Efficiently manage maintenance and spare parts inventory with WMS

Many companies do amazing things for their external customers in warehouse management:

• optimised processes
• modern software
• high service levels

But what about internally?

This potential is often wasted, especially in maintenance. Spare parts, materials and workshops are often still managed manually, with Excel or »by sight«.

The result:

• Missing parts in an emergency
• Unnecessary new orders
• Loss of time
• Maverick buying

Who is this topic relevant for?

For any company with its own maintenance department or team.

Because:

• Downtime cannot be planned
• Technicians are not always immediately available
• Spare parts must be immediately available

Help for self-help is the decisive lever here.

Typical initial situation:

• Spare parts & materials warehouse = also serves as a workshop
• No clear structure
• No transparency regarding stocks, best-before dates or consumption
• Evaluations (if any) only possible with a lot of Excel effort

What a modern WMS specifically improves

Quick search & find:

• Full-text search including image display
• Previously: time-consuming, often without results

Clean inventory management during dismantling:

• Used parts are correctly posted back
• Previously: stored on shelves and »forgotten« (unnecessary new orders)

Best-before date management for lubricants:

• Automatic monitoring
• Previously: expiry = non-use + delays due to reordering

Automatic analysis of inventory movements:

• Valid database for purchasing
• Previously: manual, error-prone or non-existent

Minimum stock levels & discretionary replenishment:

• Planning instead of gut feeling
• Previously: Ordering on demand with overstock or understock

Practical example: Mera Tiernahrung GmbH

After organising the maintenance warehouse with COGLAS WEB WMS, many of these challenges were solved in a sustainable manner.

»Our technicians no longer have to spend a long time searching for spare parts in different storage locations, but are guided directly to the right storage location via their smartphones, which has significantly reduced downtime.«
– Dominic Engels, Supply Chain Manager, Mera Tiernahrung GmbH

P.S.: COGLAS WEB WMS is not only suitable for medium-sized companies, but also ideal for maintenance and repair warehouses in large companies.