The Value of an ILS system

1. INTRODUCTION.

With funds generally being in short supply, how do users maximize equipment operational availability at an affordable cost? The emphasis of user Logistic Support spending has to move towards developing a capability to support affordable availability, and to seek a continuous improvement mantra. Ensuring cost-effective support of product systems throughout their entire life cycle, has generated many challenges to find ways and means for the successful identification, quantification and management of the risks and opportunities associated with the design and implementation of innovative support system solutions. By applying proper Integrated Logistic Support principles and processes, the cost effectiveness of a product system operating within a defined client environment can be managed and optimised.

2. WHAT IS INTEGRATED LOGISTIC SUPPORT (ILS)?

“Integrated logistic Support”is the management and technical process through which supportability and logistic support considerations are integrated into the design and taken into account throughout the life cycle of systems/equipment and by which all elements of logistic support are planned, acquired, tested, and provided in a timely and cost-effective manner as illustrated in the diagram that can be found in the PDF.

3. ILS OBJECTIVES

Integrated Logistic Support (ILS) capabilities are being applied as a means of ensuring the most cost-effective through life support for product systems. The most effective support solutions are determined for the product systems by optimizing the end user resources and the available industrial capability to ensure increased vehicle availability and improved operational effectiveness. The total lifetime cost of owning and operating a product system has become much more important than the initial acquisition cost. Lifetime maintenance costs often exceeds initial acquisition costs. The value of ILS includes

ensuring that the end user has his product system support needs taken into account from the design stage, providing a full package to optimise maintenance and reduce down time. The main objectives of ILS are:

the early influencing of a product system design, on a scientific basis, to optimize operational availability and life cycle costs (LCC);
the application of analysis to the product system design to identify the necessary support requirements to cost-effectively support the product system throughout its entire life cycle;
the acquisition of the required support elements; and,
the commissioning of, and the in-service support of the product system.

4. INTEGRATED LOGISTICS SUPPORT (ILS) ELEMENTS

An ILS comprises the following elements as illustrated in the diagram found in the PDF:

Maintenance planning - Identify, plan, resource, and implement maintenance concepts and requirements to ensure the best possible equipment/capability is available when the end user needs it at the lowest possible LCC;
Personnel - Identify, plan, resource and acquire personnel, with the grades and skills required to manage, operate and maintain the equipment;
Supply support - Identify, plan, resource and implement management actions to acquire repair parts, spares, and all classes of supply to ensure the equipment/capability is available to support the end user;
Facilities - Identify, plan, resource, and acquire facilities to enable training, maintenance and storage to maximize effectiveness of the product system operation and the logistic support system;
Support and test equipment - Identify, plan, resource and implement management actions to acquire and support the equipment required to sustain the operation and maintenance of the product system to ensure that the product system is available to the end user;
Packaging, handling, storage, and transportation (PHST) - Identify, plan, resource, and acquire packaging/preservation, handling, storage and transportation (PHST) requirements to optimise...

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