A situational approach to the application of the inventory control theory to maintenance spares control

Abstract

The management of maintenance spares has frequently been treated as part of the management of the total inventory in production-oriented organizations. In this article it is suggested that maintenance spares should be grouped into four categories: non-stock, usage stock, project stock and insurance stock. Rather than using a common inventory control approach to all spares, different techniques should be applied to each category. Developments in reliability-centred maintenance will result in less reliance on forecasting maintenance spares requirements, thereby permitting a higher service level without an increase in inventory carrying costs.