LIFE-CYCLE ENGINE FLEET SIMULATION FOR SPARE PART INVENTORY MANAGEMENT WITH ADVANCED CONDITION INFORMATION

The cost efficient management of spare parts for low-volume high-tech equipment is inherently difficult. In this on-going study, we seek to improve the OEM's spare parts inventory management by incorporating the condition information from a large number of distributed working units in the field. For that purpose, the condition information relayed by sensors is put in context with usage parameters, preventive replacement policies, customer plans, and current economic indicators to create an aggregate forecast and inventory ordering policy. This requires a synthesis of the state of the art knowledge from multiple research streams. In this paper, we outline a simulation environment of the maintenance management of a jet engine program over its life cycle, and provide preliminary results highlighting several modules for future research to improve the performance of spare part inventory policies and assess the value of health monitoring.