Q: Do you have an opinion about Oniqua’s Optimiser – we have it in use here. It certainly has very good reporting but as far as forcasting we have struggled to get it right. Their settings are over the top and therefore wrong imputs have given bad results. A: What can I say about Optimizer? I […]
How To Manage Stock Out Risk
[grwebform url=”https://app.getresponse.com/view_webform_v2.js?u=uY&webforms_id=14719202″ css=”on” center=”off” center_margin=”200″/] When I review inventory holding levels with people and I ask ‘why is the maximum setting so high?’, almost invariably the reply is, ‘because that item is critical to our operation’. However, this response, while well meaning, highlights one of he major problems (in my opinion) of spare parts inventory […]
Pitfalls in CMMS Implementation
Q: I am beginning a new phase in my career by taking on a CMMS implementation. Do you have insight regarding pitfalls that would help me listen to the “whispering road signs” I encounter? A: I think that there are three things that you should ‘listen’ out for: Planning vs. Scheduling: My experience is that […]
Are You Trading Spare Parts Money for Time?
As someone who is involved in materials and spare parts management I am sure that you have come across the situation where there is an apparent need to justify expenditure on a specific spare part. Typically the logic goes like this: Maintenance is concerned that they need the spare part – just in case (let’s […]
Why You SHOULD Run Your Warehouse Like Wal-Mart
[grwebform url=”https://app.getresponse.com/view_webform_v2.js?u=uY&webforms_id=14719202″ css=”on” center=”off” center_margin=”200″/] A couple of weeks ago I was running a three-day inventory management and review training course in Singapore when one of the attendees made a familiar statement. He said ‘if we left this all up to maintenance they would want to stock everything like they are at Wal-Mart’. As I […]
How To Measure Qualitative Spare Parts Management Improvements
Subject Area: Qualitative Spare Parts Management Improvements Everybody loves hard data. We measure and report all sorts of things: sales, costs, profit, loss, headcounts, inventory values, production volumes, expenses, vacation time, sick leave, stock turns, purchase volumes, operating effectiveness, debtors, creditors, weeks of stock on hand, asset values, revenue, equity, cash on hand, plant utilization, […]
Validating Advisor Credentials
How do you validate advisor credentials or what you hear or read in relation to products, services, and information? When trying to research information, if you are anything like me you go straight to Google.The online world provides us with a fantastic resource. But how do you know if what you see online is valid? […]
Are you prepared to go live?
A couple of weeks ago I ran a workshop on spare parts management for reliability and maintenance personnel. The attendees were a mix of tradesmen, engineers, and managers, covering both mechanical and electrical disciplines, from a large paper mill. If you have ever worked in the area of maintenance you will know that some of […]
Spare Parts Criticality
How do you determine spare parts criticality? Most companies don’t really understand criticality and see it as a single dimension issue. But that is just not right. Machine or Operationally Critical? First, is the item in question machine critical or operationally critical? By machine critical I mean, will failure of […]
The Flip Side of Accountability
Establishing appropriate accountability is one of the key actions required for achieving lasting success in any management activity. This is especially the case in activities aimed at creating lasting change in the way things are done – like in an inventory optimization project. To achieve lasting and sustainable inventory optimization you need to establish the […]