One of the most frustrating and time-consuming aspects of doing a repair is chasing down a part while critical equipment is down. Even more frustrating is when you find somebody used the last one this morning for a low-priority purpose. Sure, a replacement will arrive tomorrow, but that critical machine is down now.
Another frustrating time-waster is you’ve got to spend half an hour taking apart a complex assembly, then another hour reassembling it just to do a 5-min. part change-out.
The solution to these sorts of problems is to implement a system of kits and assemblies. For each critical machine, create a kit that is kept in its own lockbox near the machine. It should include items such as manuals, special tools, key spare parts, cleaning solution and rags, diagnostic cheat sheets, and manufacturer support phone numbers.
Assemblies might be too large to store near the machine. They also add to inventory overhead, so select them on a criterion such as downtime cost saved vs. assembly cost.
