Imaginestics: Research and Development

Problem / Purpose

Parts obsolescence due to expiration of OEM support of aging systems results in unfilled orders
Defense procurement agencies are forced to rely on a handful of suppliers, leading to higher cost of ownership
Defense procurement agencies have very little visibility into the capabilities of the internal organic shops, which often leads to unfilled orders remaining pending if no supplier bid has been received, higher flow-days for maintenance, and mission readiness being threatened

Solution

VizSpace, a collaborative community based environment, enables Tinker AFB to visualize the capability of internal shops to meet the remanufacturing or repair requirements for a given part; if the internal shop has partial capability, the VizSpace environment networks outside suppliers to help satisfy the gap

Customers / Stakeholders

Oklahoma City ALC
Connecticut Center for Advanced Technology
10 small- and medium-sized suppliers

Benefits / Milestones

Increases the work load for internal organic shops
Provides visibility of the capabilities of the internal organic shops
Increases capabilities of the internal organic shops through collaboration with outside suppliers
Reduces procurement cycle time for aging weapon systems leading to reduction in flow-days for maintenance

Research & Development

Rapid Part Response System