Product Lifecycle Management (PLM)

Our configuration management system (VG 95030 and VG 95031 or DIN ISO 10007:2020-10) accompanies a product over its whole lifecycle, from its planning to its production and use to its disposal, and safeguards its unique identification with respect to its properties and features. This prevents unauthorized changes from being made and safeguards the traceability and verifiability of authorized amendments.

We advise and support our customers when their systems must undergo design or legal adjustments or changes and, in close collaboration with our in-house design department, elaborate proposals for solutions that our customers can then implement.

Our services include the validation of changes that must be applied to the following logistics parameters:

• Reliability and maintainability
• Protection and safety requirements
• Environmental compatibility

The steep GmbH Integrated Logistics Support (ILS), when applied to implement MIL-STD-1388-2B or S3000L, generates partial logistics analyses for the LSA process (e.g. LORA, FMEA, FMECA, MTA, PHST). The values these analyses calculate and optimize are needed by our customers to quantify their systems’ reliability, failure modes, safety and replacement parts stocking.

The information needed to generate SASPF-compatible master logistics data for delivery and performance scopes as set down in Bundeswehr regulation C1-1530/0-7023 (master data maintenance in the organization of equipment, IT and use) is provided as part of the project’s documentation.

LCCM is an integral constituent of the integrated planning process (IPP) and the subsequent equipment and use process applied by the Bundeswehr.

The object of LCCM is to render in a unified structure the lifecycle costs of all acquisition projects and of the systems in use and to provide this unified structure for downstream planning and management control processes.

This first specifies a standardized cost structure for the estimate, planning and collection of lifecycle costs (LCC) that safeguards effective subsequent comparisons between actual and planning data.

This LCC structure ensures a collection and estimate of lifecycle costs within the budget constraints and so provides the basis for “realistic” resource planning.

We generate LCCM analyses and reports on the following bases:

• ZDv A-1510/1 – lifecycle cost management over all phases in the Bundeswehr
• ZDv C1-1510/1-2 – guidelines on handling the BAAINBw LCCM
• ZDv C1-1510/1-1 – documentation of LCCM methods

As part of its customer product management (CPM), steep GmbH is working on and supporting the BAAINBw in creating the following concepts:

Project-based logistics concept

C1-1500/3-7017 – full planning and organization of the project element Logistics as set down in A-1500/3 “Customer Product Management” (CPM)

• Maintenance concept
• Device maintenance concept
• Transport concept
• Materials handling concept

Central guideline A2-1000/0-0-13 regulating materials handling

• System support concept
• Testing concept for repairs
• Testing concept for electrical safety (DGUV V3)
• Software maintenance and revision concept

General regulation A1-1530/0-7004 on software maintenance and revision in the Bundeswehr’s IT system

• Disposal concept
• Infrastructure concept

By generating and maintaining risk assessments as set down in the general regulation C1-2010/0-7001 (on assessing risks and defining safe commissioning in CPM), we provide the basis for the health and safety of personnel during use. We support our customers in fulfilling the statutory health and safety obligations the law imposes on employers and machinery owners. To this end, we inspect the site and generate the documentation as set down in § 6 of the health and safety laws ArbSchG.

Our services in this field are:

• Protective measures named for identified risks incl. test cycles and required qualifications
• Completed risk assessment provided in digital and analogue form
• Consulted database of legal bases examined for currency by a network of experts

By generating and maintaining the environmental compatibility analysis / disposal concept (UVA/EK) as set down in the Bundeswehr’s regulation C1-2030/0-7001 (environmental protection in Customer Product Management [CPM]), we safeguard the projects’ compliance with all environmental protection laws specific to the product. We draw up a list of environmentally harmful items and update this during the period of use as part of our technical logistics support.

Our maintenance planning and support services include the generation of concepts and forecasts for systems in use as early as their realization phase. This helps us and our customers to find solutions that best combine the criteria cost-efficiency, system availability and risk minimization.

To this end, we make use of standardized methods:

• Logistics support analysis (LSA)
• Level of repair analysis (LoRA)
• Obsolescence management (OM)
• System-specific risk analysis
• Lifecycle cost management (LCCM)

Before servicing and repairing systems while they are in use, company personnel must first be qualified to an adequate extent for the logistics support order.

Our services extend to the following fields:

• Support provided by steep personnel during short-term HR bottlenecks at our customers’ – also abroad
• 24-hour system-specific advice and support (e.g. user helpdesk, remote and telemaintenance)

In addition to our product-based services, our logistics support services can also offer our customers initial and further training courses for their skilled personnel. steep GmbH has gathered extensive experience in this field and can elaborate individual solutions and custom concepts.