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Three Questions For Better Spare Parts Management

December 8 spkhadmin

Usually I use this forum to provide answers but this month I have decided to pose some questions. It’s up to you to determine the answers that will work best for you!

Here are three questions to help you achieve better spare parts management by focusing on the actions that will make a real difference:

  1.  What one thing, if you fixed it right now, would make the biggest single difference to your spare parts management outcomes?  

    This will be specific to you, your company, and your site.  Don’t jump too quickly in saying what you think this is.  My guess is that you could write a list!  But what I am asking is what ONE thing would make the biggest difference.

  2.  

  3. What three specific actions can YOU take to change or turn around that one thing? 

    Think in terms of things that you can do without further approval.  For example, in a recent workshop I challenged the group to identify actions that they could take, without extra authority or support, to address their high level of inventory stocking.  They very quickly identified 10 separate actions!

  4.  

  5. What is it costing to not take action? 
    Will you continue to over-invest in inventory that you won’t use, carry the cost of the stock that you already have that is in excess, experience stock outs and expediting costs, experience extended downtime, do rework because things aren’t done correctly, have inefficient stores or maintenance activities because of parts issues?  The costs are many and varied and again will be specific to the ONE BIG THING that you need to fix.

 
Why not spend a half an hour, right now, thinking through these three questions.
 
 
 

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Foundations Playbook

Our Foundation Playbook is designed to answer question relating to the essential knowledge, tools, and techniques for effective spare parts inventory management.

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The Operations Playbook is the decision support resource for people who need to go beyond the basics and perhaps even revolutionize their company’s systems and approach.
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Foundations for Teams

Foundatiosn for Teams is a live, online, interactive, team-based delivery of our Foundations Playbook content designed to provide your team with a common understanding of the basics of spare parts inventory management. Read more...

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