Maintenance Technology June 2017 - 24

MRO ISSUES
Confidence In Your Supplier

manufacturer, only to learn differently. The sub-standard imported
products, i.e., fakes, were discovered
during a positive material identification (PMI) inspection during the
storeroom receiving process and a
potential catastrophe was avoided.
The earlier in the MRO supply
chain that counterfeit parts can be
identified, the lower the risk the
parts will get into your storeroom
and production equipment.
Certifying a primary supplier
for needed spare parts provides the
most effective preventive measures
for assuring that procured parts
are genuine and will perform as
expected. Keep in mind that we
make suppliers reactive when we
don't properly maintain equipment.

In summary
When you understand the health of
your equipment, it is much easier to
implement a proactive maintenance
program that reduces reliance on

Lowest

Approved Primary

Highest

Risk

Supplier

Confidence

Approved Secondary
Supplier

Approved ThirdLevel Supplier

Highest Risk

Internet Source

Lowest
Confidence

Risk/Reward 101: Gambling on unknown
suppliers can be a dangerous, often very
costly game. Certifying a primary supplier
provides the most effective preventive
measures for ensuring that spare parts are
genuine and will perform as expected.

Internet and excessive expedited
purchases. Being able to plan and
schedule equipment downtime for
repairs allows your suppliers to be true
partners in your MRO supply chain. We

expect our trusted suppliers to solve our
problems and get parts to us quickly. If,
for some reason, they can't, sites may
put their operations at risk by gambling
on unknown sources. In the end, that
can be a dangerous, very costly game.
It's important for maintenance
departments to never let their guards
down.
Stay alert. Among other things,
monitor equipment-repair histories and
key performance indicators. Check your
spare-parts inventory to make sure you
don't already have counterfeits in your
storeroom, and that your procurement
processes aren't opening the door to
new ones. Finally, always remember
this: Deals that seem too good to be true
can come back to haunt you. MT
Wally Wilson is a senior subject-matter
expert in materials management and
work management, planning, and
scheduling with Life Cycle Engineering
(LCE.com), Charleston, SC. He can be
contacted at wwilson@LCE.com.

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©2017

24 |

MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY

JUNE 2017
http://www.LCE.com http://www.tritool.com http://www.tritool.com
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Maintenance Technology June 2017
