Off the road for a hose
A 9 tonne excavator comes in with a split hydraulic hose. The fitter strips it down, finds a worn bucket pin too, and asks the workshop manager to order both. The workshop manager rings the dealer, who says two days. A week later the machine is still in the workshop. The hose came; the pin order was never placed because the phone call was interrupted. Meanwhile a customer has been turned away for want of a 9 tonner.
On the shelf in the stores there was a hose that would have fitted. Nobody knew because the stores list is out of date.
Why parts hold up the workshop
Workshop parts are ordered in a hurry, often by phone, from several dealers and factors, with the fitter waiting and the machine off the road.
- Parts are ordered by phone and not linked to the workshop job.
- Stock on the shelf isn't recorded, so parts are ordered that you already have.
- Dealer confirmations and delivery dates aren't recorded anywhere.
- Service parts are ordered when the machine arrives, not before.
- Nobody can see how many machines are waiting on parts right now.
What waiting on parts costs
Machines off hire when customers want them, and cross-hire to cover. Fitters waiting or swapping between half-finished jobs. Parts bought twice. And no view of which dealers are slow, so the same delays happen again.
Workshop capacity suffers as well. Half-stripped machines take up bays while they wait, and fitters lose time picking up where they left off days earlier. A workshop that looks busy can be spending a surprising amount of time waiting.
Parts tracking tied to workshop jobs
- Each workshop job lists the parts it needs, added by the fitter on a phone or tablet with a photo where the part number isn't clear.
- Stores stock is checked first, and parts on the shelf are reserved to the job.
- Parts to order go on a purchase order linked to the job, sent to the dealer by email or their ordering system.
- Dealer confirmations are read and the expected date recorded against the job, and late deliveries are flagged.
- Service parts for forecast services are ordered ahead, based on the service planner, so they are on the shelf when the machine arrives.
- A workshop board shows machines waiting on parts, what they are waiting for and since when.
| Question | Answered by |
|---|---|
| Do we have it on the shelf? | Stores stock check |
| Was it ordered? | Purchase order linked to the job |
| When is it coming? | Dealer confirmation date |
| What's waiting on parts? | Workshop board |
| Are service parts ready? | Ordered ahead from the forecast |
What the workshop manager has now
The morning starts with a board of what is waiting on what. Orders are placed and linked, so nothing is forgotten. Shelf stock is used before new parts are ordered. Service parts arrive before the machine does. And the report of dealer delays shows where a different supplier might be worth trying.
Does this describe your workshop?
- Parts are ordered by phone and not recorded against jobs.
- Machines sit in the workshop longer than the repair takes.
- Parts you already had get ordered again.
- Service parts are ordered when the machine arrives.
- Nobody can list the machines waiting on parts right now.