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Problem

When managing support to complex assets such as the Victoria Class Submarines (VCS), it can be a challenge to exploit the information generated by the broad system of people, processes, and tools that are involved. Aggregation of produced data is further complicated by the use of transactional business models, disparate Maintenance Information System (MIS) forms, capacity gaps, and staff renewals that interrupt knowledge acquisition.

To help overcome the obstacles of complex data and disparate systems, enterprise members work in partnered arrangements, sharing insightful information. This type of working arrangement leads to the development of collaborative plans and improved solutions that are viable, effective, and provide good value for money.

Solution

Babcock Canada and the Department of National Defence have developed a Collaborative Analytics capability, which draws information from enterprise-wide MIS, to target specific supportability issues that impact Operational Availability and Whole Life Cost (WLC).

The capability is comprised of three types of analysis, described below.

Supportability Condition Assessment Report (SCAR)

Initiated as part of SureView™, an application included within Babcock’s iSupport360™ digital asset management suite of tools process, SCARs utilize enterprise data including inventory demands, maintenance demands, and job time recording to provide an in-depth understanding of equipment supportability challenges.

SCAR information is used to present supplementary views of supportability showing information by specific vessels in class, operating environment, and constituent systems. SCARs enhance the emerging understanding of supportability drivers by establishing root causes and eliminating the possibility of spurious conclusions. The result is increased confidence that actionable plans target systems and equipment presenting the greatest risk to platform, class availability, and WLC.

Integrated Material Planning and Analysis (IMPA)
To increase overall demand satisfaction rates, IMPA assembles an enterprise-wide view of inventory demands and classifies the associated inventory data by commodity grouping, price and relevant maintenance action to specifically identify items in the inventory that warrant a review of stock holding and stock holding location. IMPA is conducted for all lines and levels of maintenance requiring material, and results in economies of scale and strategic alignment of DND and Babcock Canada procurement activity.

Increased stock demand satisfaction decreases the number of material transfers which have significant cost and schedule impact on the VCS programme. WLC is reduced, as is logistics delay time, thereby improving class and platform availability.

Remote Assisted Maintenance Period (RAMP) Analysis

As the distances the Victoria Class Submarines deploy from home increase, it is critical that support is available no matter their location in the world. Due to space limitations and the high cost of deploying spares, it is vital that the recommended spares list is optimized and consistent with the expected preventive and corrective maintenance requirements.
Babcock Canada supports these aims through the creation and application of a rules-based and data-driven analysis of the recommended deployed spares list, which assesses recommended material against known maintenance requirements and reliability trends. The analysis also identifies alternative suppliers, including local acquisition.
Babcock Canada further analyzes RAMP sparing recommendations to determine the level of risk to the wider Submarine enterprise associated with deployment of critical spares away from the remainder of the class.

Collaborative Analytics Benefits
At the Platform level – Reduced Whole Life Cost

  • Facilitates improved targeting of limited resources for most effect – value for dollar
  • Enables achievement of economies of scale
  • Aligns Customer and Contractor business plans

At the Class and Platform level – Increased Operational Availability

  • Enables an enterprise shared understanding of supportability drivers, risks and mitigation plans
  • Increased enterprise confidence in class planning artefacts, related strategies and plans for managing key drivers

At the Enterprise level – Improved Relationships

  • Provides users in Customer and Contractor organizations throughout the enterprise with a coherent and consistent view of submarine supportability information over disparate IT systems – a single version of truth
  • Fosters new and more effective ways of working in a collaborative environment focussed on operational achievements at minimum cost