You are probably asking this because your inventory contains parts that have not moved for years, but no one is confident enough to remove them.
Obsolete spare parts inventory rarely appears all at once.
It accumulates.
A part is purchased for a project.
Equipment is modified.
A supplier changes a design.
A maintenance strategy changes.
A part stops being used, but no one notices.
Over time, the inventory fills with items that are no longer required, no longer fit for purpose, or no longer linked to current operational risk.
The common mistake is treating obsolete inventory as only a clean-up problem.
Many organisations wait until the storeroom is full, the inventory value is challenged, or finance demands a write-off. Then they run a disposal project.
That may reduce the visible problem, but it does not fix the cause.
Obsolete inventory is usually created by weak decision controls, poor review discipline, incomplete equipment change processes, and a lack of ownership.
It is not just an inventory problem. It is a management system problem.
A better approach to obsolescence looks both backward and forward.
The reality is that most items that become obsolete were purchased when the item was first stocked.
Let that sink in.
So fixing future obsolescence requires better decision controls.
This means better First-Time-Buy decisions that don’t create overstocks from the beginning.
It also means better Last-Time-Buy decisions that don’t buy items that you will never use.
However, that won’t help with what you have now.
Managing the items that you have now means asking questions such as:
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Why was the part originally stocked?
Is the equipment still installed and operating?
Has the equipment been modified?
Is the part still technically valid?
Is there recent or expected future demand?
Is the part linked to a genuine operational risk?
Who is responsible for reviewing and approving removal?
What process prevents the same issue recurring?
The aim is not to throw away parts simply because they have not moved.
A lack of use is not a sign of obsolescence.
Some low-demand spares are still valid and necessary.
Think for a moment about insurance spares. You hold them but never want to use them.
The aim then is to identify parts that no longer support operational reliability and to prevent unnecessary inventory from being created in the first place.
This topic is covered in the Foundation Playbook, which addresses why spare parts become obsolete and why low usage does not automatically mean “not needed.”
Perhaps more importantly, that playbook explains how to make First-Time-Buy and Last-Time-Buy decisions that mean that you are not unwittingly accumulating inventory that will become an obsolescence headache.
For individuals this playbook is available via the Practitioner Toolkit.
For teams, Foundations for Teams helps create a shared understanding across maintenance, procurement, stores, engineering, and finance — so stocking decisions are not driven by one function alone.
Explore the Practitioner Toolkit
The complete spare parts management toolkit for practitioners.
Enquire about Foundations for Teams
Build a common decision language across the people who influence spare parts outcomes.