In this session we’ll be taking participants through a “self-assessment” of their current stores and purchasing practices. What we’ve observed is that there is often a disconnect, even conflict, in objectives between stores (minimize working capital) and maintenance (minimize unavailability of spare parts. Both are admirable, but in conflict, so the key is to balance those competing interests for the greater good of the business.

The assessment consists of ten questions covering the use of supplier alliances and common equipment to minimize the proliferation of spares, the vendor’s use of RCM/FMEA to maximize reliability of equipment and spares, the link between stores and maintenance planning to better manage the timely availability of spares, the use of on-going reviews to minimize spares holding, while simultaneously minimizing stockouts, the use of receipt inspection to verify quality and quantity of parts received, and the use of consignment parts to minimize spares holding. This session will provide a review of where you may need to focus attention in improving plant performance through better stores/purchasing practices.