The goal of the storeroom is to have:

The right quantity of, the right parts at, the right place at, the right time.

The key to accomplishing that goal is complete accountability and traceability of everything that goes into and comes out of the storeroom.

At PCA we find that because of logistics and staffing restraints, many clients split receiving and issuing duties between stores, and shipping & receiving personnel, as well as maintenance and operations personnel.

Even in this scenario, there can still be complete accountability and traceability if there are well-documented and trained-on Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that conform to “best practices.”

Often, personnel retrieve parts after hours when a storeroom attendant is not available to do so. Without clear guidelines on “who does what, where, when and how,” this can lead to disastrous effects, even on an infrequent basis. Because these SOPs should involve more than just stores personnel, PCA’s SOP development process includes all stakeholders that can affect good inventory management.

It is important that the written SOPs include not only procedural explanations, but also illustrations of the EAM/CMMS processes needed to support and perform the tasks. For example, illustrated instructions on how to issue a part can be posted on or near the inside of the door to the storeroom where the technician, in the middle of an emergency, can easily see them and be reminded of his/her training and the facility’s requirement.

There also needs to be facility management support to assure that everyone involved in the receipt and retrieval of parts adhere to those requirements. At one client site, the facility’s general manager made this point very clear. He assembled the labor force, introduced the “best practices,” and said, “These are not PCA’s requirements, these are not the Storeroom’s requirements, these are my requirements.”