Riwal pioneers parts system

An innovative new parts management system is improving productivity for a UK access rental company.

After listening to Riwal’s needs, IPS came up with a novel solution – take the parts store to the engineers. Working closely with Riwal, IPS developed a system of ‘speed trolleys’.

“For example, the trolley for the engineers looking after all-electric access platforms contains 45 bins of fast-moving parts, all now located within a metre of the machine,” said Steve Skeates, national operations manager for Riwal UK, said. “Prior to this innovation, the engineers were travelling 50 to 60m each time they needed to get a part. That is a huge amount of wasted time for these specialists – you can imagine over the weeks, months and years how these trolleys will deliver enormous savings for us. They will pay for themselves many, many times over.”

IPS originally launched its Parts Management System in 2007, to help plant hire and access rental companies with the stocking and management of fast-moving parts. By keeping the right parts on-site, it enables hire companies to reduce down time caused by unscheduled maintenance and breakdowns. It also eliminates freight and shipping costs from the parts buying process.

IPS profiles the fleet, to identify which fast-moving parts are critical to that individual business, right down to the mix of machines at each depot. This includes fixed pricing for 12 months, which helps customers to accurately plan their parts budgets. A carefully-tailored inventory is stored at each depot, assigned with minimum and maximum stocking levels. Each part is assigned a unique image and record card, for ease of identification.

IPS supplies the customer with a brochure categorising the parts by manufacturer and type, to help optimise the efficiency of the stock-picking process. The company’s mobile sales vans regularly visit each location to monitor and replenish stocking levels, guaranteeing that a healthy inventory is maintained at all times.

IPS also produces regular reports, providing the customer with a complete overview of all parts used, by depot and by product mix. In this way, the parts mix evolves as their fleet changes. By removing any surplus parts stock, the system also reduces waste and unnecessary expenditure.

“We QR-coded the bins so that our engineers can use an app to monitor parts usage,” said Steve. “That gives us excellent insight into the consumption rates of parts. So if one bin isn’t actually being used as much as we expected, we can swap it out for another fast-moving part.”

IPS worked closely with the Riwal UK team, including Craig Barrow, national technical manager, and Sam Reading, parts and warranty administrator. They installed the parts management system in all four depots within six weeks. It is comprised of five parts systems rolled into one:

• Parts
• Consumables
• Filters
• Paints
• Automotive cleaning products

The system fits neatly into the Riwal Way, which includes close scrutiny of stock and parts management, and currently utilises a Kanban system in all countries.

“By working with Sam and Craig IPS was able to create a system which enhances our Kanban with real-time visibility of stock levels and a procurement pipeline,” added Steve.