Simplify spare parts management
Spare parts inventory management is at the heart of any efficient and profitable maintenance strategy. Therefore, the simplification of this function is one of the major concerns of the maintenance manager.
What is the optimal management method to manage one's spare parts?
As a maintenance technician, you know it only takes one asset part missing from the stock for a breakdown to last several weeks and for the production rate to be severely (and permanently!) affected. Similarly, if a part is misplaced, the technician can lose precious time finding it.
Spare parts inventory management may seem inextricably complicated at first. And yet it could be easily simplified, along with the work orders management.
All the hurdles and challenges you may encounter in maintenance represent areas of performance improvement – and therefore sources of savings – that should be studied.
Existing inventory optimization methods
According to the Pareto principle, about 20% of the parts stored account for 80% of the business. On the other hand, 80% of the spare parts stored are rarely used. Based on this principle, two methods for optimizing maintenance inventory management have emerged.
Maintenance and spare parts: the ABC method
This method is fairly simple: it classifies spare parts into three classes (A, B, and C) depending on their criticality:
- Class A regroups spare parts that require maximum attention and precise monitoring;
- Class B regroups spare parts that require a lower inspection rate than class A;
- Class C regroups spare parts that require little monitoring.
The PIEU method
This classification methodology, which may seem more comprehensive, is based on different criteria:
- the Incidence of Failure;
- the Asset’s Criticality;
- the Asset’s Condition;
- the Asset’s Frequency of Use.
This method for managing spare parts inventories in maintenance is part of the continuous inventory improvement approach derived from Lean Maintenance as popularized by Toyota. At its core, it focuses on improving service performance and eliminating waste and sources of inefficiency.
Control the management and storage of spare parts for maintenance
Choosing a CMMS tool must be a thought-out decision.
While a CMMS offers you many advantages to optimize spare parts inventory management, many questions need to be addressed before its implementation, particularly regarding the management and storage of spare parts, processes behind parts orders, warehouse arrangement, and assets codification.
You may learn by yourself on these subjects or ask for our help. DIMO Maint can put you in touch with a specialized consulting firm if you look to be completely proficient with spare parts management.
In any case, it is perfectly possible to start a simple and effective transition project to a CMMS without addressing inventory management at first. You can choose to handle it later once you feel confident enough about your mastery of the CMMS tool.
We offer a 1 to 2 days training on inventory management to teach you about all the key elements for optimal management of your MRO inventory (Maintenance, Repairs, Operations).
Maintenance inventory management: what gains and benefits can you expect from a CMMS?
According to a study conducted by AFIM, using a CMMS for spare parts inventory management is beneficial, with inventory worth reduced by 10 to 20% and procurement costs decreased by 5 to 10%.
In some organizations, dormant stocks may be worth tens or even hundreds of thousands of euros. In addition to storage fees, which represent a significant investment, the purchase of spare parts left unused for several years is also money poorly invested.
We also use the solution to manage purchase requests for spare parts from the maintenance and production departments. Inventory management is done directly via the CMMS. I have a comprehensive view of expenses, thanks to reports detailing preventive maintenance rates and distribution of maintenance activities between preventive, corrective, and new works. The key indicators are shared with Management.
Yves Bernard, operations manager in charge of production, maintenance, and quality
La Compagnie des Saveurs – France
Choose our CMMS solution to simplify your spare parts inventory management
By opting for one of our DIMO Maint CMMS solutions, you will be able to manage your maintenance spare parts efficiently and perfectly organize their storage. The goal is not to over-stock, which can be very expensive, far from it! The goal is an optimal and dematerialized management of your maintenance: ordering and buying a specific part so that it is available at the right time, without collecting dust for weeks in your warehouse. This becomes possible once your maintenance becomes mostly preventive and you have succeeded in improving the management of on-field maintenance.
CMMS is critical for improving the overall organization of your warehouses according to present and future (whether anticipated or forecasted) needs.
IT SAVES TIME
You will be able to find information about your assets faster. Our DIMO Maint CMMS ties information directly to the asset. Consequently, you will be able to know which part to change or the number of parts in stock for a specific asset.
IT HELPS DETERMINE THE VALUE OF EACH SPARE PART
You will be able to calculate the right weighted average price, determine fairer prices according to your assets, and accurately assess the total worth of your spare parts inventory (several thousand or tens of thousands of euros may be stored here).
IT HELPS MANAGE THE SPARE PARTS WAREHOUSE
You will have an effective view of each spare part’s in and out movements.
IT KEEPS AN ACCURATE INVENTORY OF YOUR PARTS STORE
You need to grasp the state of your warehouse exactly. Our DIMO Maint CMMS will allow you to check the theoretical quantities logged in the warehouse against the realities on the ground. This precision will save you time and help you anticipate parts orders and stock shortages.
A CMMS solution will also allow you to:
- Improve costs valuation
- Set thresholds to trigger automatic purchase orders for some parts
- Detect and reduce dormant inventory
Do you have a project, a question?
Do you have a project, a question? Hit us up and we’ll stay in touch
