CIMdata PLM Industry Summary Online Archive

September 28, 2007

Events News

Performance Based Logistics Supporting the Warfighter a Key Concern for Symposium Attendees

By their presence at an educational symposium held in August, senior management from the world''s leading aerospace and defense companies signified that performance based logistics (PBL) may be the most pressing issue facing their industry.

In order to help its aerospace industry customers prepare for the new defense-contracting environment created to better support the Warfighter, IFS-the global enterprise applications company-held this first-ever symposium on PBL hosted at the GE Aviation Learning Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.

PBL is a support strategy that uses performance requirements and incentives to contract with vendors to maintain and support weapons systems while controlling total cost of ownership. As the conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq saw increasing usage levels of some aircraft and weapon systems and the punishing environment of the Middle East began to take its toll, some military contractors found that the performance-based agreements (PBA''s) they had signed no longer reflected the scope of work necessary to support systems that had been used more heavily than anticipated.

"IFS was perhaps the first to realize that PBL contractors would need a way to anticipate maintenance demand while reducing their investment in the supply chain," IFS Director of Aerospace and Defense Kevin Deal said.

According to Deal, PBL is nothing new to the military, as elements of it can be seen even in the first aircraft ever commissioned for the United States armed services. Since this time, however, both the weapons systems and they way they are used have become more complex.

"One of the first examples of a performance based military contract was a ''heavier than air flying machine'' purchased from Orville and Wilbur Wright for the then US Army Signal Corps," Deal said. "However, today''s military PBL contractors are faced with unique challenges. Contracts entered into years ago did not anticipate changes in mission and op tempos. Aircraft designed to provide a certain wartime mission might now also be used in new ways, for instance to provide humanitarian relief. Also, aircraft are being utilized at a higher rate and therefore are wearing out more quickly causing a strain on maintenance and supply chain. These unforeseen factors cause significant challenges to PBL contractors working under older contracts."

Speakers included experts from IFS Aerospace and Defense, as well as military and defense manufacturers including:

•  Lorna Estep, Deputy Director for Supply, Directorate of Logistics, AFMC

•  John Osborn, Deputy Vice President, JSF Global Sustainment, BAE Systems

•  Tony Guarino, Director, Business Development Logistics, Lockheed Martin

•  Doug Bowman, Program Director, Logistic IT Solutions, Lockheed Martin

•  Dr. Thomas C. Pieplow, Assistant Program Executive Officer, Army Aviation

The symposium, which took place August 23, drew attendance from several branches of the armed forces and industry-leading companies including BAE Systems, Ball Aerospace, Booz Allen Hamilton, Breeze Eastern, CACI, CSC, Derco Aerospace, General Dynamics, GE Aviation, Lockheed Martin, Olgoonik Logistics, RLO Consulting, Portal Dynamics, SAIC, Sogeti USA, SSSI, and Williams International.

Aerospace and defense is one of IFS'' targeted market segments. IFS Applications includes advanced standard functionality that meets the demanding requirements of defense manufacturers. IFS'' fully integrated project tracking and product data management (PDM) capabilities, when combined with other IFS Applications components, make it easier to operate while managing the design, manufacturing, and ongoing spare parts logistics and maintenance support of complex products throughout the product lifecycle.

The IFS Aerospace and Defense solutions span the complete product lifecycle focusing on delivery of comprehensive in-service logistics solutions such as MRO (Maintenance Repair and Overhaul), EAM (Enterprise Asset Management), and PBL (Performance-based Logistics) solutions that support the aerospace and defense industry and arms of services world-wide. IFS can deliver solutions to several of the subordinate markets of PBL including CLS (Contractor Logistics Support), DVD (Direct Vendor Delivery), and TSPR (Total System Program Responsibility).

IFS customers within the aerospace and defense industry include the British, Norwegian, and US defense organizations as well as the Eurofighter consortium. Commercial MRO shops and operators include Finnair, Bristow Helicopters, Aero-Dienst GmbH, Hawker Pacific, and Jet Turbine Services. In addition, IFS provides solutions to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) such as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, BAE SYSTEMS, Saab, and GE Transportation.

 

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