Spare Parts Management

The part is in the system - but nowhere to be found

A critical machine goes down. The part you need shows as available in the system - but it isn't there. Or worse: it was never there. Production halted. Emergency order. Tens of thousands of dollars in losses.

This is the daily reality in too many maintenance departments: millions tied up in spare parts inventory, with low stock accuracy. Technicians spending an hour a day searching. Hundreds of suppliers each bringing their own administrative burden.

This book shows you how to change that.

Follow the transformation
>What makes this book different
Unlike dry theoretical handbooks, this book uses a narrative that shows you how to approach the transformation, step by step. The methodology is based on decades of consultancy experience - not theory that might work, but a systematic approach that has delivered results in dozens of organizations.

What you will learn

• Categorization - classify parts into four types: risk components, exchange parts, overhaul parts, and free issue stock, each with its own management strategy
• Cost comparison - apply capital costs, storeroom costs, and critical failure probability to make the right stocking decisions
• Calculation tools - ABC analysis, EOQ calculations, and Poisson distribution for irregular failures
• Storeroom transformation - reorganize physical space into structured zones with clear layout principles
• Process optimization - receiving, issue, inventory control, and FIFO for limited shelf life parts
• Purchasing strategy - category purchasing, vendor managed inventory, and specialized procurement for custom components

Who is this book for?

• Maintenance managers who want to stop firefighting
• Reliability engineers managing risk systematically
• Storeroom managers who want to bring structure to chaos
• Purchasers who want to work more strategically
• Asset managers looking to optimize capital tied up in inventory

Why act now?
>Part of a larger whole
>About the author
Martin Van den Hout has 35 years of experience in maintenance, reliability, and asset management, including 24 years as a consultant. This hands-on experience forms the foundation of a series that shows how methodology works in the real world.