Project: Support Equipment Controlling Authority AIR5.0D (SECA N) Operations
TheSupport Equipment Controlling Authority AIR5.0D (SECA N)is a department within the Naval Air Systems Command, Aircraft Controlling Custodian (NAVAIR ACC). The SECAmission is to[1]Manage and carry out Aircraft Maintenance and Material Readiness List (AMMRL)program functions under NAVAIRINST 13650.1 for Support Equipment (SE) assigned toCommander Naval Air Systems Command(COMNAVAIRSYSCOM) activities. The primary goal of the SECA is to ensure that all COMNAVAIRSYSCOM activities have the necessary Support Equipment (SE) required to maintain naval aircraft and airborne weapons systems in an operational and safe working condition. This is accomplished through four major production operations:
The development of an Individual Material Readiness List (IMRL)
Inventory management
Source Data Revision Recommendation (SODARR)
Depot level repair process
One of the primary SECA responsibilities is to ensure that [2]SE requirements are identified in IMRL’s. [3]The IMRL is a consolidated list specifying items and quantities of SE end items required by a particular aircraft maintenance activity or activity component to perform its assigned maintenance level functions as detailed by the Naval Aviation Maintenance Program (NAMP). The IMRL identifies SE requirements and platform system application. This information assists SE managers in formulating decisions regarding overall readiness, budget forecasts, equipment procurement and redistribution of assets. The IMRL consists of five main sections: employment data, change list, index, main body, and activity inventory record.
The employment data section provides the activity a list of type/model/series (TMS) used to create the IMRL, and allows the activity to view data used to calculate allowances that are shown in their IMRL. The activity maintenance department reviews this data to ensure the information listed coincides with their current and projected workload.
The change list allows the activity to view any changes to the IMRL that have occurred since the last IMRL supplement and the print date of a new IMRL.
The index section provides the ability to locate items of SE within the IMRL using several different sources such as, part number, stock number, avionics systems, and nomenclature.
The main body section provides the source data, application, and allowancing information for each item of SE based on its platform application. This section of the IMRL is broken into several subsections where SE is grouped according to its intended maintenance function such as, airframes, power plants, avionics, weapons, and facility type equipment.
The activity inventory record section provides a complete list of on hand SE assets as of the printed date. This section is somewhat useless, and seldom used by the activity because its data is limited to the dateit was printed. Instead, activities rely on the Local Asset Management System (LAMS) for purposes concerning inventory reporting and management since it provides current real time data. LAMS will be discussed later in this report.
[4]Activity employment is used to identify maintenance tasking in the Support Equipment Management System (SEMS) to enable the selection of source data needed to create allowances for an IMRL. The SECA department head assigns the primary employment responsibilities to an individual who possesses the necessary knowledge and experience to maintain uniformity and consistency of the employment process. A secondary individual is assigned the role of backup as a precautionary measure, and is trained by the primary until proficiency has been achieved.
When building an IMRL for an Organizational, Intermediate or Depot level maintenanceactivity, the SECA obtains input information from the Weapons System Planning Document (WSPD), Program Planning Document (PPD), and the NAVAIR NOTICE 4700 Gas Turbine Engine Maintenance Assignment. These documents are maintained and published by the NAVAIR Program Managers for each of their assigned weapons systems for planning and budgetary purposes. The information contained in these sources such as, aircraft deck loading, maintenance level, operational detachments, and the three degrees of engine level maintenance, will enable the SECA to employ their respective activities with current and future (five years out) workload assignments. The requirement to employ five years into the future was an AMMRL program decision based on budgetary requirements to obtain funding for future Common Support Equipment(CSE) procurements.This provides allowance quantitiesthat the NAVAIR Program Managers could use when planning budget proposals for future procurements of Peculiar Support Equipment (PSE) to support new weapons systems.
Once the information has been gathered from these sources, the SECA manually enters this data into the employment screen located on the SEMS allowance module. SEMS is a database owned by PMA260 AMMRL program office, managed by Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SPAWAR) located in New Orleans, LA,and provides a means for overall SE visibility and management.
The allowance subsystem is updated the second weekend of every month through a regeneration process that creates, changes, or deletes allowances for SE based on employment changes made by the SECA. Employment changes entered into SEMS prior to this will not provide visibility of SE allowance changes until the next regeneration has been completed. Therefore, to reflect any employment changes that have been made previous to each update, a special regeneration of the allowance subsystemis required. The SECA department head is the only authorized individual that can request special regenerations due to the cost of this function. Special regenerations are infrequent since most employment changes are made well in advance of actual aircraft and weapons system base loading.
