TABLE OF CONTENTS An analysis of the system hierarchy must be performed before failures can be analyzed. Equipment is usually composed of many individual parts. The following lists the top-down break-out structure usually followed by the logistics community:
System/End Item: The entire item being used (vehicle, machine, group).
Subsystem: Major units within a system that can often operate independently.
Sub-Subsystem: Further breakout of a subsystem into lower indentured units.
Component: Lowest indenture containing individual repairable items.
Repair Part: A non-repairable item that may be removed and replaced.
Hardware: Fasteners and miscellaneous structure elements.
Functions can be defined as:
Specific purposes or intended uses of a process or item.
Common dictionary definition
Those entering the profession must learn to think like logisticians. They must visualize concepts differently than their engineering counterparts. In examining the logistics support requirements for an item that may fail during its use, design engineers are concerned with how the item will fail based upon inherent design characteristics.
Logisticians, on the other hand, must think in functional terms; for example, "does the item fail to perform a specific intended function when required?" The logistician often considers the function of an item before determining if an unacceptable failure has actually occurred.
Example:
Consider two standard household light bulbs (A and B) screwed into a dual-bulb lamp, one of which is burned out (B). Which one of the two light bulbs has failed? The obvious answer is the one...
