The 40/50 that was not in the van
The engineer measures the old euro cylinder, 40 on the outside and 50 on the inside, and goes to the van. There is a 35/45, a 40/40, two 45/45s and a box of 50/50s. No 40/50. The customer needs the door locking tonight. So the engineer either fits an offset cylinder that sticks out further than it should, drives to the wholesaler in the morning and comes back, or borrows one from another engineer across town.
It is the same with uPVC gearboxes, multipoint mechanisms, sash locks with the right backset and handles in the right finish. Each van is a small shop, stocked from memory and from whatever the wholesaler had last time, and it is the size you did not buy that the next job wants.
Why lock stock is so hard to keep right
A general van stock system counts items. Lock stock needs to count variants. A single cylinder line comes in many length combinations, several finishes and different security ratings, and your engineers rarely write down which one they fitted. The paperwork says "new cylinder", which is useless for restocking.
- Stock is counted by product, not by size and finish, so the gaps are invisible.
- Engineers restock from the wholesaler as they pass, each with their own idea of what to carry.
- Parts fitted on a job are not recorded against the job at the size level.
- Some vans end up with dead stock in sizes they never use while others run out of the common ones.
- Keyed-alike sets and special orders sit in vans for weeks and nobody knows which customer they were for.
Return visits and cash tied up in the wrong sizes
Every missing part turns a one-visit job into two. The second visit is unpaid time, fuel and a customer who has had a temporary fix overnight. At the same time, money sits in the vans in sizes nobody fits, and wholesaler accounts fill up with small top-up orders placed from the roadside at full price.
The owner often has no idea how much stock is on the road in total, which matters for the accounts as much as for the jobs.
Stock that knows sizes, vans and jobs
We build a stock record designed around how lock parts actually vary, and connect it to the job so usage is captured as a side effect of finishing a job rather than as extra admin.
- A parts catalogue that holds each variant separately: cylinder length combination, finish, rating, brand, and for mechanisms, the backset, centres and gearbox type.
- Each van has a target stock list, set by you, that can differ between vans (the engineer who does most uPVC work carries more mechanisms).
- When an engineer closes a job, they pick the parts fitted from a short list, with sizes, which takes seconds on a phone. Barcode scanning is an option where your parts carry barcodes.
- Fitted parts come off that van's stock and attach to the job, so the invoice and the stock both come from the same record.
- Each week, or on demand, the system produces a refill list per van, which can go to the wholesaler as an order or be picked from the shop or unit.
- Slow-moving sizes are reported, so you can move them to a van that uses them or stop reordering them.
| Part type | What the record tracks | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Euro cylinders | Length combination, finish, rating, brand | The size is the whole question on the doorstep |
| uPVC mechanisms and gearboxes | Backset, centres, type, brand | Wrong spec means a return visit |
| Mortice locks and sashlocks | Case size, backset, type | Common replacement, easy to run out |
| Handles and furniture | Finish, pattern, centres | Customers notice mismatched finishes |
| Special orders | Customer and job reference | Stops parts sitting unclaimed in vans |
Where you use job management software with a parts list, such as one that holds stock per vehicle, we work inside it and add only the size-level detail it lacks. If you already track stock well, we will say so.
Fewer trips back, fewer roadside top-ups
Engineers leave in the morning with vans stocked from what the last week actually used, in the sizes that got fitted. Special orders are tied to a customer and job, so they get fitted rather than forgotten. The office can see stock across every van without ringing round.
The accounts get a proper figure for stock on the road, and the wholesaler orders become fewer and larger instead of many small ones placed on the move.
Recognise these?
- Engineers regularly swap cylinders with each other mid-shift.
- Job sheets say "new cylinder" without a size.
- Different vans carry very different stock without a reason anyone can explain.
- You have boxes of sizes nobody seems to fit.
- Return visits for parts are a normal part of the week.