirements, infrastructure, and aging fleets requiring more maintenance actions to extend the lifecycle. These issues are not limited to industry. The U.S. military services are also facing these same challenges relative to the maintenance and sustainment of weapon systems and support equipment (aircraft, transportation vehicles, aerospace ground equipment). As a result, there is an opportunity for the government to analyze alternative maintenance and sustainment strategies to optimize performance, lower costs, and reduce the reliance on OEMs and third-party suppliers.
Benefit: Lessons learned from this project can act as a surrogate for private industry and organizations that desire to either diversify, consolidate, or blend their maintenance and sustainment activities, as operational requirements and fiscal resources dictate. The cross-functional model investigated will mirror other diverse organizations across the DoD and private industry alike.
Solution/Approach: The C-17 SPO is committed to optimized sustainment performance and lowering lifecycle costs by transitioning Depot Maintenance workload from the OEM to the government in order to take advantage of the lower labor rates of the Air Logistics Centers, among other opportunities. This project will demonstrate the advantages of implementing a long-term sustainment strategy, that leverages the benefits of reallocation of OEM skillsets. The methodologies implemented to achieve project goals are extensible and can serve as a model across other organizations, both private and public.
Impact on Warfighter:
- Reduce lifecycle costs
- Increase productivity
- Optimize sustainment support
- Improve warfighter readiness
DOD Participation:
- U.S. Air Force
Industry Participation:
- Guidehouse LLP
- NCMS
Benefit Area(s):
- Cost savings
- Repair turn-around time
- Maintenance management improvement
- Improved readiness
Focus Area:
- Business processes/partnerships