Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions division today launched a new industry-leading initiative to streamline and simplify the customer experience of selecting lifecycle management services for its COTS board products.

The new Total LifeCycle Management™ (TLCM) services initiative furthers Curtiss-Wright’s commitment to improving customer experience by making it significantly less complex to select the appropriate suite of comprehensive lifecycle services needed to support a specific programme. Because of the long life span, typically more than ten years, of aerospace and defence programmes, COTS customers need access to best-in-class services that enable them to manage the risk of product obsolescence and eliminate programme uncertainty.

The first element of Curtiss-Wright’s new initiative is its recent announcement that device authentication reports, including all supply chain and data reporting to standard testing guidelines included in the AS5553 / ARP6328 standards, and combined with the opportunity for prior approval for the use of broker material, will now be made available to customers of standard board products at no additional cost. The use of brokered parts has always only been undertaken when no other supply avenue is available in addressing obsolescence issues and always requires customer notification. In addition, Curtiss-Wright has also streamlined its suite of lifecycle services by consolidating multiple higher-demand services, previously offered as individual options, into a single end-to-end TLCM offering.

The initiative will also result in a new, redesigned online TLCM Portal, available 24/7, which is scheduled to debut later this year. The comprehensive and intuitive website is the industry’s only online portal that enables customers to take total control over their lifecycle management programmes. The current operational version of the portal will be enhanced with advanced services including ‘push’ features such as early last-time buy alerts and monthly obsolescence status reports. Furthermore, Curtiss-Wright is the only COTS board vendor that supports its customers with a full-time team of industry lifecycle management experts dedicated to providing unmatched support and responsiveness.

The TLCM initiative continues Curtiss-Wright legacy as the industry’s leading provider of effective and innovative lifecycle management services. It furthers the company’s commitment delivering continual improvement of the customer experience, and provides its customers with unmatched configuration control and DMS management over the total lifecycle of their programme.

"Curtiss-Wright has been known for delivering the gold standard in COTS product lifecycle management for well over 30 years," said Lynn Bamford, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Defense Solutions division.

"We’re proud to now launch a new era of obsolescence management with the introduction of our new Total LifeCycle Management initiative."

While Curtiss-Wright’s standard support will satisfy the lifecycle management requirements of many programmes, for those customers whose programmes have critical requirements, budget constraints or sensitivities, the comprehensive services bundled into the cost-effective single end-to-end TLCM services option will prove ideal. The TLCM suite of services eases programme requirements by enabling customers to select a higher level of oversight, reporting, and control. Customers can also take advantage of free onsite component storage.

An important differentiator and key to a successful lifecycle management effort is a close working relationship between the customer and the COTS vendor. To that effect, TLCM customers will benefit from the support of the industry’s only full-time dedicated team of lifecycle experts. These TLCM experts actively engage in defining and shaping lifecycle management standards for the embedded industry.

The combination of the TLCM services and Curtiss-Wright’s expert support team will help customers to maximise their product lifecycles while lowering their cost of ownership. Best of all, TLCM helps deliver peace of mind by improving the customer experience, eliminating complexity, and reducing the uncertainty and turbulence of the marketplace.