Identification and Reduction of Bottlenecks Concerning MICAP Re-Supply of F-16 Weapons System Avionics Line

This thesis evaluates selected F-16 avionics Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) transiting the logistics pipeline in order to examine the existence of bottlenecks and explore potential solutions within the current Department of Defense (DoD) logistics reparable pipeline. A previous study reported that a reduction in the overall pipeline resupply time of at least one day equates to a savings of approximately $25.45 million (Hill et al, 1990:iii). Bottlenecks cause movement delays to the entities moving through the logistics reparable pipeline. The pipeline segments are: AO (requisition), AE (item availability), AS (shipment status), and D6 (receipt). The bottlenecks of concern are those that occur when normally allowed transit times are exceeded. The transit times are set forth by supply and transportation priorities in the Uniformed Materiel Movement and Issue Priority System (UMMIPS). This study focuses on five specific NMCS avionics Line Replaceable Units (LRU) which are also two level maintenance (2LM) parts for the F-16 weapons system. The data, retrieved from the Enhanced Transportation Automated Data System (ETADS), consists of 682 Air Force shipments from the period 1 July through 31 September 1996. The overall performance of the shipments was poor with approximately 83 percent failing to meet the authorized UMMIPS standard. The segment with the most bottlenecks is the AS (shipping status) segment. Of the 63 shipments evaluated(accompanied with shipping documents), 49 contained bottlenecks within the AS segment.