One of the major issues faced by almost everyone that manages spare parts is: what to do with obsolete and excess spare parts inventory? One option is to sell the items for essentially scrap value but this rarely raises more than 5c on the dollar. Recently I met Brian Burns who has worked out how […]
Is It Time to Re-Train Your Spare Parts Manager?
What if I told you that it is probable that one in two spare parts manager reading this post work at companies that don’t apply even the most basic principles for managing their spare parts inventory? Would that be surprising? Well, that’s the conclusion that I draw from reading a recent report on MRO best […]
How to Make Spare Parts Forecasting Work
Spare parts forecasting accuracy is driven by the validity of the premise and the data that is used in the analysis, not the sophistication of the modeling Making predictions is hard, especially if they are about the future! This is a variant of a quote that is […]
3 Major Mistakes Most Companies Make With Critical Spare Parts Management
Nobody wants to be responsible for not having a critical spare part when it is needed. There are many issues that have the potential to keep spare parts managers awake at night but without doubt, critical spare parts management must be number 1. It is a topic […]
The Big Lie of Spare Parts Obsolescence
One of the peculiarities of spare parts inventory management is that, generally, the supply chain is established to operate only one way. What if you had a storeroom full of parts that you didn’t need but also had no way of managing them? No process for identification and removal. This is a situation […]
Use Our Network to Solve Your Spare Parts Inventory Problems
You Can’t Solve Today’s (Spare Parts Inventory) Problems with the Same Level of Thinking That Created Them The above quote is a derivation of one of my favourite quotes and one that is typically attributed to Albert Einstein. Over the years, I have seen this quote stated in several different ways and I have even […]
Spare Parts Inventory Optimization: A Zero-Sum Game?
Why is it that when discussions turn to spare parts inventory optimization, maintenance and procurement are cast as natural enemies? Maintenance and Procurement Characterizations In spare parts inventory optimization, we see this attitude when maintenance personnel take the position that any reduction in inventory is a short-sighted, money-grabbing, opportunistic, action undertaken by individuals only interested […]
Lubrication Management and the Storeroom
Lubrication management is one area where the storeroom and maintenance really do need to work closely together if the required results are to be achieved. Many years ago, I was tasked with reviewing a manufacturing facility to help diagnose why they were producing so many ‘seconds’. Of course, their aim was to produce ‘first quality’ […]
The Catch-22 of Spare Parts Inventory Optimization Logic
This kind of circular logic will be very expensive for this company… What stops companies from achieving all that they could with spare parts inventory optimization? Put another way, why do companies continue to waste money buying spare parts they don’t need when the course to prevent this is so well known? Perhaps the […]
7 Things That Every Senior Manager and CFO Should Know About Spare Parts Management – Part 7
The information and know-how required to effectively manage a company’s spare parts operations does not reside in just one function 7. Transforming Your Spare Parts Operations Requires C-Level Engagement, Not Just Support If you have read the preceding six parts to this series the reason why transformation requires C-level engagement (and not just support) […]