Software expected to improve in-the-field maintenance, repair for Stryker Brigade
Burlington, MA — November 1, 2005 — Aftermarket service and support technology provider Enigma Inc. this week said that the United States Army has signed a multimillion-dollar prime contract with Information Systems Support Inc. (ISS) to make the Enigma 3C Platform field ready for the Armored Combat Vehicle Stryker Brigades.
The prime contract, secured through ISS, calls for Enigma's Web-based maintenance and repair solution to be prepared for deployment as part of the Army's Tactical Logistics Data Digitization Project (TLDD). The Army has an option, also through ISS, to then rollout the Enigma solution to the Stryker Brigades, covering the Stryker and other Stryker Brigade ground vehicles such as the HMMWV, HEMTT and FMTV.
Field tested in the fall of 2004 as part of the Stryker Brigade Proof of Enablers (POE) demonstration, the Enigma-based solution will be able to support a full brigade of 300 Strykers, which are 19-ton, eight-wheeled, medium-weight armored combat vehicles. The application will provide soldiers with all the diagnostic, service and repair information needed to support a Stryker combat vehicle while in the field, including parts and service information, automated maintenance procedures, trouble shooting instructions and maintenance tracking information.
Enigma noted that the solution is expected to improve a Stryker Brigade's overall maintenance efficiency, reducing misordered part rates by linking logistics and supply chain management to the weapons system, increasing equipment uptime and readiness, as well as streamlining the Stryker Brigade's overall maintenance operations.
On each Stryker vehicle, Enigma's solution ties together all of the maintenance, parts and service information from more than 50 different technical manuals and presents information that is relevant to the specific vehicle and the specific problem. By entering the vehicle's serial number (bumper number) the Enigma-based system diagnoses fault codes from each vehicle's on-board computer and delivers a complete view of the required troubleshooting, maintenance and repair tasks that need to be performed, with instructions formatted according to a soldier's level of proficiency.
The Enigma solution also supports parts ordering, fault recording and maintenance scheduling tied to vehicle integration and the vehicle onboard diagnostic systems through its integration with the Army's Unit Level Logistics System — Ground (ULLS-G).
The Army evaluated Enigma's technology and saw first-hand how valuable it is to properly maintaining today's combat vehicles, keeping them out of the repair depots and on the battlefield, said Enigma CEO Jonathan Yaron. The Army is preparing to equip its soldiers with technology that empowers them to protect themselves and their fighting equipment. This implementation is a validation of the role that Enigma plays in the armed forces and a critical next step toward a large-scale deployment of our technology.
Enigma is working as a subcontractor under the larger prime contract awarded to ISS, an information technology, communications and logistics management services company, for the TLLD project. ISS will handle integration, monitoring and system requirement issues involving the Army, the TLDD project and the Enigma 3C Platform.
For best practices in service parts management, see the article "Three Keys to Successful Service Parts Management" from the "August/September issue of Supply & Demand Chain Executive.
