Why Duplicate Parts Cause Issues

Why Duplicate Parts Cause Issues

Duplicate parts occur when the same part gets added to your material master in your ERP or EAM/CMMS system multiple times.  There are two leading causes of duplicates in your EAM/CMMS.   One problem is that the part search functionality available to your end users isn’t very efficient or user friendly.   As a result when they can’t find an existing part in the system they request the creation of a new duplicate entry in the system.  The other cause is a lack of clear standards for naming and describing parts in the EAM/CMMS that would make it easy to search and identify parts you are looking for.   When duplicates occur, there is a cost to your business that goes beyond just the administrative expense of unnecessarily adding a part to the system.

Unnecessary Purchasing Costs

When parts are ordered because they cannot be found in the system, it can result in a lot of wasted time and money. Rush orders and parts ordered outside of the normal supply agreements are more expensive.

Misordered Parts

Delays while you add duplicate parts to the system can result in unnecessary downtime and lost revenue.  Bad parts descriptions can result in ordering the wrong parts causing further delays.  They can also result in planners ordering unecessary parts just in case.   Returing the wrong or unneeded parts is expensive to your business.

Excess Inventory Costs

Duplicate parts in your EAM/CMMS system and parts with bad descriptions result in unnecessary inventory.  Often you have more parts in inventory than is necessary as a result.  There is also a problem associated with multiple sites holding expensive parts in inventory that could be shared across sites if only you could identify these parts as being the same. 

Solution

Find out how we can help your business avoid the costs associated with duplicate materials and bad parts descriptions.