IF IT AIN’T BROKE ...
AMSAA’s recommendations seek to formalize the extended service intervals, quality control inspections, quality assur- ance reviews and pre-dispatch checklists for nondeployed, low-usage equipment. AMSAA vetted its final version through TACOM, which concurred with the changes and delivered a final version to the Army G-4 for final approval. Army G-4 is currently reviewing the suggested changes to the policy.
EXPANDING THE IMPACT Te benefits highlighted in the extended services study were immediately apparent with the 25th Transportation Company, and continue to generate additional
attention across the Army. The 25th Transportation Company petitioned the G-4 to continue its exemption for the use of extended preventive maintenance intervals. Te G-4 granted the request, permitting the 25th Transportation Company to continue to operate on the extended services schedule as new policy is being considered.
Condition-based maintenance tools such as the digital source collectors, laptops connected to onboard vehicle networks and diagnostic software products made Soldiers more informed, but they also made them much busier.
Additionally, TACOM has engaged the original equipment manufacturer of the FMTV in a review of the preventive main- tenance strategy for that platform. Te objective is to benchmark the manufac- turer’s recommended service schedules and determine changes to the FMTV’s preven- tive maintenance process to decrease life cycle costs and optimize service inter- vals. Historical fault codes collected by AMSAA will be combined with oper- ational requirements for the FMTV to produce recommended optimized service intervals. TACOM has also identified the Stryker combat vehicle as a potential bene- ficiary of the optimized service strategy.
AMSAA has since partnered with the Army Study Program Management Office, within HQDA G-8, and the 1st Squadron, 2nd Calvary Regiment headquartered in Vilseck, Germany, to undertake a similar optimized preventive maintenance study focused on its Stryker platforms. Te study began in February 2018 and is proceed- ing through the fall of 2019, following an implementation plan similar to the one used with the 25th Transportation Company.
Initial findings have identified reductions in required services, savings in service parts and an increase in man-hours for unscheduled maintenance actions. Final study findings will be briefed to TACOM and PEO CS&CSS in September 2019 at the conclusion of the two-year study, and will be used to support formal
48 Army AL&T Magazine October-December 2018
recommendations maintenance policy.
for updated Army
CONCLUSION Initial concerns over the efficiency of the Army’s preventive maintenance policy led to a new approach to sustainment opera- tions. Implementing an optimized service strategy that removes the requirement for premature time-based services proved to be a wise, cost-saving approach that also returned valuable man-hours to Army maintenance personnel to support oper- ational readiness repairs.
Te new approach is quickly generating additional support throughout the Army sustainment community and, most impor- tantly, with those who set official policy. Data supporting the adoption of updated sustainment processes for today’s complex systems will ultimately prove to benefit tomorrow’s systems and the Soldiers they support. Savings in costs, resources and maintenance man-hours with no change to safety is a winning formula the Army can live with, and fight with into the future.
For more information, contact the author at
kevin.m.guite.civ@
mail.mil or go to
https://osat.amsaa.army.mil.
MR. KEVIN GUITE is a lead operations research analyst with AMSAA at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. He holds an M.S. in computer science from the Univer- sity of Maryland Graduate School and a B.S. in computer science from the Univer- sity of Maryland, Baltimore County. He is Level III certified in engineering and Level I certified in program management. He has been a member of the Army Acquisition Corps since 2008.
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