September 2026 marks 25 years since I established Initiate Action Pty Ltd.
When I started the business in 2001, I was focused primarily on consulting: working directly with organizations to reduce excess spare parts inventory, improve availability and establish more disciplined management practices.
At the time, I could not have predicted exactly how the business would develop.
But one theme has remained constant:
Better spare parts outcomes depend on better decisions.
Every consulting project produced a result for the client.
It also produced learning.
Some organizations had sophisticated systems but weak processes.
Others had experienced people but little documentation.
Some carried excessive inventory because nobody trusted the supplier lead times.
Others experienced shortages because general inventory rules had been applied to irregular spare parts demand.
There were repeated lessons about:
• criticality;
• inventory optimization;
• catalogue quality;
• supplier risk;
• repairable items;
• policy development;
• governance;
• teamwork;
• implementation.
Over time, these lessons became practical methods, tools, templates, articles, books and training materials.
Around 2011, SparePartsKnowHow.com began making more of this accumulated knowledge available beyond individual consulting engagements.
The new Playbooks represent the latest stage of that development.
The technology available to organizations has improved dramatically during the past 25 years.
ERP systems have become more powerful.
Inventory analytics are more sophisticated.
Supplier information is easier to access.
Organizations can connect people and locations instantly.
Artificial intelligence is beginning to change how information is retrieved and analyzed.
Yet many fundamental spare parts problems remain.
Organizations still struggle with:
• inconsistent stocking decisions;
• poor catalogue data;
• unclear responsibilities;
• policies that are not applied;
• dependence on experienced individuals;
• inappropriate use of general inventory techniques;
• excessive inventory created through fear and uncertainty;
• shortages created through oversimplified optimization.
It is no surprise that they can’t reduce spare parts inventory.
Technology helps.
But technology does not create decision capability.
A good spare parts decision still requires people to understand the circumstances.
They must consider:
• what happens if the part is unavailable;
• how likely it is to be required;
• how long replacement will really take;
• whether alternatives exist;
• whether repair is possible;
• how long the equipment will remain in service;
• whether the inventory can be shared;
• what level of investment is justified.
No single function has all the answers.
Maintenance, engineering, procurement, stores, supply chain and finance each contribute a different perspective.
The quality of the outcome depends on how effectively those perspectives are combined.
Consulting is valuable because it provides access to specialist expertise.
However, a consulting engagement has a beginning and an end.
The longer-term question is what remains after the consultant leaves.
Does the organization retain:
• the decision logic;
• the practical tools;
• the shared terminology;
• the policies;
• the ability to adapt the approach;
• the confidence to challenge poor decisions?
This question has increasingly shaped the development of SparePartsKnowHow.com.
The objective is not simply to provide information.
It is to make specialist knowledge accessible when people need to make real decisions.
The new Enterprise offering is designed to help organizations make that knowledge available across functions, locations and time zones.
It does not require everyone to follow an identical learning pathway.
Different roles need different levels of detail.
What matters is that people work from a common foundation and can access the appropriate tools, explanations and guidance when required.
Twenty-five years is an important milestone for me personally.
But the real significance lies in what has been developed during those years.
The consulting experience, written content, frameworks and practical tools now form a body of know-how that can support organizations well beyond a single project or training event.
The goal remains the same as it was in 2001:
Help people make better decisions.
The difference is that the knowledge can now be made available across the enterprise.
If this resonates with you, it is time to take action. Start here >>> Enterprise Access.
Posted by Phillip Slater