Worked scenario
The part was in the store and a new one was ordered
A parts department that is easier to order from than to search becomes a store of duplicates and a cash drain.
3 min read
A job needs a part. The quickest route to having it is to order it. Checking whether one is already on a shelf involves knowing where to look and trusting the record, and neither is reliable.
Search cost decides behaviour
Where finding a part takes ten minutes and ordering takes two, the department orders. That is a rational response to the tools available, and it fills the store with parts that were already there.
Bin location is the whole fix
A record that says a part exists is worth little. One that says where it is turns searching into retrieval, and the ordering habit changes on its own without anyone being told to change it.
Obsolescence has a clock
Parts for superseded models lose value steadily and are usually returnable only within a window. Ageing by part number identifies what should be returned or cleared while it still has value.
What changes
- Stock checked automatically when a part is required for a job
- Bin location recorded so finding is faster than reordering
- Slow-moving parts identified before they become obsolete
- Order suggestions based on consumption rather than on habit
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