Functions of Spare Parts Management

The spare parts inventory management is although part of materials management, the maintenance department is often entrusted to manage this inventory autonomously. The basic reason behind this, is that the spare parts have distinctly different features as enlisted above , and needs a special attention and the management also is in different style than regular materials management.

The functions of spare parts management are boundless in a large scale industry. However, three major parts viz. selective inventory control, codification and standardization are discussed at length in this unit. Others are self explanatory and hence left to the readers' understanding (Moreover, they are inter related with materials management and production management and hence the redundancy is avoided).

The basic functions of spare parts management are listed below:

• Identification of spares to be procured or maintained in stock.
• Decision on the quantity and time of procurement of spares and other maintenance inventory such as repair tools, safety equipment, consumables, utilities, fuels and lubricants, etc.
• Procurement of spares and other inventory in association with materials department or purchase department.
• To receive the spare parts and inspect to confirm the correct specification.
• Conduct a suitable selective inventory control analysis and follow.
• Arrange the stocks of spares, consumables and other relevant inventory in appropriate places in the store room according to the adopted rule of selective inventory control. This helps in quick traceability and assessment for the next period.
• Codification of the spare parts and maintenance inventory.
• Standardisation of spare parts particularly, if they can be used for more than one machine.
• Issue of the right spares in right time for right machine.
• Maintenance of records for issues, receipts and specifications.
• Carrying out stock checking and auditing at predetermined intervals.
• Controlling obsolescence and expiries.