Computer system helps lower spare parts shortages at Air Force depots.

On any given day, 15 percent of the Air Force fleet is grounded as a result of spare parts shortages. One possible way to fix the problem, officials said, is to replace outdated information systems that do not provide accurate data about supply and demand of spare parts.

Under a pilot program started nearly a year ago, the Air Force Materiel Command is testing whether a new software system that allows AFMC to share data with the Defense Logistics Agency can help cut back on the wait-time for spare parts.

The software package, known as "colt," for customer oriented leveling technique, has helped reduce the wait-time from nearly seven to about three days, said AFMC officials. The command oversees three Air Logistics Centers--Ogden, Warner Robins, and Oklahoma City.

DLA is the source of more than 83 percent of the consumable line items used to repair and overhaul airplanes at the logistics centers. Each ALC spends between $600 million and $800 million a year to buy Defense Logistics Agency-managed spare parts. Approximately 300,000 parts are stocked at the three depots.

The reason why the centers experience shortages of spare parts is that DLA is not able to set accurate levels of stocks based on actual usage. The upshot is that there are too many unneeded parts in the warehouse and not enough of the ones most rapidly consumed.

The colt software has been in operation since October 2003 at two Air Force bases: Travis, Calif., and Seymour Johnson, N.C. The service has not yet decided whether it will expand the program Air Force-wide. "You really need to see a full year of implementation within the budget cycle before you can make the right decision," said Capt. Bryan Akerstream, a logistics staff officer at AFMC.

"Until we get to the end of the year, I don't think the Air Force would make a decision," he said in an interview.

He predicts the Air Force will support this program, not necessarily to save money, but because it could dramatically improve fleet readiness. "In a funding restricted environment, this system helps provide better support with the existing budget," Akerstream said.