Life-limited parts prove a problem for FMS customers

  • Published
  • By Daryl Mayer
  • 88 ABW Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  Evolution of supply chain management created a ripple effect in the availability of life-limited engine parts for international partner jet engines -- items that are vital to keeping jets in the air.

The U.S. Air Force has a single automated process in place to track life-limited parts by serial number and numbers of hours or cycles used. If a U.S. Air Force F-16 needs an engine fan blade (a common life-limited part), maintenance crews can access this system to determine precisely how many hours of life that part has remaining. All engine life-limited parts in the U.S. inventory are tracked this way and new parts are ordered through suppliers based on projected usage well in advance of need, according to Frank Washburn, Supply Flight director for the 555th International Logistics Squadron.

It is a relatively simple process and it works. Unfortunately, it is not nearly that simple getting the same parts to international partners through the Foreign Military Sales program.

"This situation has placed a burden on some of our international partners, and we are determined to find a resolution," said Mr. Washburn, whose squadron handles the logistical arm of the foreign military sales mission for the Air Force Security Assistance Center, the organization charged with managing the Air Force FMS portfolio.

In an effort to get to the heart of the problem, AFSAC sponsored a number of meetings with several international partners and an Engine Summit with industry leaders from General Electric and Pratt & Whitney, and the International Engine Management Program Office at Tinker AFB, Okla. The Summit provided the center's staff with keen insight to specific international support issues and excellent cross-talk between senior industry and government leaders. In the end, what they discovered was a complex, multidimensional problem.

The first problem is other countries do not have the same system as the U.S. Air Force to track life-limited parts, said Mr. Washburn. When a U.S. Air Force maintenance crew is issued a used life-limited part to repair an engine, they have to know the part is still capable of doing its job. There is no room for guesswork, because if a mistake is made it could jeopardize the crew.

"Since our international partners do not use the same system to track the hours or cycles on life-limited parts, FMS customers are not allowed to return or obtain used life-limited parts from U.S. Air Force inventories and are required to buy new life-limited parts," he said.

This leads to the second problem. Many of these parts are not in high demand and require precise manufacturing processes to produce, said Mr. Washburn. The current trend in industry is to reduce the number of parts sitting on shelves in warehouses, because industry sees that as potentially lost revenue. Therefore, the part is generally manufactured on demand from the customer.

This leads to the third problem. All foreign military sales orders must be funded up front. The request can't be placed until the money is available and that sometimes restricts a country's ability to purchase in advance, according to Mr. Washburn. When FMS customers put in a request for parts, they are frequently told the wait could be up to 18 months, which in turn could lead to grounded jets.

"No doubt there are countless other factors and issues, legal and otherwise, that further complicate this situation," Mr. Washburn said. "Nonetheless, we are committed to finding a solution to give better support to customers."

Mr. Washburn and Rick Amos, a flight director for the 555th International Materiel Squadron who organized the Engine Summit, are both recent graduates of the Logistics and Supply Chain Management Masters degree program at Wright State University. Applying knowledge gained there and even reaching back to the school for assistance has allowed them to apply state of the art supply chain concepts to this process.

"There is no single simple solution; this is going to take a total team effort," said Mr. Washburn. "We are looking at a number of solutions, including better financial planning on the part of our FMS partners, improved collaboration between the U.S. Air Force engine management community and our international partners to improve requirements forecasting, development of life-limited parts forecasting programs to assist our international partners in projecting long term needs, and enhanced dialogue with our industry partners at Pratt and Whitney and General Electric."

In the interim, the center is collaborating with the Tinker ALC International Engine Management community and Foreign Military Sales focal points to focus on international life-limited engine component management to meet the needs of its international partners.