Original Date: 07/13/1992
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Watervliet Arsenal (WVA) recognizes that equipment must be maintained in good working condition to safely produce a quality product on time, at the right price. The Maintenance Branch activities were studied to determine what was needed to maintain the equipment more effectively. After the as-is study was complete, an extensive market survey was performed by Advanced Technology and the users to determine the best fit for organizational needs. A specification was then drafted with WVA's requirements included.

Under the old system, there was no spare parts inventory management system. WVA was not aware of the amount of inventory on hand. Each maintenance supervisor had parts he knew he needed to maintain his area of responsibility. There was, therefore, tremendous duplicate inventory. Also, the maintenance system was developed in-house in 1984 and had very little room for expansion and integration, and was costly to maintain.

A contract was awarded to Diversified Engineering Inc. to purchase the System Works MPAC maintenance and stores software. This system was determined to be the correct choice as it integrated the inventory with maintenance. Since the system was implemented in April 1995, the elimination of obsolete parts in inventory has resulted in over $370,000 in cost savings. The elimination of redundant purchases saved a minimum of $288,960. The kitting cycle time reduction savings is $86,483. Other benefits include the formal program for preventive maintenance and the ability to capture repair and maintenance costs.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.