Materiel Problems at a Naval Aviation Depot: A Case Study of the TF-30 Engine

Abstract

At a 1989 conference of senior Naval logisticians and RAND researchers at the Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey, CA, all Navy participants agreed on one point: the Naval aviation depots (NADEPs) have a "materiel problem." More precisely, there was a consensus that repair processes at the NADEPs are often brought to a halt because needed repair parts are not immediately available. There was no consensus on the source(s) of the materiel problem, however, because materiel support in the Navy is the responsibility of several different functional organizations, each with its own perspective, concerns, and performance measures. A decision was made to investigate the materiel problem to see where its sources lay. To this end, the authors conducted a case study involving the TF-30 jet engine (the power plant for the F-14), which is repaired at NADEP Norfolk. The TF-30 was chosen for several reasons: (1) the aircraft and engine are mature, having been in service since the early 1970s; (2) the engine is not currently in production, so depot repair is critical to keeping the engine operational in the field; (3) the parts demand data for the TF-30 are of good quality because parts requests are screened through a special information system -- the NADEP Logistics Management System (NLMS); and (4) materiel problems are said to be an issue in TF-30 repair. Moreover, based on their ongoing research, the authors believe that the problems associated with TF-30 repair generalize to other major end items and all NADEPs. This study examined the materiel problem using three measures that correspond, respectively, to three perspectives on the supply system: (1) aggregate delivery times (perspective of depot artisans and the supply system); (2) demand-supply profiles (perspective of inventory control points (ICPs)); and (3) impact of parts delays on engine repair (perspective of depot management).

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1992
Accession Number
ADA260641

Entities

People

  • Lionel A. Galway

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Human Systems
  • Weapons Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Force Facilities
  • Air Superiority Fighters
  • Aircrafts
  • Cannibalization
  • Case Studies
  • Contracts
  • Department Of Defense
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Information Systems
  • Logistics
  • Logistics Management
  • Maintenance
  • Naval Aviation
  • Procurement
  • Standards
  • Supply Depots

Readers

  • Academic Conference Management
  • Life Cycle Cost Analysis
  • Manufacturing Engineering.