​For decades, endless paper blueprints guided the welders and shipfitters of Depots and Shipyards. Now, when an aircraft carrier is back in a drydock for its midlife overhaul, shipyard workers are laser-scanning its spaces and bulkheads.

Navy is compiling a digital model of the carrier, so subsequent projects will be  designed and planned on computers. to help bring the shipyard’s carrier overhaul work in line with its digital design-and-manufacturing processes that are already speeding up construction and maintenance on newer vessels.

These digital shipbuilding concepts are revolutionizing the way ships are designed and built.

“We want to leverage technology, learn by doing and really drive it to the deck plates. This is the future. This isn’t about if. This is where we need to go.”

The technology workers use to design, build, and overhaul submarines and aircraft carriers is rapidly changing. Paper schematics are quickly becoming a thing of the past, being replaced by digital blueprints easily accessible to workers on handheld tablets.

“The new shipbuilders coming in, are not looking for you to hand them a 30-page or a 200-page drawing.  “We’re really transitioning how we train workers and how we do things as far as getting them proficient.”

The technology is spreading beyond the shipbuilding sector. Contractors are using digital tools to design a new pilot training jet and an aerial refueling drone. Services are planning to evaluate new engines for planes that have been around for decades, using digital tools. The technology is allowing companies to build weapons faster than traditional manufacturing techniques.

Engineers are already using digital blueprints to design ships, but they plan to expand the use of the technology into manufacturing in the coming years. “We want to be able to leverage off all that data and use it.  “There’s lots of things we can do with that data.” Data from the ship’s computerized blueprints are being fed into machines that fabricate parts.

In the future, even more of that data will be pumped directly into the manufacturing robots that cut and weld more and more of a ship’s steel parts.

“That’s the future. “No drawings. They get a tablet. They can visualize it. They can manipulate it, see what it looks like before they even build it.”

As shipyard workers are  giving  carriers a thorough working-over, they are using laser scanners to create digital blueprints of the ship. These digital blueprints are creating a more efficient workforce and reducing cutting as many as six months from a three-year overhaul, 

The top of its massive island — where sailors drive the ship and control aircraft — has been sliced off. It will be rebuilt in the coming months with a new design that will give the crew a better view of the flight deck. The island already sports a new, sturdier mast that can hold larger antennas and sensors. 

The yard is combining its digital ship designs with augmented reality gear to allow its designers and production crews to virtually “walk through” the ships spaces. This helped the yard figure out, for example, whether the ship’s sections were designed efficiently for maintenance.

In addition to robots, the additive manufacturing techniques, like 3D printing, could speed shipbuilding even more and reduce the Navy’s need for carrying spare parts on ships. For example, he Navy is testing a 3D-printed valve.

“It’s really not about reducing our workforce as much it is about doing more with the workforce we have.  “We’re still going to hire people. We still have to ramp up. There’s still hands-on things that are always going to have to be done. But it definitely helps us with cycle time to be able to build things quicker” and “enable our workforce to be more efficient.

Two Navy Super Hornet squadrons have reduced maintenance turnaround times and are boosting aircraft readiness as part of naval aviation’s maintenance reform initiatives under the Naval Sustainment System [NSS]

The  initiative leverages best practices from commercial industry to help reform aspects of naval aviation’s fleet readiness centers, organizational-level [O-level] maintenance, supply chain, engineering and maintenance organisations and administrative processes. Initially, the NSS is concentrating on getting the Navy F/A-18 Super Hornet fleet healthy before rolling out the approach to every Navy and Marine Corps aircraft.

Fixes include assigning crew leads to manage the maintenance on each aircraft and reorganising hangar spaces, parts cages and tools.

The most significant change has been the delegation of ownership over each aircraft in for repairs from the squadrons’ maintenance material control officers, or MMCOs, to individual crew leads.

Traditionally, MMCOs must keep track of the status of each aircraft in for maintenance as well as the Sailors working on them, and that’s in addition to deciding what maintenance actions are required for each jet and which aircraft are safe to release for flight. Assigning junior-level crew leads to each jet removes some of that burden from the MMCOs and has led to improved communication and increased accountability.

“The crew leads are not making the maintenance decisions; that's still done by the maintenance controllers, but what it allows for is it sheds those maintenance control chiefs of having to know every status of every jet, of every person, all day long,” 

Now the crew owns that process and know where the people are, know the status of the parts, and brief that up the line.” For those accustomed to doing their job a certain way, change did not come easy. But the benefits have been evident, 

“At first the changes didn’t feel productive because we didn’t really understand it, but now that we’ve had some time with it, it’s definitely helped improve our processes and communication,” 

Used to focusing exclusively on avionics, some workers said serving as a crew lead has forced them to approach the maintenance of his assigned aircraft more with benefit of the big picture. The increased responsibility of bringing an entire jet back online ultimately leads to a greater sense of accomplishment.

“Some aircraft are easy, and some are a struggle to get through. Rather than working on a jet for a couple hours to complete the one thing assigned to your shop and then moving on to the next jet, this way you take more ownership toward completing the whole thing.”

Having crew leads that can focus on individual jets — and communicate with the various maintenance shops — relieves maintenance control from having to keep near-constant track of as many as a dozen aircraft at a time. 

“Crew leads have cut down on empty communication, so now maintainers aren’t stuck behind a maintenance control desk, can walk around to each shop and talk to them personally. There’s a lot more communication one-on-one, instead of one-to-one-to-one and then to maintenance control. It's definitely helped with communication and productivity with the jets.”

In tandem with the crew lead concept has been the utilisation of a whiteboard alongside each aircraft that informs anyone passing by as to the jet’s status. Information on the boards includes the names of the crew chief and additional personnel assigned to the aircraft, what maintenance is needed, and the expected completion date.

“If you physically walk through one of our hangars today, you can tell which ones have been updated and which ones haven't. “You know the exact status of that airplane, you know who's working on that airplane and when they expect that airplane to be up. There's going to be a crew lead who has that ownership.”

In addition, the two squadrons have begun treating the spaces around each Super Hornet in their hangars as dedicated workspaces, with all necessary tools and parts kept beside the aircraft rather than back in one of the various maintenance shops.

Now the tools for the jobs are right where they should be.  What we're seeing with that sort of approach, having our tools next to the airplane, having our status board next to the airplane, everything is going to the point of action being around that airframe, and we're seeing a really significant improvement in our mission capable rates.”

Both squadrons have also begun keeping larger parts in a centralised “parts cage” in the hangar, dramatically reducing the amount of time Sailors spend traversing the hangar in search of equipment rather than with their hands on an aircraft.

“It may be five minutes here or five minutes there, but over the course of a day across all those technicians, that's a lot of time saved by having those parts close to where the job is being done,” 

Many inefficiencies arose from work centers waiting on one another to be finished with an aircraft before beginning their own tasks. “There was a lot of waiting time in between.”.

Time management, communication and multitasking between shops have all improved following the O-level reform, Shops were encouraged to identify which of their tasks could be performed alongside another’s simultaneously. For instance, someone can check the lights in the cockpit from the side of the jet while someone from the avionics shop inspects instrumentation inside the cockpit.

“It cuts down a lot on worker hours, so we can minimise the time on the inspection.”

“It's been a tough pill to swallow, to see how inefficient we were  in that position, even though we thought we were on point every single time. “To now look back and go, ‘Wow, there were a lot of places where we could have improved.’ So, that's what's made us believers, is being able to look in hindsight and realise there's tons of this stuff we wish we had earlier.

But even with all this progress, more than half of the military's repair and maintenance depots for major weapons systems are in poor condition, resulting in delays in getting assets from submarines to tanks back in the field, according to a GAO report.

Of the 21 depots that maintain, overhaul and repair complex weapons systems, 12 were listed in poor condition and operating with equipment past its expected service life, according to the report.

The result has been a "general decline in depot performance over the past 10 years" and delays in returning weapons systems to the field for operations and training, the report states. In addition, "the military services can't determine how much of the decline is due to facility and equipment problems.

The report states that poor conditions at the facilities "can make the overall repair process less efficient, as maintainers perform workarounds that can increase maintenance time and costs."

"Because the depots are generally operating with equipment past its expected useful life, the depots may be incurring costs related to operating aging equipment, including performing equipment repairs, procuring spare parts, and expending labor hours to repair equipment while at the same time delaying mission-related work.”

For example, at one depot a shortage of paint booths results in vehicles remaining unpainted and stored outside, but exposure can lead to rusting that increases maintenance time and cost.

In another example, officials at a depot had to re-inspect 10 years' of parts made in a single furnace, after it was discovered that the furnace's controls were reading incorrectly.

"According to officials at the depot, this is the result of years of incremental construction that did not allow them to optimise their workflow.”

Services are not consistently required to track maintenance delays caused by facility or equipment conditions. This lack of tracking limits the services’ ability to target investments to facility and equipment needs that would have the greatest effect on repair times or other performance goals. 

By knowing how often facility and equipment conditions lead to work delays, the services could reduce the risk of investing in less critical facilities and equipment. They could also reduce the risk of more work stoppages caused by facility or equipment conditions.

Services’ plans are still in the initial stages, and each one is expected to lack key elements of a results-oriented management approach—including analytically based goals, results-oriented metrics, full identification of required resources and risks, and regular reporting on progress—that would help guide investment. 

As the shipyard optimisation plan has demonstrated, the cost of optimisation may be high and, once defined, will require sustained management attention over many years to carry out successfully. 

In addition, implementing a regular monitoring and reporting process to provide oversight and accountability over depot investments would further enhance DoD’s ability to attain improvements at the depots significant enough to reverse years of decline and reach the challenging goals set by SECCEF for improving mission capability rates and reducing operating and support costs. 

Despite the negative effect that poor conditions can have on depot performance, the military services do not consistently track when facilities and equipment conditions lead to maintenance delays. Based on our analysis, the services each track a form of maintenance delay— specifically, work stoppages caused by either equipment or facility conditions. 

Work stoppages are circumstances where maintenance can no longer proceed because the depot does not have everything it needs, including the facility space to begin additional work or equipment needed to perform a certain function. 

Although the services have the ability to track work stoppages, they do not all track both facility and equipment-related maintenance delays across all their depots. Further, even within a service, the depots may use different methodologies. Different methodologies make it difficult to compare across depots and identify issues. 

For example, according to Navy officials, the Navy aviation depots track work stoppages, but each depot uses different standards for determining which incidents are tracked. This means that an event counted as a work stoppage at one location might not be counted at another location.

The depots do not track maintenance delays caused by facility and equipment conditions, such as work stoppages more consistently because there is currently no requirement from their  respective materiel commands to do so. Every year, the services spend millions of dollars on depot facilities and equipment to meet their minimum investment requirement.

Establishing measures and using them to track maintenance delays caused by facility and equipment conditions would help the services to make better investment decisions because they could target investments to facility and equipment needs that would have the greatest impact on repair times or other key performance goals. 

Without knowing how often facility and equipment conditions lead to work delays, the services risk investing in less critical infrastructure and experiencing more work stoppages due to facility or equipment conditions.

The military services are developing optimisation plans for their depots, but these plans lack analytically-based goals, results-oriented metrics, a full accounting of the resources, risks, and stakeholders, and a process for reporting on progress. Including these elements could enhance the effectiveness of service depot investments. Furthermore, there is currently no process at the OSD level that monitors depot investment decisions or provides regular reporting to decision makers and Congress.

The services do not use the same performance metrics in managing their depots. The different performance metrics used in this analysis were: “Percent Completed On-Time” for Navy aviation and Air Force,  “Days of Maintenance Delay” for Navy shipyards, and “Production to Plan”  for Marine Corps. The Army depots use various schedule performance terms, though the most common is “Performance to Promise.“

Other performance metrics are collected by the depots, such as cost and labor hours. However, for the purposes of this review, we solicited the performance metrics from each service that they used to assess their own depot performance.

 Depot performance metrics can be measured in terms of timeliness, though the specific manner may vary by depot. For example, some depots measure whether an individual repair was completed when expected and measure the days past the expected date the repair was actually completed. Other depots set a target number of repairs to complete in a certain period of time.

Depot performance metrics tied to output are generally measured in terms of timeliness, though the specific manner may vary. For example, some depots measure whether an individual repair was completed when expected and measure the number of days past the expected date when the repair was actually completed. Other depots set a target for the number of repairs to complete in a certain period of time and track how many are actually completed each month. 

The service depots have generally experienced worsening performance in terms of completing maintenance on time or in the required amount over the past decade. The Navy aviation depots have seen decreases in their timely completion of maintenance for aircraft, engines and modules, and components.

