Systecon presenterade paper om LCC-analys på LogNet 2015

Olle Bååthe från Systecon presenterade ett paper om LCC-analys på konferensen LogNet 2015 i St. Augustin, Tyskland den 3-4 mars.

LogNet är ett årligt evenemang som samlar den tyska försvarslogistik-branschen. Det är tredje året i rad som Systecon deltar som både talare och utställare. Liksom tidigare år gav konferensen ett utmärkt tillfälle att träffa våra tyska kunder och Opus Suite användare, och för att få en uppfattning om vad som just nu diskuteras och prioriteras i den här sektorn. En sammanfattning följer nedan (på engelska). Kontakta oss gärna för en komplett version av presentationen.

Understanding the impact of a design change on Reliability, Maintainability and Life Cycle Cost

When making decisions about a potential design change to a technical system, it is essential to understand how the change impacts reliability and maintainability, and consequently the performance of the system and the cost of operating and maintaining it. Life Cycle Cost (LCC) analysis based on modelling and simulation of the scenario is an effective way to gain that understanding.

This paper will suggest an approach for such analysis and show how it was successfully applied in a recent project. The project regards a combat vehicle, CV90, in its operational phase, and the decision under study is a choice between two different track alternatives on the vehicle. The CV90 is originally equipped with steel tracks. However, recent technology developments have raised rubber tracks as a feasible alternative. (The CV90 is an intermediate weight combat vehicle manufactured by BAE Systems. More than 1000 vehicles have been manufactured and it is in use by six nations.)

Early evaluations showed that rubber tracks significantly reduce vibration and noise, both inside and outside of the vehicle. However, it also places different requirements on the maintenance and support services. There are obvious costs for modifying the system and investing in rubber tracks, but how support costs for the vehicle be affected by the re-design, as it will have an impact on reliability and maintenance? Is there an expected ROI and how long will it take to achieve a net Life Cycle Savings? To answer these questions, cost consequences of the two track options were studied and compared in an LCC analysis.

Reliability data for the analysis came from actual operational experience of the current design, as well as from tests with the new design. Replacing steel tracks with rubber tracks means additional modification costs, but also long-term savings, for example in terms of less component failures, due to reduced vibrations. An LCC cost structure was built where all relevant costs related to the two track alternatives were included and summarized over the life cycle of the vehicle.

The LCC comparison produced clear and detailed cost views of each track alternative, which could be compared, and provided very good cost based decision support for selecting track alternative.