For HRIs from motor vehicle manufacture to medical equipment and pharmaceuticals—where environmental and/or public health and safety are at risk—the stakes are incredibly high, and failure to ensure safety can be disastrous. To meet strict regulations imposed on HRIs and reduce liability, companies must closely track inventory and its components—and maintain readily available records that document their oversight.
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.
Carrying a spare part within the facility’s storeroom seems like a simple strategy not requiring much thought. But a second look at internal stocking options reveals there is much to consider in setting optimal stocking levels. Several strategies need to be considered. The use of free issue stock, vending machines, and vendor managed inventory are potential strategies that control cost, reduce transaction work load, and reduce consumption, while ensuring spare parts availability.
The question is often asked, “What makes the perfect storeroom?” Is it brick and mortar? Is it the correct financial ratio of storeroom inventory to facility asset value? Is it a certain measurement of inventory turns? Is it a certain ratio of personnel to inventory value? While it can be argued that any one of, a combination of several, or all of the above are important, the perfect storeroom consists of a combination of strategies working together to assure the operations have ...
A cross-functional, multi-disciplined team that focuses on MRO issues is a must. MRO inventory management is too often thought of as just a storeroom function. In reality, it is a horizontally, cross-functional activity involving, maintenance, operations, capital projects, procurement, and stores. At PCA we promote what is referred to as an MRO Focus Team. This team consists of personnel from accounting, maintenance, maintenance planning, manufacturing, capital projects, purchasing, reliability, and the storeroom who represent their function’s concerns with parts availability ...