For example, on-time performance for aircraft completed at the Navy’s three aviation depots has decreased from more than 50% percent a decade ago to about 30% in current fiscal year This occurred even though the number of aircraft scheduled for repair over that same time period declined by about 25%

DoD components were required to adopt a standardised process for facility condition assessments to ensure consistent and reliable data. Facility condition indexes were to be recorded using the standardised process  For this analysis, we weighted the condition ratings by the replacement cost of the facility, also known as the plant replacement value. This is to ensure that costlier facilities are weighted more heavily in the condition ratings,

For this analysis, we weighted the condition ratings by the replacement cost of the facility, also known as the plant replacement value to to ensure the costlier facilities are weighted more heavily in the condition ratings, For example, an expensive shop plant is weighted as more important than an inexpensive guard shack. This is the same method used by the Navy to calculate their condition averages.

We are making the following recommendations to improve Depot Operations:

1.  Establish measures for depots to rate facility or equipment condition

2. Ensure depots implement tracking of the condition assessment measures 
 
3. Identify factors leading to maintenance delays

4. Identify when facility or equipment conditions lead to maintenance delays 

5.  Incorporate key result elements in its depot optimisation plan,

6. Include analytically-based goals and metrics

7. Identify required resources, risks, and stakeholders

8. Develop an approach for managing service depot investments 

9. Include standards for management monitoring 
​
10. Prepare regular reports to decision makers and Congress on progress.

​Navy is monitoring deployments with an eye the ships’ maintenance while at sea. The amphibious ready group is part of a new pilot program that is “maybe a half-step or quarter-step away from predictive maintenance.”

As part of the service’s growing emphasis on information, the Navy has mined its maintenance and repair databases and tried to determine “where we think single points of failure might occur.”

Once the service identified those systems, it “pre-positioned” parts within the ship and within the ready group so Navy teams might accelerate their ability to repair systems most likely to break down, if or when ships run into trouble.

Navy has for years applied predictive maintenance practices within individual programs. For example, the service considered machine learning tools to help learn when to repair radars but now work is underway to adjust how they “provision” for the systems while at sea.

“We are shifting our perspective on the strategic value of condition data. We were always interested in individual areas of how we use condition data, but now, as we look at our advances to collect, store and process that data, we’re now at an inflection point.”

Predictive maintenance is the idea of identifying system failures before they happen with condition monitor and to then repair those systems before they break. The idea has quickly gained traction within Navy in recent years as a way to save time and money as well as to improve which aircraft, ships or vehicles may be available on any given day. 

Other services are also considering employing artificial intelligence and machine-learning technology as a way to take advantage of the maintenance approach.

For example. Marine Corps Trucks have been trained how to diagnose worn-out parts put in order for replacement and get 3D Print part delivered to installation locations.

Marines equipped about 20 military vehicles, including 7-ton Medium Tactical Vehicle Replacements MTVR and massive Logistics Vehicle System Replacements LVSR tractor trailers, with engine sensors designed to anticipate and identify key parts failures. 

It’s a commercially available technology that some industry vehicles already use, but it’s a new capability for Marine Corps trucks. Testing on those sensors will wrap-up soon and the service is going to assess how accurately and thoroughly the sensors captured and transmitted maintenance data.

If all goes well, the Marines then will work to connect the sensors with an automatic system that can order parts that will then be 3D printed on demand and delivered to the vehicle’s unit.

“How do we use that data and how do we link that back to our fabrication or supply network to make the system operate without a person in the loop, so make sure we’re doing push logistics versus pull logistics.

“Now we have the part there waiting when the vehicle gets back in from the convoy, or it’s already there a week in advance before we know we need to change it out. So that’s the concept and that’s what we’re going to try to prove with that.”

Marines want to bypass maintenance supply chains that sometimes have gear traveling thousands of miles to get to a unit downrange, and inefficient logistics systems that create lag while maintainers wait for parts to arrive.

“If we had the ability to print a part far forward, which we have that capability, that reduces your order-to-ship time. And you then combine that with what we call sense-and-respond logistics, or smart logistics, which is … it can tell you with a predictive capability that this part is going to fail in the next 20 hours or the next ten hours.

The goal of having trucks that can do everything but self-install repair parts is in keeping with the Marine Corps’ newfound interest in innovative technology. 

Marines recently became the first military service to send 3D printers to combat zones with conventional troops, so that maintainers could print everything from 81mm mortar parts to pieces of radios in hours, instead of waiting days or longer for factory-made parts to arrive.

It's time for the Marine Corps to cash in on technologies that industry is already using to advantage.
​
Here we provide an overall Condition-based Maintenance CBM Business Case Approach BCA process, common set of cost elements, measures of effectiveness, a notional BCA framework, and factors to consider when assessing and subsequently conducting a CBM BCA to shape an understanding of the areas that CBM capabilities might benefit a program/system, in order to support a go/no‐go decision and subsequent investment decisions with justifiable information. 

CBM is the application and integration of appropriate processes, technologies, and knowledge-based capabilities to improve the reliability and maintenance effectiveness of DoD systems and components. At its core, CBM is maintenance performed based on evidence of need and other enabling processes and technologies. 

CBM uses a systems engineering approach to collect data, enable analysis, and support the decision‐making processes for system acquisition, operations, and sustainment. In evaluating potential CBM capabilities, whether they are technologies, maintenance processes, or information/data knowledge applications, a BCA needs to address these areas in a comprehensive and consistent manner, particularly when an incremental acquisition or fielding strategy is being considered. 

Although the basic concept and purpose of BCAs are generally understood throughout DoD, many interpretations exist regarding assessment of CBM capabilities to ensure appropriate and accurate considerations are given to CBM capabilities, costs, and benefits. 

So, what is a BCA? A BCA is a decision support approach that identifies alternatives and presents convincing business, economic, risk, and technical arguments for selection and implementation to achieve stated organisational objectives/imperatives. 

A BCA does not replace the judgment of a decision maker, but rather provides an analytic and uniform foundation upon which sound investment decisions can be made. The subject of a BCA may include any significant investment decision that leadership is contemplating. 

For example, a BCA may be used to substantiate the case to invest in a new weapons system, but not at the same level as a Capabilities Based Assessment; transform business operations; develop a web‐based training curriculum; or retire an asset. 

In general, BCAs are designed to answer the following question: What are the likely operational/business consequences if we execute this investment decision or this action? The possibility exists that any projected savings or cost reductions identified in the BCA could be viewed as an asset available for reallocation in the budgeting process. 

In evaluating the potential application of a CBM capability, it is important to understand the desired end state from a CBM metrics perspective and key assumptions that may impact the system or CBM capability.
 
Must define the need for a BCA, understand and define the problem, and define the desired end state. This approach focuses on As‐Is system trends, evaluating Measures of Effectiveness and their cost drivers, key CBM metrics, determining if CBM is a viable solution and if so, what CBM capabilities are applicable, and then defining feasible solutions. 

Here we present some general questions and guidance that may relate to your CBM initiative. Answers to these questions are provided as information and an approach to support CBM implementation. As you plan your CBM BCA, the questions may assist in framing your general approach and strategy and ensure your CBM BCA is adequately defined and scoped to address key CBM business areas. 

1. What is the projected impact on system/component level replacement frequency?
 
2. Are there any contract alternatives/strategies impacting cost/schedule?

3. What is the projected impact on system/component level replacement frequency? 

4. Are there any alternatives contract strategies impacting cost/schedule? 

5. What cost, schedule, and performance risk is projected based on proposed technology for procurement, implementation, and sustainment? 

6. What maintenance tasks or functions can be eliminated or reduced? 

7.How can data analysis and decision making be automated to reduce support costs? 

8. What data needs to be collected to measure the costs/benefits of the CBM? 

9. What are the data sources and limitations for the data that needs to be collected? 
 
10. Does the CBM initiative improve our ability to assess schedule/cost?

11. Does the CBM initiative improve our ability to modify/improve current systems?

12. Does the CBM initiative improve our ability to design new systems? 

13. What is the impact on total life cycle cost, including disposal? 

14. How will this CBM system/subsystem affect operator usability? 

15. Are there incremental performance levels? 

16. What changes will be required for operator and maintenance personnel? 

17. What changes will be required for functional systems? 

18. What are the identity-specific metrics critical to support customer expectations?
. 
19. How will the repair/replace decision be affected? 

20. Will the system/equipment modernisation plan be affected and if so how? 

21. How will the CBM capability impact integration with other systems? 

23. How will the CBM capability impact service life margins? 

24. What is the impact on Maintenance Down Time? 

25. Will the system/equipment modernisation plan be affected and if so how?
 
26. What are the system/sub‐system and/or components project CBM capability? 

27. What systems will have a direct/ indirect affect on a planned modernisation improvement?

28. How will the CBM capability impact service life margins?
 
29. How will platform performance monitoring affect system performance?
 
30. Does the system provide any increased prognostic/diagnostic capability?

31. What risks are to be considered because of association with source data, data transfer, and systems processing data? 

32. What effect does CBM capability have on available combat power?

33. What effect does the CBM capability have on system readiness? 

34. What parts supply system processes are affected and specific metrics to be used for the analysis? 

35. What are impacts to be assessed using operational availability, material readiness metrics? 

36. What are Impacts to be assessed using total ownership cost, and mean downtime metrics? 

37. What is the associated cost/risk of each course of action? 

38. What maintenance and acquisition processes will be affected?
 
39. How will maintenance and acquisition processes be impacted in terms of data collection/transmission?

40. How will maintenance and acquisition processes impacted in terms of manpower costs associated with analysis and decision making? 

41. How is ability to execute and implement alternatives addressed in the risk assessment and sensitivity analysis?
 
42. What functions, tasks, and activities for maintenance, acquisition, and logistics processes must be identified? 

43. How will readiness, availability, ready for tasking, down time for parts or maintenance and/or unscheduled down time be affected? 

44. How does this initiative improve the overall awareness of equipment condition at the tactical levels? 

44. How does this initiative improve the overall awareness of equipment condition at strategic levels? 

45. How does this initiative increase the accuracy in failure prediction and situational awareness? 

46. How does this initiative increase the accuracy in failure prediction and situational awareness? 

47. What specific system/sub‐system/component and existing performance levels failure rate, etc. is the CBM capability is targeted to support? 

48 . What are the CBM functionality areas of fault detection, isolation and prediction? 

49 . What are the CBM functionality areas of reporting, assessment, analysis, decision‐support execution and recovery? 

50. How to define scope of the BCA ensure diagnostic/trending data is used to establish system/component maintenance/replacement baseline to assess CBM capability cost/benefit? 

​Forward Deployed Carrier Conduct Shorter Deployments and Maintenance Availability Compared to Rest of  Carrier Fleet” Forward deployed carrier gets more frequent routine maintenance on hull, mechanical and electrical systems, but the overseas shipyard cannot conduct all the work on the propulsion system that a yard stateside can.

“Because its on a difference maintenance cycle … there’s two aspects to that – one, in some cases because of that different maintenance frequency, there’s some areas we expect we’ll see less growth work; in other words, the ship will be in better condition. Most of that would be outside the propulsion plant.

“And then in other cases there’s work that it’s not really suited to be performed while it’s overseas so we’ll do that work during this availability. We really can’t go into the details of that aspect of the work, it’s just that that work is more suited for us to do here.

Due to the additional propulsion plant work required  the shipyard began an “early smart start” phase to begin prepping the ship for the overhaul and tearing out equipment and ship systems to be refurbished, replaced or simply stored in a warehouse until the ship returns to the fleet. 

On a carrier we discovered the catapult trough walls – we normally overhaul the entire catapult system – the catapult trough walls had more deterioration than we had seen in the past Shipbuilding team didn’t make that discovery until the overhaul had already begun.

“So there’s a lesson learned. That wasn’t part of the plan for 72, that was a discovery item that we had to react to. For 73, we got in early, recognised it had the same issues, and from a lessons learned perspective we could get ahead of that, plan for it, have the new steel already being made in our shops. 

And as part of that we basically take the catapults while the aircraft carrier was still at the shipyard for the early smart start period, we take them down, pull all the cylinders out, send them off to get refurbished, and then get all the insulation off the trough walls. We actually blasted the trough walls so we could see how bad the damage was and basically get ahead of that.”

On another carrier, we planned to test the ship’s rudders as a precaution but assumed they would be fine. “What happened was, when we did the test it failed. That required us to take on emergent work, which required pulling out rudders and reworking them, which is fairly significant work to do that.

