Additive Manufacturing (AM) has the potential to revolutionize key aspects of Military Logistics and partnerships between governmental and industrial organizations. Extreme outsourcing of key capabilities has created complex and deep hybrid organizations between armed forces and the private sector. In this study, the internal and external effects and requirements of Additive Manufacturing in the context of the hybrid organization of The Finnish Defence Forces (FDF) and its strategic partner in Maintenance, Repair, Overhaul (MRO), and Millog Oy were studied. First, with a literature review, we sought to link the capability development processes and the change drivers within them in both military and commercial contexts. Then, we utilized an existing, structured capability model used by the FDF (DOTMLPFI) and its individual change drivers to form an initial concept of AM as a part of the hybrid organization in question. The initial concept shows that AM can increase the performance of the commercially backed Military Logistic System by mitigating the risks of spare parts shortage in case of supply line disturbances and by facilitating localized spare parts production. However, the different primary goals of the military and commercial organizations and the contractual base of the hybrid organization impose constraints on the capability development process. Administrative decision-making across the organizations and the conflict between maximizing military and commercial potential are the key challenges in maintaining joint-capability systems of hybrid organizations.
PurposeIn this study, the authors explore how novel and relevant technologies can change the overall design of systems, and which factors influence the design of resilient systems in particular. After evaluating the effects of these factors, the authors describe the potential role of AM-supported maintenance operations in military logistics and draw broader conclusions regarding designing for resilience.Design/methodology/approachThe authors build a simulation model of the AM-supported maintenance capability of a mechanised battalion to analyse factors affecting its resilience. AM production capacity specifically refers to metal printing and was verified by data generated from 3D printing of the actual APC parts.FindingsThe current AM speed is not able to increase resilience at the depot level, so at present, increasing the spare parts inventory is a better way to improve resilience. However, with future improvements in speed the AM may become feasible in battlefield maintenance.Practical implicationsAM holds great promise in increasing resilience of especially the spare part logistics. At present technology, it is not yet fully realised in the case.Originality/valueThe authors suggest a concrete system performance measure, where reaching a concrete limit, system resilience is lost. The authors present arguments for a definition of resilience where pre-disruption activities are not part of resilience. The authors maintain that simulation, with its ability to include detail, is well-suited in design-for-resilience because supply chains are context dependent and disruptions unexpected.
The purpose of the study is to explore whether Additive Manufacturing (AM) can support the military maintenance and repair of combat troops at isolated tactical level maintenance sites. The study also sought an explanation as to how AM could be organised in military logistics. The subject was approached from a systemic perspective. A system dynamics modelling was used as an impact assessment method. When selecting the parameters used in the model, the 3D printing data of the spare parts printed on the MTLB armoured personnel carrier (APC) were utilised. With simulation, we identified several key nodes for replacing or enhancing conventional military logistics with an AM added supply chain. As a result of the study, it was identified that by adding metal AM to the mechanised battalion organic maintenance and repair at the field level, it can produce spare parts whose use will improve APC recovery in the event of failure. We found that the relatively slow production speed of AM is the most influential factor in the use of the method. This study introduces a new perspective on reviewing the potential of AM in military logistics.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.