Once the regeneration(if required) is complete, the SECA submits a request for a new IMRL using the reports screen located on the SEMS Support Equipment Asset Readiness Reporting (SEARR) subsystem. The request is an overnight batch process thatgenerates an email to the requester with notification that the IMRL is complete and ready for download witha link to the IMRL location.
The IMRL is downloaded from the SEMS database electronically and saved to a compact disk. Due to itssize,typically up to several thousand pages, this documentisdelivered to the local base printing office where it can take up to 3 days to be produced in paper form. Generally two copies of the IMRL are printed, one copy each for both the SECA and maintenance activity. Some of the larger maintenance activities, such as the Depot, have printing capabilities. Therefore the IMRL is delivered electronically and printed locally by that command.
Once printing is complete the IMRL is picked up and brought back to the SECA office where every page is scrutinized for proper format and completeness. An IMRL that is determined to be defective during this inspection is returned to the printing office and reprinted. However, if the IMRL is satisfactory it is packaged and shipped using the U.S. postal service, or FedEx if urgently required, to the maintenance activity.
The IMRL is considered a living document with constant changes occurring daily and requiring updates to the paper copy. This is accomplished through an IMRL supplement that identifies all changes to the IMRL that have occurred since the print date. [5]The IMRL supplement is a monthly change notice that is prepared and issued for each IMRL activity. Beginning the first month after an IMRL is prepared and every month thereafter, the supplement for that IMRL will list all changes since the previous supplement. An update action is used on the supplement to show additions, deletions or changes that affectseachactivity IMRL. The allowance supplement is automatically produced for each IMRL as part of the SEMS monthly update cycle. The SECA downloads the allowance supplements for each IMRL and delivers to the activity electronically, or paper copy depending on their printing capabilities. The changes that are reflected in the supplement are transcribed onto the paper copy of the IMRL body by the activity IMRL manager and the SECA manager. This way a complete hard copy is available at all times in the event that electronic data is lost or unavailable due to system failure.
[6]Effective inventory management of SE is a key part of the NAMP. To minimize the cost of providing the SE required for maintaining aircraft airborne systems, effective management and accountability is mandatory. [7]The AMMRL Program SE inventory management system provides inventory control at the SECA and local levels, as well as on-line visibility of SE assets on a program-wide basis. SE in-use inventory data is continually updated by SE Transaction Reports (TR) and submitted by reporting custodians. Each IMRL activity is required to submit a completed SE Transaction Report to the SECA each time a transaction occurs. Inventory data maintained in SEMS is used when generating a variety of scheduled and requested reports that are available to user commands with SEMS access. These reports provide the SE inventory data necessary to determine a measure of supportability of aviation maintenance for specific commands, geographic areas, ships and the Navy/Marine Corp overall. Consolidated inventory data are utilized by all levels of management for effective distribution or redistribution of SE assets, budget development, and NAVAIRHQ and Inventory Control Point (ICP) procurement projections.
[8]The AMMRL Program Support Equipment Inventory Management System includes a closed loop subsystem. This subsystem provides tracking of in-use SE during the transfer cycle, centralized maintenance of activity SE inventory records, management by exception and error detection in inventory reporting procedures. The inventory management system utilizes three separate databases: LAMS, SECA TOOLS, and SEMS for inventory control.
LAMS is a database that was developed by PMA260 NAVAIRHQ who has overall ownership and management responsibilities. [9]LAMS is the only authorized means for the automated management, tracking, and inventorying of Support Equipment (SE) assets at the organizational, intermediate and depot level of maintenance. Given that a single item of SE may cost over one million dollars, the efficient use and accountability of SE at the organizational, intermediate and depot level is of great importance to fleet support. LAMS is an approved management information system for standardized local management of Individual Material Readiness List (IMRL) assets through the use of a desktop computer and barcode technology. By using barcode equipment that records inventory results, highly accurate wall-to-wall inventories can be accomplished and maintained with significant reductions in both manpower expenditures and operational disruptions. LAMSis utilized by the maintenance activityIMRL manager for reporting receipts, transfers, asset material condition, and other inventory management functions. The activity will process aTR using LAMS to notify the SECA that an inventory transaction has occurred. The TRis exported from LAMS and delivered to the SECA electronically as a means for updating SEMS inventory.
SECA TOOLS is a database that was developed by PMA260 NAVAIRHQ who has overall ownership and management responsibilities. SECA TOOLS is utilized by the SECA for transmitting files to the SEMS database. The SECA receives the exported file from the activity and uploads the data to SECA TOOLS where the TRis inspected for accuracy. Once the TR has been inspected and determined complete, an upload file is created that interfaces with SEMS. SEMS is a closed loop inventory tracking system that is utilized throughout the entire Naval Aviation Enterprise (NAE) for SE management. The SECA uploads the exported file from SECA TOOLS and loads this file inSEMSwhere the transaction process is scheduled. A completion notification is emailed to the SECA with a link to the source filewhen the transaction process has been completed. The SECA will download the completion report, attach to an email, and return it to the reporting activity notifying them that the process is complete.