“So that was emergent work that caused some churn in our plan on 72. So what we’ve done on 73, instead of just expecting them to be okay, we actually planned to rework them if necessary, if the test fails, and have the resources already identified that would do the work, the material that’s required to support that work … and to include that work in our schedule so it won’t cause as much churn to the overall schedule if in fact that has to be done. 

If it doesn’t have to be done, it’s easier for us to back that out, and it actually provides us an opportunity to do better on schedule rather than it causing problems.”

“Nimitz class of aircraft carrierwas designed on paper, so we’ve done a significant amount of scanning. So a ship check: we used to send hundreds of people to go manually track systems, do drawings and everything. 73 – and it was a forward deployed carrier, it – so think about the cost of sending hundreds of people overseas, to manually ship check all these systems.

“So on 73 we used the laser scanning technology, sent a significantly smaller team, were able to use the scanners to scan systems and bring those back and use them to build our work packages. And between just the cost of scanning, the people we didn’t need, and the travel costs, we saved a couple million dollars, just in the ship checking cost.”

Other changes for George Washington include new manufacturing processes, such as a change that will allow the new radar mast to be constructed in a single piece instead of in two parts, and allow that mast to be laid on its side to be outfitted with cables and insulation and paint, rather than installed in two pieces and then outfitted on the ship.

 Additionally, the blocking on the dry dock was re-engineered so the carrier will actually be held six feet up in the air instead of just five feet from the bottom of the dry dock, allowing more workers to walk underneath comfortably.

“Now you can walk can walk under the ship without bending over – that means the workers that are down there are in a more comfortable position, it gives us more room to hang better lighting to make it a better environment for our folks to work, gives us room to run cables and other services. … It’s just really opened up a whole lot of things we can do to make it a better work space for our team.”

Eventually the shipbuilder will begin cutting holes into the hull to access tanks and other spaces that need to be blasted and coated, and cutting one large hole down the center of the ship, from top to bottom, to give the team access to the propulsion plant. In total, about 35 percent of all maintenance and modernisation work the carrier will ever get in its 50-year service life will take place during this four-year overhaul.

1. Track maintenance metrics. Using metrics and key performance, maintenance organisations can efficiently manage maintenance activities and focus improvement initiatives on driving value.

2. Employ maintenance planning and scheduling.  With effective planning, work can be completed with the least interruption to operations and the most efficient use of maintenance resources.

3. Consider an operator-driven reliability program. Without the ownership of your equipment in the operator’s hands, it’s difficult to be reliable. Using a well-planned approach involving all workers, equipment reliability will have a direct, positive impact on your bottom line.

4. Improve basic work systems. Many organisations spend too much time searching for new reliability and maintenance concepts, and very little time on implementing and improving what they just started.

5. Use joint reward systems to drive results. If an organisation is serious about a closer integration between departments, the rewards systems must be designed to drive everybody’s actions and performance toward the same goal and rewards.

6. Construct your maintenance plan. Creating a maintenance plan is generally not difficult to do. But creating a comprehensive maintenance program that is effective poses some interesting challenges. what makes the difference between an ordinary maintenance plan and a good, effective maintenance program.

7. Listen to your equipment. Do you listen to your motors complaining about overload? Do you see your pump packings leaking a flood? Do you hear your bearings complain about contaminated lubricants? Do you notice your steam system choking on excessive condensate and complaining about strained elbows?

8. Stop rewarding failure. Managers can talk all day about the organisation desire to be proactive, improve reliability, reduce costs, etc. But people don’t pay attention to what you say; they pay attention to what you do. If you talk “reliability” but pay and recognise for failure, guess what you’ll get? What gets rewarded gets done, period.

9. Set high targets. A lot of preventive maintenance activities do not add value and should be eliminated. Some of these activities could be replaced with condition-monitoring technologies and a predictive maintenance approach.

10. Go all-in with condition-based monitoring. There is little to no payback from using one or two condition- monitoring technologies – or applying technique to a small amount of your assets and hoping it will develop into a successful program.

11. More accurately estimate labor hours. Experience shows  the best labor estimates are routinely way off. A job might take more than time estimated or much less

12. Get the right leaders onboard. Rreliability leaders say that if they could do it over again, they would spend more time choosing the right people for key leadership positions. With the right leadership in the right areas pushing the right things, you have success.

13. Employ a multi-tool approach for more savings. In one example, maintenance team addressed an issue found during a routine work order using multiple condition monitoring tools.

14. Build a detailed and accurate equipment list. Despite what you may have heard, the foundation of a successful reliability program is a list – a detailed, accurate equipment list ideally recorded on your network. It contains the vital information you need to design, develop and engineer your maintenance program from the ground up.

15. Never accept “good enough”. In a maintenance improvement process, there are several areas where there is always a desire or undercurrent to shortcut the process. One of the most important actions of maintenance and reliability leadership is to expect and set the bar to allow the entire organisation to practice “Good Enough Never Is” every day.

16. Improve work processes. Operating practices are a vital part of any  maintenance program. Good practices prevent failures. Poor practices encourage failures. There are sample business practices that must be implemented to improve overall job site reliability.

17. Use the right predictive maintenance metrics. What gets measured gets improved. Or conversely, what doesn’t get measured never will be improved. Tracking and reporting on key metrics lets you focus squarely on the behaviour changes you want.

18. Create a clear, concise vision. One of the first responsibilities of leadership is to provide a simple, clear view of what the future can and should look like. Having a clear, concise vision to improve your operation is important. This vision must be simple and visible.

19. Learn root cause analysis techniques. When a reliability problem arises, most organisations either address at the symptom level or seek immediately to lay blame on a person or group. Root cause analysis is a systematic process for understanding and addressing the underlying causes of a problem.

20. Look, listen, pay attention. Regardless of whether you're doing inspections with handheld computers or a paper system, can trend data or not, or have key performance indicators or not, you won't be successful unless your people can do quality inspections on equipment.

21. Decide on a lubrication staffing model. The question of who in an organisation should be responsible for day-to-day machinery lubrication tasks is common. Learn the  most common organisational structures and create your own.

22. Create a planned backlog. The first maintenance scheduling principle is the prerequisite of having a planned backlog. Learn how to prepare and use a schedule as a control standard to improve maintenance productivity.

23. Use Reliability-Centered Maintenance analysis. A Reliability-Centered Maintenance analysis should be viewed as a serious exercise for your business. Such an analysis is an investment that takes time, resources and money to complete, but is worth the effort.

24. Implement Total Productive Maintenance in a reasonable number of steps. Implementing using these steps will start you on the road to “zero breakdowns” and “zero defects.” Achieving 100 percent reliability takes discipline and teamwork.

25. Break out of maintenance budget jail. If you are in budget jail and have tried to get out by preaching reliability to the people above you but have made little headway, there are ways to break you out.

26. At some time in the future,  a defect entering a machine will cause a functional loss of some kind. As a defect lingers in a machine, the machine functionality decreases over time. At some point in the future, total failure of the machine occurs.

27. Create an equipment bill of materials. An equipment bill of material lists all the components of an asset, including its assemblies and subassemblies. With a reliable equipment bill of materials, a planner can determine exactly what parts are needed. And in an emergency, it provides valuable information to craftsmen and others to ensure that the right parts are identified and procured.

28. Use target intervals to map and avert failures. The target interval is a valuable piece of information for any maintenance team, and you don't need special training to use it. Use target intervals in determining the right maintenance to perform at the right time 

29. Consider a continuous monitoring system. Apply dedicated devices for collecting maintenance data to aid in a condition monitoring program. With each passing year, this technology gets cheaper, and the desire for more complex and more robust monitoring gets larger.

30. Build a strong relationship with operations. To get better at maintenance, you must get better at building a positive relationship with operations. To achieve maintenance excellence, you must have an excellent relationship. This means having maintenance in full alignment with the larger goals of your operations and your company.

31. Quantify the cost of a functional failure mode. What is the real cost of a failure? Unfortunately, we don't know until after the failure has occurred - and reliability is about avoiding the failure.

32. Develop standard maintenance procedures. Job sites often fail to see the importance of having well-written procedures for most tasks. It’s important to have good procedures/details needed to develop well-written standard maintenance procedures.

33. Manage assets by criticality. Through proper construction of the criticality analysis model, reliability engineering will be able to illustrate what reliability enhancements must be made to manage criticality, thus improving their ability to manage assets by criticality.

34. Operators in a reliability-focused regime should ask questions and be very observant. The inclusion of smart tools in their skill set will benefit the organisation by the early identification and resolution of problems, leading to increased asset reliability.

35. Get more out of systems containing the right basic capabilities in support of your maintenance program. Tool package  success depends on how they are implemented and, more importantly, how they are used.

36. Optimize outages with effective task planning. Outages can have elaborate schedules, but often are unsuccessful due to ineffective advanced planning, which results in inefficient work execution and outage schedule overruns. Outages can only be successful when the outage work is planned effectively before the work is scheduled and/or started.

37. Put multiple condition detection tools to use. It is essential to understand how equipment performs in the field and to be able to predict and prevent failures before they happen. The results of the combination of condition-based monitoring technologies will give the reliability engineer  even greater confidence when communicating to management when an asset is approaching an impending failure.

38. Apply the correct maintenance strategies. True reliability is achieved when the most cost-effective methods are applied to the assets at your job site, maximising reliability with the minimum total cost.

39. Benchmark your lubrication program. Benchmarking provides a much-needed scorecard for areas of lubrication that may not be obvious or often considered for improvement. It is true that we “don’t know what we don’t know”.

40. Detect machine problems early. This massive list of inspection items will allow you to detect problems early, and hopefully eliminate downtime and/or reduce maintenance costs.

41. Remove process bottlenecks. If your process bottlenecks are linked closely to the maintenance and reliability of your equipment, it is most likely you have a highly reactive maintenance s. To move from a primarily reactive regime, significant focus must be placed on developing and deploying systems that move the organisation toward being proactive.

42. Optimise your typical tasks. Unfortunately, most tasks lack the detail that will provide quantitative data for equipment history, and they are written without considering failure modes. The solution is to write procedures that are value added, comprehensive, repeatable, organised, and specify a correct duration and interval of execution.

43. Create a lean and effective oil analysis program. Oil analysis is a powerful tool in a maintenance program. This case study presents alternatives to expensive in-house test equipment, good utilisation of outside labs, oil storage solutions, methods of reporting findings to further the program, and selling the program to upper management as well as to operations and maintenance.

44. Put maintenance checklists to use. While most groups will say they have checklists, requiring their use and the accountability are often major factors for success. In your organisation, what processes do you have in place to ensure workers use maintenance procedures and checklists?

45. Avoid the biggest risks. Asset management is an integrated approach to optimisng the life cycle of your assets, beginning at conceptual design, through to usage, decommissioning and disposal. 

46. Acknowledge and pay attention to primary risks to effective asset management, you can put in place plans to mitigate the effects these might have on their program.

47. Give maintenance technicians equipment ownership. How do you strike a balance between equipment ownership and building the skills through cross training, and having the ability to get the work done all the time? Is it based on the values of the organistion?

48. Be smart about kitting. Kitting for maintenance crafts to perform their tasks is one of the easier and more effective ways to allow quality completion of the job with minimal productivity impact, especially when accompanied by a well-planned and functionally scheduled job.

49. Work towards zero failures. Experiences and data show that zero failures are possible in a maintenance program. As someone once said, “If you think you can’t, you’re probably right. If you think you can, you’re probably right.”
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50. Manage the change process. The most difficult but most beneficial aspect of leading a maintenance and reliability improvement effort is managing the change process in organisations from a reactive state to a proactive state is a challenging transition for any maintenance program

​Autonomous technologies will take troops out of danger and increase the efficiency of logistics operations. The use of autonomous vehicle technologies, both ground and air, and standoff delivery technologies could help address the challenge of A2/AD environments. Autonomous convoys could be used to put fewer personnel into hazardous situations. 

Aerial technologies such as precision air drop and autonomous aerial vehicles could be used that would reduce the number of personnel in hazardous situations or avoid those situations entirely. Autonomy could be particularly useful in moving supplies the last tactical mile.

Use of autonomous ground vehicles could save weight and, therefore, fuel. However, so long as the vehicles are to be optionally crewed, all the components necessitated by the presence of troops will still have to be carried on board. Also, questions such as whether autonomous convoys would make softer targets, easier to destroy or seize, will have to be addressed.

Recognising the potential inherent in autonomous vehicle technology, several R&D projects have been undertaken in an effort to understand the capabilities and limitations of autonomous vehicles to determine if convoys could be implemented using leader-follower technology. This technology relies on a trailing vehicle focusing on the vehicle immediately in front of it and following that vehicle in close proximity. 

