Steve Downton, Downton Service Management Consultants Ltd, Noventum Group
The various software-planning tools currently available provide capabilities that until recently only existed on the wish lists of most planners. For example, there is software available now that will :
• Track a whole range of different forecasting techniques, using a variety of different forecast methods and advise the planner on-line, if necessary to use a different and more appropriate forecast method for the particular part or group of parts.
• Provide information on repair bills of material (BoM) for end products, which allows the repair BoM to be updated on line, to amend, add to, or remove purchase orders in place, based on the usage records, and ensure that the parts are available to support the forecast and actual demand.
• Take into account numerous parameters which will reduce the fudge factor that used to be euphemistically called safety stock to facilitate accurate final one off purchases to be made.
• Provide systems to track spare parts through multiple stocking echelons, from a continental warehouse to the back of an engineer's car. This on-line access provides accurate information about parts used, parts available, parts quality etc.
These various tools are already in use in leading edge businesses, where there has been recognition of the need to invest in tools to provide the service parts logistics team with the ability to deliver, to extremely demanding high service levels, cost effectively.
There are scheduling tools designed to run on the web that can effectively re-deploy engineers as late as half way through their previous call, or that can allow the engineer to be scheduled on line by the customers themselves through the use of a WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) telephone. From a logicians standpoint this capability is only limited by parts availability in the engineers van, which can now be visible on line. From the schedulers standpoint this capability is only limited by the accuracy of the information available, regarding the skill level of the engineer, location and the probability that a correct diagnosis has been made.
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