Wireless Command & Control System (WCCS) for Material Handling Equipment (MHE) Installation at Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany
NCMS Project #: 140707
Problem: Despite a myriad of major Service sponsored maintenance initiatives focused on improving maintenance automation and readiness for tactical vehicle fleets, aircraft, vessels and combat vehicles, very little has changed regarding the business process associated with maintaining, managing and improving operational readiness of the industrial vehicle fleet. For example, there is typically significant, ongoing over-maintenance of these vehicles because maintenance schedules are based on straight calendar time or on hour meters that imprecisely reflect key time and seat time, rather than on actual motion time where most wear and tear occurs. In fact, on average, industrial fleet vehicles are actually in motion only 30% of their key/seat time[1]. Furthermore, because there is no positive control over the vehicle or its whereabouts at any given time, vehicle fleet size at any given site tends to average 15-25% higher than required for day-to-day tasks[2], and require multiple man hours per week[3] spent unproductively trying to locate vehicles. Finally, because industrial fleet vehicles tend to be a non-controlled asset with no key control or operator accountability, these vehicles are potentially available to unlicensed and/or untrained operators who are most often responsible for lost work time accidents and/or costly damage to both the vehicle and cargo/inventory within a given facility.
Benefit: The efforts in this project will identify the enterprise requirements, acquisition, maintenance, and sustainment initiatives that directly support and complement the OSD-mandated supply chain and total ownership cost efficiencies. The benefits derived by the DoD from this effort will facilitate prudent investment decisions, cost documentation and efficiencies, and improve force readiness and ground equipment performance in line with DoD imperatives. This effort will help reduce the Service-level risk associated with the mix of forces, equipment, and support attainable within fiscal constraints.
Efforts will improve equipment accountability specifically across the DoD through validation of unit inventories via data mining and data cleansing in the Accountable Property System of Record (APSR) and accounting records. This project will identify and test process improvements evaluated through corrective action plans to maintain accurate records, both physical and electronic, to ensure data used for decisions is correct. Careful record keeping ensures that limited DoD resources are applied judiciously in the austere fiscal environment in which it now operates.
Solution/Approach: Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) wireless fleet management hardware and software solution, termed the Centralized Fleet Automated Management System (CFAMS) will be installed on fifty (50) vehicles to be identified by the Marine Corps Albany Logistics Base (preferably 20 each 9,000 lbs. forklifts and 30 each 4,000/5,000 lbs. forklifts.
Impact on Warfighter:
- Increased fleet operation readiness/availability
- Maintenance/repair cost reductions
- Labor cost reductions
- Operator productivity increases
- Decline in damage to vehicles, cargo and facility
- Improved vehicle locating and fleet optimization
DoD Participation:
- U.S. Marine Corps (Albany)
- U.S. Army (Anniston) observer
- U.S. Army (Rock Island Arsenal) observer
- U.S. Air Force (Warner Robins ALC) observer
- U.S. Army (TACOM) observer
- U.S. Army Materiel Command observer
- U.S. Army (Red River) observer
Industry Participation:
- I.D. Systems, Inc.
- NCMS
Technology Focus Area(s):
- Cost savings
- Maintenance management improvement
- Improved readiness
[1] Based on client business cases and ROI studies from clients including Ford Motor Company and the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).
[2] Based on client business cases and ROI studies from Price Chopper and Ford Motor Company.
[3] Based on client business cases and ROI studies from the U.S. Postal Service (USPS).