Services are investigating how to implement autonomous technologies in an existing vehicle fleet by retrofitting the technology into existing vehicles to allow truck convoys in a military setting. The effort is focused on three different kits, which could be procured from multiple sources and interface with one another through standard interfaces: sensors for autonomy; components to interface with the steering, braking, acceleration, and shifting controls; and a mission-specific platform that can be optionally installed on a vehicle.

Several demonstrations of the system has shown that the concept is achievable and the technology approach is viable. However, there are several challenges. These include high cost because items such as drive-by-wire capability and high-resolution sensors are not yet produced in sufficient quantity to have reached affordable price points. 

Another challenge is the use of active sensors e.g., light detection and ranging in theater, because they announce their location to all onlookers. Passive sensor technology exists to address this issue, but it is not as robust as active sensors across all lighting and weather conditions. 

The autonomous vehicle system can drive autonomously on previously driven routes utilising a high-precision digital map. The requirements for a map and the predriving of the route before the system can drive it autonomously limit the applicability of this approach to military applications. 

Self navigation vehicle has a number of onboard sensors that allow it to sense its surroundings and compare the results to a preinstalled three dimensional map to identify its location as well as potential conflicts. 

Autonomous vehicle technologies offer a significant opportunity to automate military operations in order to improve logistics operations. They are ready to deploy in constrained settings with limited obstacles and established routes. They are not yet ready to deploy in operational settings with rough terrain or unpredictable routes. 

Convoys use leader-follower technology, with following vehicles focused on a fiducial on the vehicle in front of them and maintaining pace with that vehicle. They are not concerned with traffic events to their sides or behind them because they are deploying in constrained environments and are not expected to interact with large numbers of manned vehicles with a number of different operational goals.

Autonomous vehicle technology is probably to be ready to deploy in constrained, predictable operational environments, mostly where there are roads and established routes to be followed and where a number of technology efforts have met with success. However, developing a system that can address all possible conditions is still in early stages.

When it comes to deploying autonomous vehicle technologies in a full range of military settings e.g., rough terrain or unpredictable routes there are technical challenges to overcome. Autonomous vehicles must be capable of operating in an environment where Global Positioning System systems have been degraded or blocked entirely. This means these vehicles need to have good systems capable of determining their location integrated into the vehicle platforms. 

A vital component for any autonomous vehicle is the drive-by-wire system that provides the machine with the ability to control the steering, braking, acceleration, and gear shifting. Existing military vehicles would need an expensive retrofit to automate their functions. The use of active sensors e.g., light detection and ranging must be addressed as these sensors would probably not be acceptable for many in-theater operations.

Convoy operations are highly repetitious tasks that could utilise existing autonomous vehicle technology to reduce manpower requirements and reduce risk to the vehicle operators. Services must implement secure leader-follower vehicle technology which does not require 360-degree awareness and can be done with low-cost sensors using Autonomous Mobility System technology.

Recent efforts by the services have explored the use of autonomous vehicle technologies to provide logistical support to the last tactical mile, as well as to explore ways to lighten the load of the warfighter by providing autonomous load-bearing capabilities.
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Dismounted Soldier Autonomy Tools program developed technologies to assist with efforts to lighten the load that must be carried by soldiers and to provide off-road mission support. To assist with delivery and support along the last tactical mile R&D teams are working on the squad mission support system ,  an unmanned vehicle based on a turbodiesel-powered, high-mobility, six-wheel, all-terrain vehicle capable of carrying big payloads. 

The squad mission concept is to carry enough of a load to support a squad, conduct autonomous movement over rough terrain, and provide amphibious capability for crossing rivers and marshes in order to improve combat readiness while assuring resupply channels and the ability to evacuate casualties. 

The programs have resulted in platforms that have been tested with the warfighters. The initial results suggest that they provide an attractive option for additional R&D investment. Some of these efforts could include the development of more cost-effective sensors, more cost-effective drive-by-wire components, and simulations investigating how to more efficiently integrate autonomous vehicle technology into the warfighters’ activities.

Aerial autonomy is another area of automation that needs to be considered. Many of the limitations of ground-based logistics support, such as the complexities of terrain and the need to predrive routes, are removed simply by using an aerial vehicle. 

Many of the A2/AD risks faced by ground vehicles can also be avoided or partially mitigated, although new risks open up for air vehicles. Operational costs and limited payloads may limit broad applicability of aerial autonomy technology, but for logistics operations in highly complex terrains, the technology is worth investigating.

In the last several years, work has been undertaken to use unmanned air systems to support logistics operations. Demonstration of a prototype hybrid ground-air vehicle that could provide flexible and terrain-independent support for logistics, personnel transport, and tactical support for ground units is promising.

The initial motivation for the programme was to develop a system that could master transiting complex terrains and countering improvised explosive devices that affected traditional ground-based transportation. 

Vertical takeoff and landing delivery systems will be unmanned and is expected to support multiple payload configurations from a common airframe. An example of a potential aerial logistics support tool is the K-MAX helicopter, which is capable of both remote-controlled and unmanned operations..

Precision air drop, a technique that involves air-dropped cargo guiding itself to a landing zone, has been used operationally. It is distinguished from conventional air drop in that the latter drops entirely unguided packages. Precision air drop offloads sustainment and reduces the number of vehicles that have to be used to deliver supplies to deployed forces. The reduction in the number of vehicles used reduces both the fuel and maintenance demands associated with operating those vehicles and thus can have a positive logistics impact.

Autonomous systems eliminate some reliance on ground resupply, removing trucks and personnel from convoy duty and thereby mitigating challenges such as improvised explosive devices. In addition to the logistics benefits, this capability allows resupply to more easily keep pace with expeditionary forces on the move. 

There is a desire to increase precision in the future. A promising future is in store for tactical aerial delivery for squads or small units on the move, simplifying  logistics in the last tactical mile and reduce the burden on soldiers. It is envisioned that a squad or small unit might be able to secure drop on-demand.

Precision air drop of sustainment materiel will significantly reduce the demand for ground-based resupply of forward areas, taking trucks off the road and reduce personnel risk. A helicopter-based Joint precision air drop system capability is being developed that could both reduce dependence on other service assets and expand the number of assets that can be used in a sustainment role, adding flexibility to the sustainment mission.

Pentagon is planning the  use of robots to carry out the dangerous, and often tedious, elements of combat. Services  are testing new ways of pairing troops with air and ground robots at the squad level with its sights focused on enhancing how the squad works on the battlefield with robots, and advanced targeting and sensing gear. 

Squads are using air and ground vehicles to detect physical and electromagnetic threats, are able to demonstrate the ability to communicate and collaborate, even while operating  on the edge of connectivity.’”

One program will give aviators a robot co-pilot  with autonomous capability lo take the load off pilots so human pilots they can focus on mission tasks other than flying.

There is an ongoing effort to develop new technologies that would “extend squad awareness and engagement capabilities that can be extended without imposing physical and behavioural  burdens.

Efforts aim to speed the development of new, lightweight, integrated systems that provide infantry squads awareness, adaptability and flexibility in complex environments like to enable dismounted troops to more intuitively understand and control their complex mission environments.

Those efforts fit within wider work being done by the Close Combat Lethality Task Force, a group set up to enhance close combat capabilities for infantry, special operations, scouts and some engineers. Squad Sensing detects potential threats at a squad-relevant operational pace. Capabilities of interest include multi-source data fusion and autonomous threat detection. 

Squad Autonomy Increases squad members’ real-time knowledge of their own and team locations in GPS-denied environments using embedded unmanned air and ground systems. Capabilities of interest include robust collaboration between humans and unmanned systems.
 
“Each run, they learned a bit more on the systems and how they could support the operation,” “By the end, they were using the unmanned ground and aerial systems to maximise the squad’s combat power and allow a squad to complete a mission that normally would take a platoon to execute.”

Troops have been equipped with a variety of robotic and autonomous systems with the aim of improving areas such as combat mass, soldier lethality and overall information gathering. In one scenario, soldiers used robotic engineering vehicles to clear an obstacle, while a small quadcopter flew overhead to provide infrared imagery before armored infantry rolled in to take an enemy position.

 Robotic systems with varying levels of autonomy were a key part of the exercise, ranging from radar-equipped drones for detecting buried IEDs, to small two-wheeled robots that are thrown into buildings to search for enemy fighters.

A related challenge continues to be lack of experience using unmanned and autonomous systems, with commanders using exercises to better understand capability enhancements as well as the inevitable shortfalls.

“This is a real opportunity to bring stuff into the field to see if military users will use it the way industry thinks they will use it.  “There’s no one single piece of kit that will solve all our problems, it’s a combination of something in the air such as a surveillance asset, something on the ground, perhaps with a weapon on it or just doing logistics, but then it all links through an information system where you can pass that data and make better decisions to generate tempo.”

One issue is an  increasingly crowded radio frequency spectrum, especially as several unmanned systems compete for space to beam back high-resolution data from onboard sensors. “The problem is when they start cutting each other out, we are dealing with physics here, if we want to have great high definition video passing across the battlefield we need to trade somewhere else.”

Not only will there be a need to ensure that the control systems do not interfere with each other, but also that leaders  “will have to be convinced that new systems are not simply too vulnerable to jamming and other disruptive techniques by an adversary.”

A promising development from trials is the ability to optionally man a standard vehicle using  kits that can be fitted within a few hours including a remote-controlled infantry fighting vehicle and a lightweight  tactical vehicle.

Troops in the exercise used the vehicles in unintended ways, utilising surveillance tool on onboard camera. Squads also used vehicles to help in entering buildings and to carry supplies or troops.

“What we have found is that when troops are using these vehicles they just want to jump on the vehicle because it goes faster than they can, and you can move groups very quickly on them. For  safety reasons the soldiers were not allowed to hop on board during the exercise. “Optionally manned is good, but we don’t know if  it needs to be optionally manned with a steering wheel and a seat.

Legged robots could serve many shipboard or on-base functions, including fire suppression, if properly equipped.  To be useful , legged robots must navigate the world much as humans do like a test for what could be the future of maintenance work.

Bouncing sets of limbs that results in an unsettling gait. Special actuators and gait-balancing software enable the whole production, and if need be, a limb can rotate a 360 degrees. This creates the combined effect of turning bouncy legs under the torso into long spindly legs extending outward from it.

The robot isn’t winning any races, but it has endurance. Its battery holds power for  hours and the robot can lower itself onto a charging station when it needs to power up. It’s not light, but could be carried into place on a small vehicle or by a couple of troops. Its limbs can push buttons and push open doors, though it would likely take extra modifications to get it to manipulate doorknobs.

For the tunnel exploration, the robot was lowered into place, and then guided by a joystick. Autonomous movement is possible, but using a remote control allowed the human observers to keep a closer eye on what, exactly, the machine was doing underground. 

The robot normally navigates by Light Detection and Ranging, remote sensing technology used to measure distances and 3D mapping of the surrounding environment. To better comprehend the terrain in low-light environments, it is also exploring sensors at the end of its feet, providing a sense of touch. All of this could prove critical to taking  place underground tunnels fights.

As military forces move in human-built environments they should consider the possibility that remote or autonomous machines, legged as well as winged, could also be traversing in the same way. 

The programme is explorting precision Engagement of threats to maintain compatibility with infantry weapon systems without imposing weight or operational burdens  on that would negatively affect mission effectiveness. Capabilities of interest include distributed, non-line-of-sight targeting and guided munitions.

Non-Kinetic Engagement disrupt enemy command and control, communications and use of drones. Capabilities of interest include disaggregated electronic surveillance and coordinated effects from distributed platforms. Military is carrying out a number of experiments in communications, EW, loitering munitions and targeting. Services are looking for ways to enhance infantry capabilities using manned-unmanned teaming.

Augmented Spectral Situational Awareness, and Unaided Localisation for Transformative Squads are being tested using autonomous robots with sensor systems to detect enemy locations to target the enemy with a precision grenade before the enemy could detect their movement.

Small units using Electronic Attack Module were able to detect, locate, and attack specific threats in the radio frequency domains, part of larger efforts to put more detection and fires at lower echelons in ground force units. This important work is presently done by humans, who often have to physically place detonation charges on the mines they find. Some day, autonomous robots could perform the same task with less operational risk.

The Swarm Diver is a surface  or underwater drones can release swarms of smaller autonomous underwater robots to scout, identify and counter threats in littoral waters. Autonomy is key here, as communicating underwater is difficult and communicating with above-water assets from underwater especially tricky without an intermediary. Should the Swarm Diver project work as intended, swarms of autonomous robots could be the long-awaited answer to the enduring threat posed by autonomous explosives.