To ensure inventory accuracy is maintained between LAMS and SEMS, a file named Activity Inventory Record Comparison (AIRCOMP) is generated monthly from SEMS and sent to the reporting activity. This file is processed in the activities LAMS where a report is generated that will identify any discrepancies between the two systems. In the event the AIRCOMP report discovered discrepancies, the SECA and activity IMRL manager will work together to resolve the issue immediately and a new AIRCOMP report is generated and processed until all discrepancies have been resolved. The report is returned to the SECA where the results are reviewed, averaged, and reported to the AMMRL program office during the semi annual AMMRL Program meeting (APM). The goal is to maintain 100% inventory accuracy at all times to avoid the possibility of procuring SE that is not required, or more importantly not procuring assets that are urgently needed due to erroneous inventory data. Inventory accuracy affects both budgetary and supportability concerns.
[10]The SECA uses SEMS to provide SE allowance and inventory management information to the organizational, intermediate, and depot level maintenance activities they support. To all users, SEMS is the only authorized source for in-use SE allowance, inventory, technical information, asset location, excess and deficit, rework, and requisition and procurement validation information.
The SODARR process is an avenue for correcting SEMS source data errors. The SODARR process is managed and controlled by PMA260 from the moment data is entered into SEMSuntil completed. The SECA function in the SODARR process is to [11]use the appropriate SEMS input transaction, prepare an automated SODARR, and enter that SODARR to SEMS if the request for IMRL revision affects other IMRL activities.
When source data errors are identified, the activity IMRL manager will initiate an IMRL Revision Request (IRR). Using the LAMS database, the IMRL manager creates the IRR which describes the action requested. The IRR is saved as a Microsoft Word document and is electronically forwarded to the SECA for processing. Once received, the SECA loads the document into SECA TOOLS and begins the necessary research to identify corrective action. Using SEMS, the SECA enters the required information and submits the request for source data correction. A computer generated serial number is assigned to each SODARR for tracking and history purposes. The SODARR becomes immediately visible to all other SECA’s. Designated points of contact at each SECA will review each SODARR and eitheragrees, disagrees, or selects “not applicable”. If any other SECA disagrees with the request a reason is provided and the SODARR is withdrawn. A SODARR cannot be processed and completed whenever there are disagreements. However, the SODARR may be resubmitted by the originating SECA once any disagreements have been resolved,a new control number will be assigned and the SODARR travels through the same process. Whenever the SODARR is agreed to, or “not applicable” is selected, the SODARR is delivered electronically to the Weapons System Manager (WSM) responsible for logistics management of that particular SE. The WSM reviews the SODARR request and updates the Support Equipment Recommendation Document (SERD) located on the AUTOSERD database with the requested changes.
AUTOSERD is owned by PMA260 but managed and controlled by Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD) Lakehurst, NJ. AUTOSERD is a master database that feeds SERD source data information intoSEMSthrough a monthly update cycle. During the monthly update cycle the corrected SERD is passed to SEMS and verified by the WSM who has the final sign off action on the SODARR. This corrected information is included in the IMRL supplement and provided to the activity IMRL manager. The SECAand the activity IMRL manager will annotate this corrected information on the paper copy of the IMRL.
The SE depot level rework program was established to provide a cost effective approach for maintaining expensive SE in a ready for use condition. [12]The objective of the NAMP, as it relates to SE, is to achieve and maintain maximum material readiness, safety, and conservation of SE. [13]The required rework of SE beyond the capability of the Intermediate Maintenance Activity (IMA) shall be performed under the provisions of NAVAIRINST 13680.1 at the next level of maintenance, normally a NAVAIRDEPOT or commercial contractor. The purpose of the NAVAIRINST 13680.1 is to [14]establish policy, assign responsibilities and provide procedures within Naval Air Systems Command for the management and execution of depot level rework of SE end items.
The responsibility of the SECA is to manage the overall SE rework program for their assigned activities which include, scheduling SE at the appropriate Depot Rework Point (DRP), providing shipping instructions and weekly production status reports to the maintenance activity, and to participate in funding alignments with Naval Air Support Equipment Facility (NAVAIRSEFAC). The NAVAIR 13680.1C policy dictates that for an item of SE to have depot level repair capability it must meet certain criteria. The SE must be Beyond Capability of Maintenance (BCM) at the organizational and/or intermediate level activity, must have a “D” in the fourth and/or fifth position of the Source Maintenance and Recoverability (SM&R) code, total Navy on hand inventory of at least 26 assets, and have a dollar value of at least $5,000.