The Problems with Procrastinating on a Materials Cleansing Solution

There are plenty of reasons why plant managers or other key decision-makers may struggle to get approval for a spare parts data cleanse. A materials cleansing solution may be outside of their organization’s budget. Additionally, a cleanse can be a time-consuming process. Poor quality EAM data may seem inevitable, making a cleanse seem like a pointless pursuit. What’s worse, some key plant leaders may not even recognize that there is a problem with their materials data quality in the first place. However, the costs of avoiding a materials cleanse can far outweigh the costs of pursuing one. After all, your EAM system is only as good as the data you feed it, and working with an EAM system filled with poor quality spare parts data will only become an even bigger battle as time passes.

The drawbacks of poor quality spare parts data

Reduced wrench time and inefficient maintenance processes due to workers struggling to find the information they need to do their job, or maintenance professionals misunderstanding the spare parts needed to complete a work order because the materials data in the EAM system is unclassified, duplicated, obsolete, or otherwise inaccurate.

Falling behind on industry standards due to a lack of universal conventions for names, parts descriptions, and their classifications and characteristics across all plants, with each individual plant having its own standard instead. This can become confusing when communicating across plants.

Cost overruns due to expensive and misordered parts because the purchasing department lacked the accurate information needed to make informed purchasing decisions. This can lead to rush orders, mistaken orders, or unnecessarily expensive orders from simply ordering too many parts to make sure you get the needed one.

Difficulty reporting on, analyzing, and optimizing the supply chain due to spare parts that are unclassified, duplicated, or obsolete in the EAM system, making it difficult to verify their source, criticality, lead time, or other important information that could otherwise contribute to reporting on and optimizing the supply chain.

Increased frustration and reduced morale from workers due to the problems listed above!

Don’t put it off!

A materials cleansing solution forces a plant to tackle massive amounts of spare parts information, so of course it will seem like an intimidating task! Spare parts may seem like a small part of the larger operations that happen in an asset-intensive organization, but they form the foundation of the work a plant is capable of doing, and keeping them well-maintained is important. Avoiding a materials cleanse because the spare parts in your EAM system seem less important is a short-term mentality that is only going to create more long-term problems. If you’d like to stop avoiding a materials cleanse and start improving your EAM system, book a demo with us to chat with one of our experts, or check out one of our resources below to learn more!