Finding new ways to incorporate robots and autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicles into warfighting has captured the attention of top commanders but nothing as basic and practical as the gear mule concept has come so close to reality. One autonomous vehicle uses a morphed tire/track for traction run with a one-handed remote control, non-line of sight manoeuvre with onboard sensors and cameras.

Several vehicle designs for fielding may be selected depending on what each vehicle offers as planners look to the terrain challenges of dismounted operations. Armed unmanned ground vehicles have been used to provide stand-off force protection.

Robots will First Be Utilised in Non-Combat Scenarios Like Logistics of Moving Troops, Fuel, Equipment, Ammo. We can start Robot Tech out in carefully limited support roles. Current tech  may only be able to power ground robots for less than a full day — but at a fuel dump or ammo depot, unlike a forward patrol, you can just plug them into a diesel generator. 

Current AI may not be able to navigate around potholes or landmines without a human guide — but at a forward base, unlike the front line, you can just bulldoze the ground flat and mark obstacles with reflective tape or radio-frequency ID tags. 

Robots might break down unexpectedly — but in a maintenance unit, unlike an infantry squad, your mechanics are right there to fix it and the enemy isn’t right there to get you before it’s fixed. How soon can the military start using robots in the rear echelon?  As the Army converts supply trucks to run unmanned, it first has to install the same “drive-by-wire” controls found in modern cars and commercial trucks. 

Drive by wire enables features like remote monitoring of engine diagnostics — key for predictive maintenance — and automatic collision avoidance — a very basic form of AI taking over for the human driver. Such maintenance features can build experience levels for users and provide feedback to maturing tech.

Predictive maintenance enabled by machine learning has been used by industry for some time by using large amounts of diagnostic data — often updated wirelessly in near-real time — to predict when engines and other components might fail, then tasking mechanics to replace or repair them first.  So the first robots will be converted trucks and other existing vehicles. But what about new machines with no equivalent in the Army today?

New shop floor-processing systems telling humans where to go and self-propelled shelves relocating themselves at need are already here “Robots are already being used in warehouses so it’s totally reasonable to expect that there are opportunities today for the military to use robotics in logistics.

One fairly simple thing that has been used in the commercial sector for years that the military hasn’t explored, he said, is robot arms. There’s tremendous potential there for “heavy-duty manipulation” to replace human labor. 

“There’s no reason we couldn’t load 20 tank rounds at once instead of soldiers hauling each 50-pound shell individually: Imagine how much faster a tank could get back in action — without its crew having to get out and potentially expose themselves to fire.

We can also look at automating refueling.  Robotic arms could replace human labor to manhandle heavy hoses and fuel bladders. In the longer term, small, mobile, and relatively expendable robotic fuelers could replace the convoys of manned tanker trucks that suffered so many losses and centralised fuel depot targets. We can’t have these huge tankers just sitting out there.”

Artificial intelligence isn’t just going on the things that go boom. We need to be able to put it into bulldozers, scrapers, water purification systems and transportation systems.” Near-term, non-combat applications refine AI, ground navigation, radar and laser sensing, and so on. Those systems are going to be teaching us what we need to put in place for combat systems. 

1. Improving accuracy/time

Automation can reduce errors associated with manual processes, which in turn, helps plan operational control through providing accurate, real-time information on inventory levels. Through streamlining  processes, supply automation boosts time savings by reducing the time associated with implementing labor intensive tasks.

2. Real time inventory

Lost inventory can become extremely expensive. Screens can show exactly where each item is at each moment, as they are navigated through the system. High accuracy “counting robots”  cruise the mission space, scanning aisles and view inventory in “real time.”

3.  Systems Integration

Robot systems integration pull the whole structure together and  integrates data regarding what’s high in demand, what needs to be picked and shipped quickly and also help make sure that robots aren’t going to the same location, completing tasks individually, and not running into each other.

4. . Metrics

Autonomous vehicles have sensors to automatically gather data, which can be uploaded to various applications to track metrics includes pick up size time needed for delivery, where the delivery vehicle is, how long it’s been in the area contributes to more predictability so it’s easier to tell what is being moved, when, and where. 

5.  Security

Laser sensors can distinguish troops from autonomous vehicles, to prevent collisions, Guide wires might lay out a definite path for vehicles, rather than free roaming. Vehicles are typically programmed to reduce speed around corners, and can detect when objects are in the way—then it will stop.

6.  Automated Gate System

When gates can be controlled automatically through an automated gate system, throughput is increased at access points. An automated gate system will typically include the ability to  control gates from other facilities, calling for less resources to monitor gate functions, and crowding at exit and entrance points, increase visibility and capacity to predict and plan for driver traffic and patterns.

7. Mobile System

A mobile robot system means that robots can handle an operational system without the need for physical or electromechanical direction. Mobile shelves also mean that product is always accurately located.
8. Faster response/Error Reduction

A major goal is to reduce transit times because the longer it takes to deliver goods, the greater is the cost of carrying these goods. Autonomous systems are invariably faster than manual systems and make fewer errors always deliver parts to the exact address.

9. Impact on Transportation.

Issues in transportation arise when system behavior is hard to form based on the predictable pattern impacted by  errors, traffic errors. In such situations, decisions can be predicted based on data to gauge volume and simplify planning by designing a number of decision-making tools.

10.  Traffic patterns.
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The traffic flow affects transport significantly. When the data related to traffic is used for traffic management, the information can be used to dramatically reduce the congestion in traffic as well as streamline it and build smarter traffic solutions.

​We have provided a demonstration of how virtual reality VR can benefit training processes was geared toward Marines within the aircraft armament systems and munition systems, and gave a glimpse of how VR applications can support in providing an enhanced experience to preparation of aircraft for combat missions.

Aircraft armament systems Marines are responsible for maintaining launch and release devices on aircraft. This means that when a pilot pulls the trigger, the devices successfully launch away from the aircraft toward the intended target.

“It’s a way to build the readiness and experience level by leveraging advanced technologies. In the past, we received this level of experience because the weapon systems were in need of constant repair and maintenance. Now, our systems are more advanced, and it’s hard to practice difficult repairs

“We can build our skill sets and proficiency faster by not having an aircraft break to perform the training. We could break one virtually at any time, any place. VR is a unique way to fully train while still maintaining our mission capable rate.”

In this demonstration, Marines experienced an immersive VR training scenario, put on a head-mounted display for VR application and used hand-held devices for training scenarios.

The immersive VR scenario allowed users to walk inside a hangar with a piece of munition positioned for maintenance. The user could look around the hangar, interact with the munition, pull up the technical order in a full-view mode or even watch a video of someone successfully installing that specific item on the munition. Essentially, the user could take apart and reassemble a munition from the barracks.

“In a controlled setting, VR allows for instant immersion into the field to help Marines understand the content better, faster.”

If VR is fully implemented into its training processes, Marines could have virtual hands-on experience much earlier in their careers, which could bridge the training-to-experience gap challenge the Service now faces.

The in-garrison mission may be different from the deployed mission. That gap can become noticeable if a Marine who has a home-station duty on a certain airframe or munition deploys and must work with unfamiliar equipment or in a joint environment. VR could be used as recurrent or just-in-time training to bolster the combat capabilities of users when they are deployed.

Demonstrations like these are designed to combat today’s challenges through innovation and collaboration among top subject matter experts. It’s a way to increase combat capability and solve complex security issues by partnering with experienced organisations to create platforms to house the application.

Technology will be transformative, but it is a long-term solution typically reflected in procurement processes that take too long.. Some forces have only just recently introduced or are in the process of introducing new combat capabilities. This means the opportunity to influence platform efficiency will be very limited for some time yet. 

Platform efficiency refers to the application of technology to minimise the amount of logistics support required to deliver and sustain forces.  This logistics strategy  has the least ability to influence outside of describing logistic costs to key decision makers in the acquisition process. 

Fortunately, the next strategy for reducing logistic demand – force efficiency – is an option that can be implemented now. Force efficiency refers to initiatives which require fewer force elements to achieve a desired effect. In developing system-capability, the organic intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance available to brigade combat teams, coupled with precision fires complemented and enhanced the capability of the medium-weight nature of the platform. 

In this case, force efficiency didn’t deliver operational effectiveness – at least in terms of the operations system subsequently find itself in. Even so,  we are continuously reminded that the combination of modern armed, and increasingly cheap, UAV’s supported by surveillance capabilities and guided weapons offer forces firepower with little permanent presence on the ground and logistics cost as a consequence.

In terms of logistics-specific activities there are other force efficiency opportunities that are currently being undertaken. Adopting common components, ammunition and other items, and standardisation across coalition boundaries greatly simplifies supply between partners. 

Collectively, and in an operational environment, there may be possibilities to share capabilities and prevent the unnecessary duplication of effort. Elsewhere, the modularisation of vehicle components, supported by information systems that better predict maintenance requirements, has been touted as offering opportunities to improve force efficiency. 

Implemented effectively, this approach limits the need to forward position maintenance personnel with most deep repair occurring rearward but this approach can make a maintenance problem a distribution one. Self-offloading distribution vehicles, or more effective ways to store and package supplies, also exemplify a force efficiency strategy.

Force efficiency can also be improved through conceptual means. At the macro level, land forces – as part of joint forces – can achieve greater efficiencies by removing duplicate functions, or if demand can’t be reduced, sharing functions to create greater opportunities. This approach is a cornerstone of the multi-domain battle concept.

Approaches to logistics include where  modularised logistic capabilities are surged to support particular missions and tasks for limited time periods, also offers the prospect of improving force efficiency. 

Rethinking assumptions about who ‘owns’ what in the battlespace, and the logistic control methods such as ‘lines’ or ‘levels’ of logistics support must be part of future logistic transformation efforts. Development of land forces tolerates the inevitable periods where limited logistic support must be directed away from one unit to another to support combat operations.

Closely aligned to force efficiency is personnel efficiency. An example of personnel efficiency, whereby less personnel are required to do a particular job, by ‘mixing’ tasks such as armoured fighting vehicle operations and maintenance. 

Noting the training burden and competency risk it imposes, some small units extensively cross-train limited logistic s personnel; where land terminal, movements and aerial delivery personnel come from a base trade. There is no particular reason that the skills possessed by personnel from logistics or combat arms cannot be similarly transferred between one another in such a way. 

Technology can also support personnel efficiency, and is being rigorously pursued by forces as a way of enhancing the effect of each deployed soldier contributing to the active  force. Examples of such include modernising ‘logistics information systems’ and ‘common operating pictures’, both of which promise to improve supply chain performance thereby enhancing the capacity to respond to emergent tactical requirements.

The final strategy is mission focus applicable to militaries who have transitioned their forces to enable  consistent, rotatable and available combat elements, Mission focus refers to the specialisation of formations for particular tasks thus avoiding the costly logistics capabilities that might enable the formation to be prepared for all tasks, or those tasks which might be perceived as unlikely. 

There are, however, inventive ways in which land forces can be structured appropriately to achieve mission focus without abandoning preparedness-based force design methodologies. Temporary allocations of modularised logistic capabilities based upon emerging operational requirements is perhaps the best-known method and should be rigorously applied in future attempts to transform land forces. Even so, land forces should always be prepared to abandon force design models which are based upon an assumption of being able to ‘do it all’ when the need arises, and prepare logistics capabilities accordingly.

As required and when necessary, units can be tasked to support the readiness division and be deployed to a theater of operation to provide logistics support to include an aviation maintenance slice. As aviation material is retrograded from the battlefield, critical aviation components are classified and repaired before they enter the depot pipeline.

Fixed-base, limited depot facilities units are capable of deploying to a theater of operations, given enough time for movement to the deployment location. Once mobilised and deployed, support primarily from a fixed base is provided capable of  projecting forward limited, task-organised support using maintenance contact teams and classification support teams. 

The purpose of this report is to create Logistics Support plan to integrate all equipment upgrade/repair work order tasks, identify dispatch responsibilities & activities, and outline approach toward accomplishing field-level mission requirements. Here we present inclusion of the following elements of information, with range/depth of information for each element tailored to the acquisition phase of critical equipment.

Dispatch structure & authorities applicable to logistics support plan can be described by detailing associations between line, service, staff & policy organisations. 

Identification/assignment of each logistics support work order task and how each will be performed are subject to many applicable major tradeoffs. Schedule interactions with system engineering activities impacting estimated start and completion points for each logistics support programme activity or task must be identified. 

