Manufacturability - MRAP Lessons Learned for Developing Future Military Vehicles

Dalton, L., Dennis, G., & Walden, C. (2015). Manufacturability - MRAP Lessons Learned for Developing Future Military Vehicles. IIE Annual Conference & Expo 2015. ISERC 2015, Nashville, TN.

Abstract

It is often stated that 80% of a product's lifecycle costs and product lead-time are determined based on decisions made during the product's design phase. Reducing acquisition costs and the time from "concept to available for use" are major objectives of the Department of Defense's (DoD) Engineered Resiliency Systems (ERS) efforts. To reduce overall cost and the time required to provide the U.S. military new or enhanced systems, the ERS program is working to understand emergent techniques to improve the manufacturability of complex system designs. This presentation discusses efforts to develop approaches and tools that increase the understanding of system manufacturability early in the system development cycle. These tools are intended to help DoD personnel consistently assess design manufacturability. Visualization of these manufacturability trades will be integrated into tradespace tools to facilitate the understanding of their impacts and inform DoD acquisition leadership during systems' trade discussions. Also discussed are manufacturability methodologies and lessons learned from the development of U.S. military wheeled vehicles (specifically, a version of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected, MRAP) during Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. It will also consider the usefulness of this approach to other military platforms (e.g., tanks, ships, and aircraft).