Spare Parts and Why You Need Them

It is 3:30pm on a Friday afternoon and as you are packing up, ready to leave work for the weekend, your maintenance manager tells you that a piece of equipment has broken down and will need a replacement part before it can be used again. You now worry about your production line being interrupted until you find the part you need.

A broken-down machine is disruptive and without the right parts to hand, the impact will be detrimental. To avoid this predicament, you will need to purchase and budget for spare parts when you buy materials handling equipment.

How can you find spare parts for your equipment?

Your first step to preventing unwanted downtime and disruption is to purchase the spare parts your machine needs. Your maintenance team may be able to advise you, but you can remove this burden by asking your supplier to recommend and provide what you need.

The supplier of your handling equipment designed and manufactured it and will already have a list of parts and components that were used. They should offer you a critical spares package when they deliver your new device.

When can you purchase spare parts?

This entirely depends on the support and aftercare your supplier offers. So, ask them about this before you first purchase from them.

With Handling Concepts, you will benefit from a proactive approach to spare parts management. Experienced engineers will create a list of critical spares for your equipment and give details on which one of those may wear out faster. Items recommended will be tailored to your materials handling equipment and you should be able to buy your spare parts throughout the lifetime of your device.

Whilst Handling Concepts never expects products to fail, wear and tear, damage and user error can lead to breakdown. So, when you purchase a piece of materials handling equipment, make sure that you are provided with a list of all the recommended spare parts including, the part number, description and quantity recommended having on site at all times.

How should you budget for spare parts?

It is recommended that you factor in the cost of a spare parts package with your overall project. This will allow you to decide about what you will need and factor this into your budget. Purchasing a spares pack with your new machine is the most cost-effective way to reduce downtime should a part need to be replaced. From the moment you place your order, you will have the reassurance that you have handling equipment and the parts you need to maintain your machine and keep production running smoothly.  

How should you store them?

To be as quick and efficient as possible, it is important to have stocked and organised spare parts. Creating a designated space to store these is ideal. This could be reserving a shelf for them or keeping them in the delivery box.

You can rely on Handling Concepts to make storage easy for you by providing you with a dedicated box that contains all your spare parts and a list of them so that all the information you need is in one place. The box can be placed in your storage area and has clear labels that will enable all employees to find the spare parts quickly so they can get your machine up and running with minimal delay.

What should you do when you use a spare part?

It is not uncommon for spare parts to have lead times spanning 2 to 12 weeks. Being stuck without a spare part for 12 weeks could cause production delays, loss of revenue and many other problems for your business.

When you have spare parts to hand, it is especially important to keep an up-to-date and accurate record of them. Regular stock takes will enable you to keep a precise inventory and you will know when stock should be replaced. You benefit most from spare parts when you always have on-hand inventory, so if a part has zero stock, it is recommended it be ordered as soon as possible.

For spare parts that have a large quantity, many businesses adopt a monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual process, where they review and order spare parts if they are needed, at regular intervals.

The benefits of spare parts for you

Keeping stock of critical spare parts ensures your materials handling equipment runs smoothly. This enables you to reduce the delays caused by downtime, fix urgent repairs quickly and get your production back up and running.

It also ensures you can minimise threats from external factors. For example, if there is a materials shortage or a delay in shipping because of a global event, there is nothing you can do to reduce the impact of this on your business. By taking a proactive approach of holding a critical spares package, you will avoid timing delays and gain control of external issues.  

On-hand spare parts can also help streamline a LOLER inspection. Your business is legally mandated to complete six-monthly inspections of your equipment. Should this uncover a component in need of repair, you already have the part you need and can minimise disruption.

You can protect your valuable assets with high-quality spares packages, tailored services and LOLER inspections provided by Handling Concepts. Visit the spares and service page to learn more about this offering.