Work Order Breakdown Structure identification of items to be acted upon will be performed and documented. Identification of logistics support candidate lists & selection criteria must include all items recommended for review, items not recommended & appropriate rationale for selection or non-selection. 

Dispatch techniques for design requirements related to equipment item support must be disseminated to suppliers and controls levied under such circumstances. Efforts directed at update/validate of logistics support information must include configuration control procedure requirements for end items of support equipment provided by supplier.

New creation of applicable procedures must evaluate status/control of each work order task with identification of organisation unit with authority/responsibility for executing each task. Controls for identifying and recording design problems or deficiencies affecting supportability, corrective actions required & status of actions taken to resolve problems must be employed. 

We recommend Information collection systems to be used by performing activity must document, disseminate, and control logistics support design specs alongside description of subsystem to be used and identification of validated status when independent applications are deployed. 

Efforts must include description of how information from work orders tasks will interface with other logistics support system oriented factors to include consideration of equipment criticality and required reporting interactions with the following programmes, as applicable.

Advancements in technology with virtual reality are changing every day. It’s a process many people are not even aware of or know little about. There is no limit to what can be done virtually. Many of the tasks done currently will be completely different whether it’s something with designing components, quoting, or even meetings. Virtual reality is aiding in connecting troops in any location.


Work space floor layouts can be optimised to ensure success before going in and moving equipment. Rather than having to tie several people up to move equipment around only to realise that the selected location won’t work, it’s possible to have just one person using only one hand to move equipment around with virtual reality.

Scheduling in a job shop is can have a significant impact on the performance of the shop floor. The job shop scheduling problem for jobs are to be processed by machines or work stations within a given time period so performance objectives are optimised.

Plans are in the works to extend single-machine rule learning approach to more complex shop configurations. The first rule is to learn a centralised sequencing rule that governs all machines.

The second more effective approach is to allow each machine to learn its individual sequencing rule so each machine considers a number of factors in its learning process, for example its position in the production system, the amount of work that flows downstream to the machine, the amount of work the machine sends downstream and so on. This decentralised approach is required for extending the learning approach to more complex scenarios.

Dispatching rules examine all jobs awaiting processing at a given machine at each point in time that machine becomes available, computing a priority index for each job, using a function of attributes of the jobs present at the current machine and its immediate surroundings. The job with the best index value is scheduled next at the machine.

Most dispatching rules only consider local and current conditions so it is required to investigate operations such as predicting the arrival times of jobs from previous stations and limited, local optimisation of the schedule at the current machine.

Here we present dispatching rules for scheduling in a job shop. These rules combine process-time and work-content in the queue for the next operation on a job. Rules make use of information about the process-time, work-content of jobs in the queue for the next operation on a job and due date to minimise as many measures of performance at the same time as possible. When performance of known dispatching rules is evaluated it is clear no single rule is effective in minimising all measures of performance.

Each job consists of a specific set of operations which have to be processed
according to technical precedence order logistics supply routes. Scheduled jobs can either be available at the beginning of the scheduling process or set of jobs processed is continuously changing over time.

When problem produces the same output from starting condition or initial state all parameters are known with certainty. If at least one parameter is likely to be the case, release times of the jobs the problem has a random distribution/pattern cannot be predicted precisely.

To determine when the system reaches the steady-state, shop parameters, such as utilisation level of machines, mean flowtime of jobs, etc. must be observed continuously. The shop reaches a steady-state when job orders are completed.

The aim of the planning process is to find a schedule for processing all jobs optimising one or more goals for instance, minimising mean flowtime or minimising the effect of not being on time. It appears possible to determine optimal schedules when problem parameters are known, but in practice the computation of optimal solutions is impossible.

But it is possible to generate optimal schedules using design tools to solve combinatorial problems even when time requirements for calculating optimal processing orders for a job shop scheduling problem occurring in practice is beyond any scope of time.

When jobs arrive continuously in time the release times, logistics supply routings and processing times of the jobs have problem parameters not known in advance because random distribution/pattern is likely to occur. When scheduling problems are randomly changing over time it is not possible to compute optimal schedules in advance.

Sometimes jobs currently in the shop processing sequences on the various machines can be determined. The decision as to which job is to be loaded on a machine, when the machine becomes free, is normally made with the help of dispatching rules.

No dispatch rule is found to perform well for all important criteria, e.g. mean flowtime and not being on time. The choice of a dispatching rule depends on which criterion is intended to be improved upon. In general, it has been observed that process-time based rules fare better under tight load conditions, while due-date based rules perform better under light load conditions.

A job shop could be classified as an open shop or a closed shop, depending on the way jobs are routed in the shop. In a closed shop, the number of routings available to a job is fixed and an arriving job can follow one of the available routings. In an open shop, there is no limitation on the routing of a job and each job could have a different routing. Dispatching rules for open shops make use of process-time and work-content of jobs in the queue for next operation.

Here we consider distributed versions of a modified shifting bottleneck solution for complex job shop scenarios characterised by parallel batching machines, machines with sequence-dependent setup times and reentrant process flows. 

The used performance measure is total weighted late arrival. We recommend a “Digital Twin Layer” approach to decompose the overall scheduling problem. The top layer works on an aggregated model. Based on appropriately aggregated routes it determines start dates and planned due dates for the jobs within each single work area, where a work area is defined as a set of parallel machine groups.

The base layer uses the start dates and planned due dates in order to apply shifting bottleneck type solution approaches for the jobs in each single work area. We conduct simulation experiments in a dynamic job shop scenario in order to assess the performance of the solution.

Results indicate the suggested approach outperforms a pure First In First Out Dispatching scheme and provides a similar solution quality as the original modified shifting bottleneck solution.

Better operational strategies are the main key in order to reduce costs and improve overall efficiency. New planning, scheduling and dispatching methods are required in order to reach the goal of better operational performance.

Improved tool capabilities have to be taken into account during the development of more complex rules. It is now possible to solve large scale scheduling problems via decomposition methods. The power of distributed computation can be applied to solve the resulting subproblems of the decomposition process in a simultaneous manner.

The shifting bottleneck solution may serve as the prominent example for job shop decomposition approaches. However, centralised implementations of the shifting bottleneck solution are still very time consuming from a runtime point of view even in the case of moderate scheduling horizons.

In the situation of a larger scheduling horizon, the number of nodes of the scheduling graph grows tremendously, so the solution of the scheduling problem requires large computational efforts in terms of memory and computation time. On the other hand, considering a small scheduling horizon leads to the problem of proper internal due date setting that is very often difficult.

Based on a proper physical decomposition of the manufacturing system into work area subsystems, we use a simple job planning approach in order to assign internal ready times and internal due dates to each job with respect to the decomposition of the job shop into work areas.

1. Make priority Job Site planning composed of facility layout/process outlines

2. Determine production along with build capacity based on facility layout

3. Utilise Work space to form plan for Job Site specification assign based on process plan

4. Generate work order description by input of “block” design metrics

5. Select production techniques process planning

6. Design product work sequence parameters

7. Estimate lead time of each production process by control of available resources/capacity.

8. Assign schedule plan of production strategy and materiel procurement of Job Site

9. Create short-term and mid-term schedule to consider available resources
​
10. Assess Production volume of each Product and estimated 

Defense Industry has benefited from Physical-to-Digital and Digital-to-Digital processes for some time, but closing the loop from digital back to physical and then quickly acting upon analysed data and information with Digital Twins marks the big technical advance. 

This change can move warfighters to the centre of e defense industrial production/repair process. Warfighters can now directly design one-of-a-kind items over mobile network space, pass this to the manufacturing plant, negotiate schedules, be part of the testing regime and arrange delivery. 

Production/Repair can be built and controlled around the Digital Twin include advances in robotics and 3D printing. The digital thread runs from start to finish, connecting the entire design and production process with a seamless strand of data that stretches from the initial design concept to the finished product. 

Changes to the design are then instantly transmitted across the whole process. The Digital Twin is a model of the product that gives insights into the inner workings and operation of the product, simulates possible scenarios, and aids understanding the impact of changes. 

The Digital Twin runs from product inception to service allowing operating experience data to be fed back into the model to update it and prompt possible production changes.

New technology allows manufacturing times to be cut; surge production in time of crisis is once again a realistic possibility. Moreover, specialised tooling is no longer always essential, allowing commercial production lines to be quickly switched to military purposes 

With techniques such as additive manufacturing, production batch sizes can now be small or on-demand without significant impact on production efficiency.  Items can be produced affordably through closed loop processes and have performance improvements introduced quickly. 

The warfighter can now customise equipment on their own optimmised for their needs and operating environments. Moreover, warfighters will be able to make regular reliability improvements and plan on-time logistics support.

Key drivers are “big data” analysed using artificial intelligence; high capacity connectivity; new human-machine interaction modes such as touch interfaces and virtual reality systems; and improvements in transferring digital instructions to the physical world.

Advances in the business of network connect potential mean manufacturing can now occur anywhere with widely distributed production lines near the warfighter, transportation hubs or for protection in case of attack.

All this combines to mean the Digital Twin allows devising a future defense force structure able to rapidly evolve to meet emerging operational demands, not the years or even decades it takes under earlier industrial revolutions. The time lag between new challenges arising and technological responses to those challenges could drop dramatically. Continuous innovation may become the dominant quality of the future force and bring with it prototype warfare.

The prototype warfare concept has two phases. In the first, a wide array of diverse prototypes are developed using Digital Twin and evaluated in experimentation programs. In the second, those particular prototypes that have proven successful in the trials are produced in limited numbers and quickly introduced into-service. 

So defense industry can now rapidly field a variety of low-cost, less complex systems and then replace these with improved variants or something totally new on a regular basis. It may seem calling the small number of prototype systems in service ‘short-life cycle capabilities’ might be more accurate than the ‘prototype warfare’ phrase. However, the phrase nicely captures that these limited production items are rather immature and less than fully developed.

Some Special Forces already use such a prototype warfare type concept but only on a small scale and for rather restricted purposes. Scaling up the idea for larger defense forces would see the short-life, semi-experimental items produced under Digital Twin process being part of the overall military force structure, augmenting the long-life, more complicated, well-proven platforms.

Two-tier force structure has been proven useful in battle.  is not unknown. Numerically small, technologically advanced mechanised units can quickly kickstart the battle for the remainder to fill in behind. Such a stunning success is what the notion of prototype warfare aspires to.

But capabilities produced under this prototype warfare will have some generic shortcomings. To meet the continual innovation objective, the new capabilities will be generally of limited complexity and therefore probably be single role not multi-purpose and perhaps have geographic operating restrictions. 

But there are risks in implementing digital platforms. affordability is a real constraint. There is not just a single capability being pulled forward from the experimentation program but numerous. Funding needs to be spread across many prototypes. Overspending on one will adversely impact others and the overall force balance.

The prototype expeditionary force structure concept envisages fielding many simple capabilities on a rolling basis not a single shot. 

Supportability of rapidly changing equipment scenarios is a real issue but here where Digital Twins come into play.  The digital thread connects all the production participants across the equipment’s life cycle so new variants can quickly incorporate availability and reliability improvements. 

Digital Twin ensures a well-tracked digital manufacturing database of maintenance items and replacement components is available to all and that these can be readily ordered and dispatched, at times electronically to 3D printers deployed in remote battle space.

Similarly the equipment’s digital twin can assist anyone anywhere in understanding how to support and maintain the equipment. Augmented reality could be used to show maintainers who have never before seen the system how to rapidly diagnose and make repairs. Such systems can also help train the equipment’s operators in the field, possibly using tablets or other mobile devices.

Digital Twin will overturn many of our long-held conceptions of defense equipment manufacturing and long-term support. A well-connected warfighter-industry-research defense industrial construct can allow continual innovation, bringing in its wake prototype warfare and the ability to have a rapidly evolving force structure. 

While only a small fraction of a force structure might use Digital Twin prototype warfare equipment, this may be sufficient to decisively win on the battlefield. The Digital Twin prototype warfare construct might be the silver bullet needed in the unpredictable, constantly shifting military operational battlespace present in modern combat. 

Our military is in a high-stakes race to harness the power of data, a revolution that may make previous leaps in military technology like radar may pale in comparison. To fully seize these opportunities before our adversaries do, we need to look less at the technologies we covet and more in the mirror about our own data structures and operational behaviour.

We are already finding new ways to inform and accelerate processes so we can increase the pace and transparency of decision making and reduce the cost of generating and operating our forces. 

