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Spare parts management: whether you use a program that's part of your maintenance software or tie into a supplier's program, there is really no way you can have a successful parts management program without the use of a computer.

Article Excerpt
Although the cost of replacement parts is not increasing as fast as the cost of labor, it's already high enough that managing it economically will pay off well.

The replacement parts management process begins with the purchasing function, which should have a goal of acquiring the right parts at the lowest prices, and having them available on the parts room shelves when they're needed.

Generally, the right part is the same brand, model etc., as the part it's replacing. If it is not because, for some reason, you've decided on a different brand, it will pay off to check and recheck that your decision to change was correct. Are you sure the new part matches perfectly with other parts on the vehicle? Does it have the same or better warranty? Did you seek opinions from any of your peers on past experience with it?

The effects of a bad part choice--the use of a one-size-fits-all part or a "knockoff" can be disastrous. They include damage to other parts or systems, extensive downtime, extra cost or even negating the warranty on a major system or the vehicle.

Inventorying

Inventory control is the next step. The stockroom should be as near as possible to the work bays and set up to reduce the time spent looking for a part by a technician or parts room attendant. Shelves need to be neat and well marked if a parts management program is to be a success.

A fleet should develop a positive relationship with its parts suppliers for many reasons. Perhaps the most important part of the relationship is negotiating an arrangement for the supplier to actually maintain the fleet's inventory.

For example, review the purchasing records and determine how many of the fast moving parts you use in a month. Then, promise to purchase a certain number of this part, if the supplier will keep them on hand for delivery as you need them. This keeps the inventory dollars off your books--a big help in any relationship with "bean-counters".

As a note, online parts purchasing is increasing. Over 70 percent of independent repair shops expect their level of online parts purchasing to have increased this year. Can fleet shops be far behind?

Failure analysis

Failure analysis is a very important part of the parts management process. You must know why a part failed for two good reasons. The first is to determine the real reason for the failure so you can take corrective action. Another is...