OCT29-04: NUWC Keyport Receives DoD Award for Parts Obsolescence Management
From Naval Undersea Warfare Center Public Affairs Office
KEYPORT, Wash. ― Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) Keyport recently received a 2009 DoD Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) Achievement Award in Orlando, Fla.
Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) field activity NUWC Keyport's Virginia class Tech Refresh Integrated Product Team (IPT) earned the award for outstanding achievement in parts obsolescence management.
"Monitoring obsolescence issues early allows timely procurement of many 'on-board-repair-parts,' which has a positive impact on the platform operational availability," said Lindsey Womeldorf, Virginia-class Tech Refresh team lead for NUWC Keyport.
The usable lifetime of electronic systems aboard naval ships often far exceeds the availability of its individual components used to produce that system. NAVSEA is changing its contracting strategies to direct ship designers to work with a smaller pool of parts with wider applications that will create a more efficient process with a better return on investment.
The Virginia-class Tech Refresh IPT evaluates alternative solutions for Virginia-class submarine electronic systems obsolescence issues. The team meets regularly with original equipment manufacturers, corporate, and government representatives to plan strategy and mitigate system obsolescence issues and component shortfalls. Notifications are shared with program acquisition resource managers of the affected system allowing them to assess possible impacts on other platforms for which the Virginia-class Tech Refresh IPT does not have direct responsibility.
NUWC Keyport, one of two divisions of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC), provides Fleet readiness support for submarines, surface ships, torpedoes, mines, land attack systems, and Fleet training systems.