But imagine if we could eliminate the need for calendar-driven inspection cycles because we’ve adopted real-time digital feedback in our platforms and systems so we are able to measure and evaluate our generating processes as end-to-end systems, regardless of the number of commands involved. 

Someday soon, we’ll look back and wonder at the arbitrary nature of work that once drove our existence. But this represents only the beginning of our digital opportunities. Gaining a digital edge will transform the way we fight in the future. Speed is of the essence though, because our adversaries are actively and rapidly seeking the same digital advantages.

To date, one of the pacing elements has been the data themselves. The ability to apply a digital edge to the fight requires high-quality data that includes critical information over the right period of time. 

Our systems and programs, often built serially over time with the best of intentions, prevent critical sharing and cross-talk, and results in accumulation of digital data that is not useful due to a lack of transparency and interoperability. 

Maintaining to tight of a grip on data  to the point no one else can use it stalls momentum and leaves us further behind. Storing “your own” data or structurally failing to ensure high-quality data input at any entry point adds more quicksand and bogs down progress toward gaining a digital edge.

The Autonomic Logistics Information System is an information technology system central to the F-35 sustainment strategy. It is intended to provide the necessary logistics tools to F-35 program participants as they operate and sustain the F-35 aircraft. 

ALIS consists of multiple software applications designed to support different squadron activities, including supply chain management, maintenance, training management, and mission planning. Specifically, for supply chain management, ALIS was intended to automate a range of supply functions—including updating the status of parts, generating supply work orders, and communicating critical data about parts. 

However, these capabilities are immature, resulting in numerous challenges and the need for maintainers and supply personnel at military installations to perform time-consuming, manual workarounds.

In order to manage and track parts, one unit estimated that it is spending the equivalent of tens of thousands hours per year performing additional tasks and manual workarounds, including for supply-related functions, because ALIS is not functioning as intended. 

Supply and maintenance personnel we spoke with at various military installations cited challenges associated with ALIS, including the following:

First, missing or corrupted electronic spare parts data required to install a part on an aircraft, necessitating extensive research and troubleshooting to resolve;

Second, maintenance and supply systems within ALIS not communicating with each other, resulting in difficulty in electronically tracking aircraft parts as they are physically moved between maintenance and supply locations at the same base; 

Third,  limited automated capabilities, requiring manual and sometimes duplicative steps for receiving, tracking, and managing parts

Useful application of data is different from challenges we have encountered in the past. It is part of all we do. We not only require, but must demand enterprise solutions for sharing and use of the information we collect and create daily. 

We need to move quickly to intentional, authoritative, high-quality data securely captured, stored, shared, and integrated across the military. We have to curate and rationalize the countless disparate databases and outdated technology which leaves us unable to “see” and make use of basic information.

Our opportunity today at this information inflection point is to see things differently, as a complete team – to see data and advanced analytics in the proper sense: as warfare enablers that pulse through every ship, aircraft, submarine, sensor, weapon, and perhaps sooner than later, every Boot on the Ground.

Yes, we all want to move faster and embed technologies like artificial intelligence/machine learning into our weapons and platforms, from the keel up. To get where we want to go – with machines teaming with us to restock our supply bins before we ask, that update our combat training devices as soon as our systems change, or that indicate dangerous trends and provide solutions well before we need to act – we must first commit, as a Service, to move out smartly, inculcating trust and scaling learning across our institution.

Finally, if history teaches us about the power of grasping new technology as an institution, it also tells us something else: that our adversaries are well-known for seizing the element of surprise. 

Allowing competitors  to dominate the data domain will make that surprise even more of a risk to our security. It’s up to us to create Digital Military Force for the rest of this century through a unified approach and as one team.

Mobile solutions have the power to deliver advanced capabilities boosting readiness, streamling operations and empowering faster, smarter decisions. Even the slightest dip in mission-capable rates can have significant effects on ability to move people, weapons, fuel and mission-critical supplies to support mission needs across the globe so each percentage change in readiness is a reduction in capability.

Operational areas that can reap the most from mobile include flight line maintenance, supply chain management and situational awareness. Tactical aircraft maintenance specialists integral to ensuring aircraft is maintained to the highest standards. 

These specialists require seamless communication to make sure aircraft are ready to fly at a moment’s notice so pilots can safely and effectively achieve the mission at hand. But the job of these specialists can prove especially challenging when there aren’t enough maintainers to do this taxing work.

Mobile solutions like e-digital tools and apps can help leaner teams streamline and optimise flight checklists, safety inspections, equipment maintenance and logistics.

Additionally, secure tablets can harness data like sensor analytics to view real-time inventory and schematics, better utilise spare parts, manage aircraft diagnostics solutions, and essentially allow maintainers to stretch resources.

1. Apply systems engineering approach balances total system performance total ownership costs within the family-of-systems, systems-of-systems context

2. Develop systems engineering plan approval describe program overall technical approach, including processes, resources, metrics, and applicable performance incentives.

3. Detail timing, conduct, and success criteria of technical reviews

4. Develop total system design solution balance cost, schedule, performance, and risk,

5. Develop/Track technical information required for decision making, 

6. Verify technical solutions satisfy customer requirements, 

7. Develop cost-effective/supportable system throughout the life cycle, 

8. Adopt open systems approach to monitor internal and external interface compatibility for systems and subsystems, 

9. Establish baselines and configuration control

10. Create focus and structure of interdisciplinary teams for system and major subsystem level design.  


Top 10 Observations of Day-to-Day Work/Field Experiences Identify Trends/Challenges of Digital Twin Simulation Utilisation 

Specific sessions with engineers, technical/simulation managers, R&D, quality managers were performed. Surveys were conducted in a typical inductive approach assess key practices, processes, tools and data associated with simulation and product/process development. 

1. Domains/application: depth and completeness of engineering simulation areas

2. Methods: engineering simulation tools utilisation

3. Level of integration within driver/follower processes 

4. Process gates and decision criteria: definition, completeness, visibility 

5. Documentation of simulation process and decision-making criteria/milestones 

6. Level of adoption/dissemination of engineering simulation in extended organisation 

7. Depth/completeness of specific skills of engineering simulation 

8. Organisation: relationship and integration between engineering simulation teams and the rest of product development teams  

9. Data lifecycle/workflow: modelling, capture, revision, access/control 

10. Infrastructure: central/distributed computational capacity, support/availability, post-process remote/local capabilities

Top 10 Application Requirements Design Local Enterprise Agent Operation Information for Virtual Network Extend Functionality. 

1. Domains exist for applying of multi-agent systems in production support

2. Intra-enterprise production planning

3. Extra-enterprise production planning

4. Production simulation.

5. Highly complex systems to be controlled

6. Distributed information not available centrally

7. Domains with quickly changing scenarios and problem specification

8. High number of heterogeneous systems to be openly integrated

9. Cooperation of independent units

10. Coordination of virtual organisation.


Top 10 Site Visit Executive Task Assign Responsible for Aircraft Depot Maintenance Workload Administration

1. Allocate resources to include potential mobilised operations

2. Customise depot complex to meet requirements not performed by industry

3. Consolidate workloads to capitalise on similar/common capabilities

4. Distribute workloads to activity with capacity to perform

5. Establish Technical Interfaces between Services to share assignments

6. Identify components of Service plans to match resources with requirements

7. Consider commercial and in-house size/capability constraints

8. Fund Depot operations, construction & modernisation activities

9. Implement uniform cost accounting and information systems

10. Accomplish product support goals of administrative action plan


Top 10 Result Sharing of Objects by Individual Nodes Assist Agent Groups with Solutions to Distributed Problems. 

1. Lower communication costs achieved by abstracting preprocessing data 

2. Transmission lowers communication bandwidth requirements

3, Placing processing node proximity reduces distance of data transmitted

4. Lower processing costs achieved through the use of new systems

5. Less complex mass produced processors by load sharing

6. Allows idle processing nodes to handle some of the work of a busy processing node

7. Reduced application complexity achieved by decomposing the problem-solving task

8. Decomposing tasks more specialised than overall task

9. Result of decomposition is reduced application complexity at each processing node

10. Performs small number of subtasks compared to application performing the complete task.

​Product support is defined as package of logistics support functions necessary to maintain the readiness and operational capability of a system or subsystem. It is an integral part of the weapons system support strategy, which is a part of the acquisition strategy. Support and engineering activities must be integrated to deliver an effective and affordable product support package. 

Work Order system accommodates variety of Maintenance Authorisation, Approval & Scheduling of Jobs.. It is critical each Job site determines how to implement product to fit mission requirements. Specifically, users must determine what approval stages are necessary, where the input will be done and who will be responsible for input/verification processes: 

Maintenance of equipment is critical to its longevity and performance. A well-maintained machine will serve you and your operation for many years to come. To get you started on the road to maximum throughput, we're sharing some expert tips for proper machine maintenance: 

1. Plan to replace wear components and critical spare parts

It is extremely important to have a plan in place to replace wear components, which are expected to wear out from repeated use of the equipment, and critical spare parts, which cause significant downtime when they fail. Ideally, manufacturers have these spare parts as inventory so that they can replace them immediately if they fail. In many manufacturing facilities, the downtime from waiting even a single day for a part can be extremely costly, and so manufacturers should plan to be able to replace highly critical components at any time.

Of course, manufacturers and packagers are also concerned with the funds and space that are tied up in extensive parts inventory. You should consult the manufacturer of your equipment about a list of components that are necessary to keep on hand. Level of inventory required is in part based on the stress on the line, and so each manufacturer’s needs are different. 

Industry leading manufacturers will continually analyze their customers’ needs for these components, and refine the necessary level of parts inventory for each customer to optimise it for their specific needs. These top manufacturers will also maintain strategic inventories of recommended spare parts, so that they can support both planned and emergency component replacement needs.

2. Choose manufacturers who provide reliable service

When you purchase  line equipment from industry-leading manufacturers, you are likely to get the kind of service and support you need to keep your line operating smoothly. It is also important to choose a manufacturer who can provide installation and training in order to ensure vertical startup of the production line with the new equipment.

Leading equipment manufacturers also offer tailored service agreements that link with customers’ maintenance programs in order to ensure maximized line uptime. These service agreements include visits from qualified field service technicians, who can inspect equipment, replace any necessary wear components, and train operators and maintenance teams. Making use of manufacturers’ tailored service agreements can help to optimise spare parts inventory, and to ensure consistent, reliable equipment operation.

3. Put in Systems responsible for Maintenance planning and efficiency

Identify best practices, which can then be applied to other facilities or geographic locations. The knowledge you learn about how to maintain your equipment can become quite valuable – be sure to best leverage this important knowledge and use it at every applicable location.

Automated equipment always needs to run faultlessly to ensure it does not become a constraint on the performance of the terminal. The breakdown of a single piece of equipment can lead to shutting down part of the terminal to remove the machine from the yard.

Planning the operations and maintenance of an automated terminal is a complex task that needs continuous optimisation of multiple variables. A structured approach to maintenance ensures greater equipment availability, which in turn increases overall equipment efficiency


4. Train and empower your employees

Ask yourself, who affects downtime the most? Are they your maintenance technicians, production supervisors, or line operators? The staff who have the most potential to prolong downtime events are often in the best position to prevent it in the future. Operator error is the second-most common cause of downtime after hardware error. A good operator will not only diagnose and fix their own machine, but have the ability to prevent future downtime events through maintenance schedules and accurate documentation.

Direct your resources into specialised industrial and automation training and emphasise the importance of keeping up-to-date documentation. Empower operators to be able to diagnose and problem-solve their machines and remind them how their actions can positively impact downtime. The emerging trend of combining the operator and maintenance technician roles is also effective because the employee knows the machine intimately and fixes his/her own problems.

Many types of large machinery have multiple operators. One of the ongoing inspections on any checklist should be overseeing the correct operation of the equipment. Large machinery should be inspected as soon as it is purchased. Operator training is usually done at that point, but training needs to be kept up. Employees come and go, skills become rusty and poor operation leads to breakdowns.

Operator manuals can be revised for the specific work situation. They can be rewritten in simpler language. A short manual can be provided to each operator for easy reference. And, if you operate in a paperless environment, you can rest assured operators use the most current version of each manual

By involving plant staff in your efforts to reduce downtime, it enables them to understand their role in boosting productivity and efficiency. They may even have suggestions on how to minimise downtime or improve production functionality.

5. Get support for your current automation systems and equipment

The reality is, whether you are a process or discrete manufacturer on a small or large scale, most automation equipment will be from a range of different vendors and span across different eras. This requires operators and maintenance technicians to be skilled across multiple vendor digital tools, as well as hold multiple spare parts – a challenging task, to say the least.

