NCMS is a non-profit organization, funded in part by the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), that forms partnerships between the DoD and private industry under the Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities (CTMA) program. NCMS helps with development, deployment and validation of innovative commercial technologies that provide operational benefits and cost savings for DoD maintenance activities.
Red River Army Depot is an installation of the U. S. Army’s Tank-automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM) under the U. S. Army Materiel Command. The Depot’s mission is to provide worldwide logistics support for the U.S. Army, including receipt, storage, repair, shipping, maintenance, and fabrication of assets.
“Maintenance is a significant strategic focus for the DoD, as an essential element of materiel readiness, and maintenance operations absorb a significant percentage of the defense budget,” said Greg Kilchenstein of the Office of the Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics. “We are pleased that one of the Army’s primary maintenance depots will have access to a technology that has had proven success in the commercial sector to reduce maintenance costs, improve safety, and increase productivity in material handling operations.”
A wireless Vehicle Management System (VMS) helps establish accountability for the use of industrial trucks, such as forklifts, ensuring equipment is in the proper place at the right time, streamlining work flow, and providing metrics on vehicle utilization. It can also help reduce fleet maintenance costs by automatically uploading vehicle data, reporting equipment problems electronically, scheduling maintenance according to actual vehicle usage rather than by calendar or manual data entry, and helping determine the optimal economic time to replace equipment. Safety and security are enhanced because vehicle access is restricted to trained, authorized operators, and the system provides electronic vehicle inspection checklists and senses vehicle impacts.
