Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) is a strategic engineering discipline originally developed by the United States military to optimize the life cycle perspective of complex systems. The goal of ILS is to create and maintain a product or system with high reliability and availability while minimizing life cycle costs. This is achieved through an integrated and holistic strategy that covers everything from design and production to operation, maintenance, and disposal.
Within the ILS field, ILS engineers serve as key players. Their role is to act as a bridge between various functions and departments within the company or organization. Their broad and specialized knowledge enables them to address complex logistical challenges and devise strategies to optimize performance and life cycle costs for products or systems.
ILS engineers work closely with designers and developers to ensure that products or systems are developed with maintenance needs and logistical requirements in mind. By integrating ILS principles early in the design process, the risk of future issues and costly modifications can be minimized. This includes selecting materials and components with consideration for availability and reliability, as well as designing products in a way that facilitates maintenance and repair.
In addition to the design phase, ILS engineers also focus on developing and implementing maintenance strategies and logistical plans to support products or systems throughout their entire life cycle. This may involve designing spare parts programs, creating maintenance plans and schedules, as well as developing logistical networks to ensure access to necessary resources and services.
A crucial aspect of ILS work is continuously monitoring and evaluating the performance and maintenance needs of the product or system over time. By collecting and analyzing data, ILS engineers can identify potential issues and develop action plans to improve performance and efficiency.