Automation service partners can cover maintenance, repairs, replacements, upgrades, programming and integration for a range of vendor systems. Having these services on-hand ensures you have up-to-date industry knowledge to implement prevention programs, and 24-hour support for breakdowns. 

Typically, these tasks must be performed once a shift, day, or week. They are trained to perform the various tasks with simple visual cues. These training visuals describe exactly what operators are expected to do, often showing the necessary tools and expected outcome. For example, operators who are expected to clean a machine component once a day receive training images with what cleaning supplies to use and what a clean component looks like.

Though tasks like these are often simple, they can forestall the need for larger, more time-consuming maintenance. Additionally, operators are often able to catch problems before they get out of hand, leading to shorter, less involved and less expensive maintenance or repair.

In the best manufacturing and packaging companies in the world, every worker is critical to ensuring reliable operation. Companies must make use of the knowledge and skills of designated maintenance running each machine in autonomous maintenance, in order to avoid unplanned, costly repairs. 

The benefits of using autonomous systems and  maintenance strategies are an increase in effective maintenance over unplanned, maximised equipment availability, and the ability to forecast production capacities and maintenance budgets with greater precision.

6. Make workers see benefits of risk audit 

Updating all documentation on your equipment is a simple, yet effective step to reducing the length of any downtime event. Up-to-date drawings of equipment, machine history and procedures should be kept on hand for easy reference in the event of an error. This ensures operators have the right information to quickly address issues, rather than trying to solve issues with no context. 

The challenge is cultivating a culture where people care about this. The trick? Show people how documentation impacts on their time and overall plant performance. Risk audit is the fastest and most effective step you can take to reduce downtime in future.

In particular, equipment obsolescence poses a significant risk to operations. Despite advancements in control systems, a great number of manufacturers still work with decades old equipment and aging systems that are no longer supported by manufacturers.

 Parts often become unavailable and take to long to deliver. Knowing your support networks and equipment availability can mean the difference between a few hours or a few months in a downtime event.

Not calculating the true cost of downtime is one of the biggest errors that manufacturing managers make. True downtime costs include loss in staff productivity, loss in production of actual goods, number of man hours devoted to rescheduling, the unexpected costs of repairing equipment, time spent satisfying customers 

Other risks that impact automation infrastructure include: security, safety, and quality. A risk audit will highlight problems and solutions so that when you go down, you’re better prepared.

7.  Control and Utilise your data/reporting systems

It goes without saying that manufacturing and enterprise software will impact the level of insight and control you have over production. A large amount of manufacturers still report having manual methods of data collection or unsuitable software for the job, which has driven the uptake of specialised manufacturing software and integration solutions.

Evaluate your current data collection systems. Are they providing the right information? Your data should pinpoint the macro causes of downtime. A spreadsheet or report stating that ‘machine X caused two hours of production loss’ doesn’t solve the problem. Having access to your entire operational data in real-time does.

Different operational and digital systems can be integrated to give a plant-wide view. This helps manufacturers pinpoint the exact moment a machine goes down, and allows them to cross-check this against other activities in the plant to find a correlation.

Quickly finding the cause of downtime enables faster, more accurate responses. Even if you've got the replacement part, if you haven't got the backup program you’re in trouble.” 

Requires discipline and continuous staff involvement. Regular, site-wide backups of control systems is integral to safeguarding any operation. In one worst-case scenario, a large manufacturing company with a complex cut-to-length machine erased their entire system by accident. The company had no backup digital copy and the provider had gone out of business so no external support was available. They had no choice but to rewrite the program, halting production in the entire factory.

8. Change your learning processes from reactive to proactive

A learning culture will play a large part in determining whether preventative maintenance, staff training and other measures are successful in reducing downtime.

Adopting and championing a proactive rather than reactive mentality is one important habit that manufacturing managers must adopt – or face being left behind. Proactive thinking will ensure you adopt the systems and habits needed to stop problems before they occur.

Program is one example of proactive thinking to maximise customer value while minimising waste. This includes undergoing continuous improvement, which have a positive impact on your performance For example, long changeover and set-up times between production runs can cause considerable downtime.

9. Replace dated legacy programming to improve performance

Replace the central processing unit and software and instantly gain the benefits of a new platform without changing the wiring. This enables you to preserve your investment in application design and embedded process knowledge whilst extending the life of your existing control system incrementally and provide you with new operational capability. New digital tools provides the basis for any technology upgrades you want to do in the future and provides a smooth transition for operating personnel to the new technology.

10. Gradually incorporate new technology into work space with modernisation programs

One way to reduce the amount of unplanned downtime in your plant is to implement a modernisation program for your control system. This can be addressed in a step-by-step approach that will not only increase uptime, but provide a range of benefits for your processing facility whilst preparing your plant for the future, a future where the fourth industrial revolution and the internet of things are fast becoming a reality. 


Top 10 Business/Tech Customer Service Metrics Approach to Design, Acquire, and Field Product Support Package Execute Sustainment Strategy.  

Site Visit Executive plan for formulating, implementing, and executing the product support strategy  describes the efforts to ensure that the system design, as well as the development of the product support package, are integrated and contribute to achieving life cycle sustainment metrics.   

Site Visit Executive has responsibility for and authority to accomplish program objectives for development, production, and sustainment to meet the user’s operational needs. and maintains accountability for credible cost, schedule, and performance reporting to the Milestone Decision Authority.   
 
Site Visit Executive toolbox includes package of support functions required to field and maintain the readiness and operational capability of major weapon systems, subsystems, and components,.

Services include but are not limited to materiel management, distribution, technical data management, maintenance, training, cataloging, configuration management, engineering support, repair parts management, failure reporting and analyses, and reliability growth tracking and the logistics elements e.g., support equipment, spares related to weapon systems readiness.  

A contract, task order, or any type of other contractual arrangement, or any type of agreement or non-contractual arrangement with or within DoD, for the performance of sustainment or logistics support required for major weapon systems, subsystems, or components  includes arrangements for performance-based logistics; sustainment support; contractor logistics support; life cycle product support; or weapon systems product support.  

Site Visit Executive charged with integrating all sources of product support arrangement required to field and maintain the readiness and operational capability of major weapon systems, subsystems, and components, including all functions related to weapon system readiness, in support of life cycle management responsibilities.
​ 
What words come to mind when we think of  a great customer service product support regime? Site Visit Executive with Patience, Positivity Performance and Strong work ethic perhaps. But what about metrics? While support is ultimately about people, metrics are how we measure our performance and inform improvements. To boost your customer support strategy, take a comprehensive approach by tracking essential support metrics.

Consider universal, best practices and time-tested metrics to measure the effectiveness of your customer support system and work hard at quickly identified the most important factors to your operation.

1. Better Response times have underpinned sweeping changes in customer expectations and support practices. By current standards, speed isn’t a bonus, it’s a necessity. 

2. Consider alternatives to  pushing your teams harder and harder to “have all tickets answered within X hours”. As support professionals, we’re well aware of the delicate balance in setting poor expectations and underdelivering. Speed is priority most of the time, but not without context.

3. High  customer support ticket volume can feel good. It means your digital support network of collection forms, live chat, etc. are accessible and that customers are invested enough to get in touch instead of jump ship. But consider that support tickets are direct feedback for instances where your product fell short or was confusing, we should always aim to minimise the number of support tickets .

4. Take a page from marketing and use channel attribution i.e ,tying user actions or sources to outcomes to get more clarity on customer complaints.

5. Find patterns throughout your sources. Maybe inquiries from the knowledge base are more technical while live chat requests are simple onboarding questions. Use this info to deliver the right solutions at the right time.

6. Customer experience ratings are necessary to gauge your support team’s effectiveness but consumers generally hold binary oppositionswhen prompted for feedback, ie, for/against, like/dislike, etc. 

7. Consider that for every customer who bothers to complain, many others remain silent. Customers don’t just make quick judgements about how they feel-- they tend to be more vocal when upset. Striving for higher support ratings is a given, but don’t dismiss the unhappy customers as a lost cause. Smooth out negative conversations and take them as learning opportunities, even if there’s no chance of winning a customer back.

8. Getting accurate knowledge base traffic counts require joint work with marketing to understand indicators like: bounce rate when a customer visits your site, then leaves it without navigating to other pages within it. Logically, we assume people who “read and leave” found a page to be ineffective and  it can be a good indicator when customers get their answers and can move on.

9. Perform response sentiment assessments on your inquiries and responses. Take samplings of support transcripts  for inquires/responses and assess actual language. Think of questions directed at improving your process like Can your team maintain effectiveness with shorter responses? How often are your support reps needing to make excuses? And How often are your customers left with “dead-end” responses?

10. Our final metric is not easily measured on  dashboards. Seeing how many times your support team goes from “reactive” to “proactive” can be the difference between having a good vs great support team open to unique strategies so you can gain new perspectives to improve the quality of your customer support experience.

Top 10 Product Support Logistics Metrics Steps Matter Most to Track and Improve Performance

Why use product support metrics performance indicators when you are already doing the best job possible? Talk to any over-the-road product support agent that finds itself increasingly handcuffed by institutionalised product support services and fuel-related costs and it would likely tell you the "best job possible" doesn't cut it anymore. 

Still, invariably, that product support agent may need to look outside its enterprise and consider outsourcing non-core logistics functions to a third party logistics company or delegating more responsibilities to its core carriers to squeeze out hidden costs and further streamline its supply chain. 

Outsourcing product support  functions can provide a more objective and relational context for understanding how logistics best practices can drive improvement elsewhere in the enterprise while simultaneously unbundling hidden efficiencies and costs in an otherwise tight market. 

When the “best job possible” doesn’t feel like you are cutting it anymore, you can turn to digital data tools as a way to see how product support tactics and shipping activities create trends. Once a product support agent either tracks this data themselves or a provider puts out key product support  metrics the shipper can then implement and understand logistics best practices. 

Once understood, the  providers, are able to create new strategies and tactics for the logistics side of the business which will drive value and savings to the bottom line. 

However, a product support agent must first know the correct logistics metrics to track and understand. Using the correct set of metrics can lead you to realise if you have the proper balance between service and cost. Using the correct product support  performance metrics will not only let you know your current performance, but will also lead you to change processes to become more efficient. 

Product support measures of effectiveness should be considered critical to any improvement plan. Although metrics do vary, we give you a general overview of some common logistics metrics in use today below, but first you must understand how to go about using these metrics.

If you are not tracking logistics metrics today, we strongly encourage you to implement tracking these core metrics listed above today. It’s common knowledge that analyzing digital data combined with expertise can truly allow you to affect change in your organisation. This is not change for change sake, but rather change to improve your business and impact your bottom line. 

If you are looking to track your logistics metrics better, please contact one of our Specialists so you can use product support  metrics to Improve Your Logistics Operation by following these basic steps:

1. The first step is to identify the product support  metrics that you want to use. Do not use every metric available. Rather, focus on the vital measurements that mean the most to your business. These can be considered your key performance indicators If you decide to include numerous measurements, you may get stuck.

2. Understand the Meaning: metrics. It is not enough for management to simply view these measurements, they must also understand the meaning behind them. That means leadership must know and be on the same page with product support  terminology as well as the meaning of these metrics. Don’t take anything for granted.

3.The next step is to learn the mechanics behind the measurements. What drives them, both positive and negative? Try to understand the various factors that influence your results.

4. Using the insights gleaned from these core logisitics metrics, identify any weak areas or areas of improvement in your current product support processes.

5. Set aggressive but obtainable goals based on these improvement areas. The goals should be aggressive, but yet obtainable. Goals can be based on benchmarking against "like" companies or goals can be set to reflect a specific percentage improvement over past performance. As an example, improving your results by X% every year.

6. Put corrective action in place to improve your processes and make sure that these corrective actions do not negatively affect other areas. Also, check that all affected areas have a clear understanding of the changes.

7. Monitor your results: Did your corrective actions yield your desired results? If so, what is your next area for improvement? If you did not get the desired results, what went wrong? Try to identify the root cause of your undesired results, then brainstorm new corrective actions.

8. Track your product support metrics so you can view your performance over time and guides you on how to optimise your logistics and supply chain operations. Tracking these core metrics allows management to identify problem areas and fix them with digital data tools and experience. It also allows for comparison to other companies through like industry benchmarking.

9. Certain metrics, have a widely accepted definitions. Other metrics may need to be customised for your particular product support/logistics business model.

10. Measurements alone are not the solution to your weak areas! The solution lies in the corrective actions that you take to improve the measure. The solution comes from process or system improvements. The measurements should be used to track the results of your improvement efforts.