An Obsolescence Management Model for the Aerospace Industry of Developing Nations using the SORA tool
Résumé
Obsolescence is a phenomenon that affects all products and services. The transportation industry with its complex supply chain networks is exposed to the risk of obsolescence. The management of this risk especially in the aerospace industry of developing nations is subjected to economic and systemic factors which tend to inhibit the efficiency of the implementation of reactive obsolescence management techniques such as reclamation and overstocking. Equipment and services past the maturity stage of their life cycle before being procured and installed for use and high inventory cost caused by poor storage and handling techniques are some of the reasons for the development of a strategic obsolescence model. Also, there exists the bureaucratic bottleneck caused by the presence of multiple contractors or middlemen between the equipment manufacturers and the end-users, inhibiting the efficiency of the network used for the transmission of notifications such as Part Change Notifications (PCNs) and Product Discontinuous Notifications (PDNs). Standards and certifications requirements in most of the equipment further affect the use of substitute components from contract manufacturers. These limitations strengthened the idea of the development of an obsolescence management model for the aerospace industry of developing economies using the System Obsolescence Risk Analysis (SORA) tool. About 20 very significant components of a radar equipment used in the aerospace industry were analysed for obsolescence risk. The result were very useful data in the development of a strategic obsolescence model for the system. This paper concludes by showing that data from such analysis can be helpful and also recommended further research on the topic.