Aerospace
Logistics Support Analysis
Logistics Support Analysis (LSA) applies carefully weighted data and statistics (obtained through numerous resources, studies, and analyses) in an effort to include supportability during the design process. LSA blends logistic engineering, system engineering, and system design to develop the optimal support outcome. A successful LSA will define those support requirements that are ideal for the system design, as well as for the design of the support system.
Increase Your Efficiency, Reduce Your Costs
By identifying what support requirements are mutually beneficial, LSA can increase efficiency, increase the compatibility of system engineering to the support system, reduce the cost of providing support, and thoroughly examine the elements of support to provide insight into additional areas of improvement.
LSA has a broad scope that considers many aspects of maintaining your equipment or product. There is no boilerplate method to performing LSA; which steps are taken and what is analyzed often depends on the outcome desired. Many people in the fields of provisioning, technical writing and cataloging perform some LSA on a regular basis without even realizing it.
The following list represents the elements most commonly examined while performing LSA:
- Ability to Be Produced
- Mobility & Transportability
- Comparative Analysis
- Product Improvement and Technology Insertion
- Design of System
- Use of System
- Disposal of System
- Reliability
- Early Fielding Data
- Environmental and Safety Aspects
- Human Engineering
- FMEA/FMECA (Failure Mode and Effects Analysis/Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis)
- Support Equipment
- Support Equipment Supply
- Information Technology Resources
- Sustainability
- Life Cycle Cost
- Test Requirements
- LORA
- Maintainability
- Training
- Maintenance Engineering
- Maintenance Planning
- Value Engineering
The Logistics Database
In the past, logistics support has relied on the MIL-STD-1388 format. This format populates a series of Data Element Definitions (DED), which are then interrelated by means of a complex database. The database structure uses a variety of tables for both data entry and data delivery. It also provides a means of generating custom reports that gives interrelated data from a variety of tables.
This type of logistics database contains:
- Information regarding the end product or system, including its operational structure (how many and where located)
- FMEA/FMECA information
- Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) information
- General and detailed task information (including maintainability predictions and skills)
- A list of required tools used in repair and servicing tasks
- Provisioning (spare parts) information
This database is used to determine spare part requirements, tool requirements, personnel and skill requirements, to name a few.
Logistics Management Information (LMI)
Increasingly, the logistic world is moving towards Logistics support Management Information (LMI). This data is based on the methodologies contained in MIL-PRF 49506. This movement is driven by the need to make information transportable across various platforms, and also the need to make it easier to compile and maintain. The information gathered is very similar to the information required for a MIL-STD-1388-based analysis. However, data entry, structure, and reports are simpler and easier to manipulate.
O'Neil & Associates uses RELEX software for performing many of the above-listed tasks, such as Reliability and Maintainability Predictions, FMEAs/FMECAs, and Fault Tree Analysis. O'Neil & Associates also uses SLICwave and PowerLOG-J for LSA and generating MIL-STD-1388-2B reports.
- Information regarding the capabilities of Relex can be found at www.relexsoftware.com
- Information regarding SLICwave can be found at www.isscorp.com
- Information regarding PowerLOG-J can be found at www.logsa.army.mil/lec/powerlog/