CTMA Project #: 140729
Problem: Over the last 10 years, manufacturers in instrumentation, industrial machinery, consumer electronics, medical industry, nuclear industry, aviation industry, packaged goods and other complex engineered products have discovered the benefits of PLM solutions and are adopting PLM software and best practices in increasing numbers. However, the DoD has lagged behind industry by continually maintaining a huge catalog of legacy systems that contain technical data spanning best practices of several decades. The continuation of the PLM initiative for Aircraft Sustainment will significantly improve the maintenance and service lifecycle process and expand beyond the success of the initial F/A-18 initiative.
Benefit: Industry is challenged with PLM technology in developing assets for the DoD while supporting a larger supplier base to manufacturing parts for DoD. Working together with DoD to incorporate best practices with their own suppliers (even if they are internal) to ensure that they are producing the right parts, especially the flight critical components will increase the operational readiness of the warfighter and reduce costs.
Solution/Approach: The project approach will be built on the substantial work accomplished through the earlier NCMS projects. Because the work performed at each of the FRCs varies and each location is at a different level of maturity, the approach has been divided into three sections, one for each FRC location. Upon completion of the project, the three FRC locations will share a common PLM backbone with similar functionality, tailored to their unique organizational configuration. The common backbone will enable the FRCs to share data, resources and manufacturing capabilities in an efficient configuration managed environment through the lifecycle of their products.
Impact on Warfighter:
- Single source bill of materials
- Trackable service activity history
- Cohesive collaboration between FRCs
- Savings in time, money and energy
DOD Participation:
- U.S. Navy (FRC Southwest)
- U.S. Navy (FRC Southeast)
- U.S. Navy (FRC East)
Industry Participation:
- Siemens PLM
- NCMS
Benefit Area(s):
- Cost savings
- Repair turn-around time
- Obsolescence management and continued maintenance capability
- Positive environmental impact
- Improved readiness
Focus Area:
- Business processes/partnerships
