From the work I do with the utilities sector, I believe there are three key ways in which a supplier of MRO (maintenance, repair and operations) equipment can make a tangible difference.
1) Provide the right equipment
The key to extending the life of assets in the utilities sector is effective maintenance, which requires a wide variety of parts, equipment and tools. The most cost-effective method of MRO procurement relies on keeping supplier numbers as low possible, so it’s crucial the chosen suppliers have as wide a range of products as possible.
At RS, our utilities team has an in-depth knowledge of the sector and a huge product range (in excess of 750,000 products), which helps us to provide customers with virtually everything they need.
2) Review stock holdings
One of the advantages of using a small number of key trusted suppliers is that you can work closely with them to identify inefficiencies. Many providers are moving to a highly focused, planned approach to maintenance, which involves bringing a larger number of parts and tools into their business.
Let’s look at an example in the water industry. My team works with a number of major water suppliers, stock profiling to see what they have, what they need and what they don’t need. By having the correct equipment in-house, it’s possible to ensure any maintenance is carried out in a timely and effective manner. For unplanned or reactive maintenance, customers can make use of RS’s 24-hour delivery for parts they don’t hold on site.
3) Rationalise products
Wherever possible, utility companies should work with their suppliers to review and rationalise the products they use. It’s not unknown for several engineers working across various sites to have a number of different brands of power drill or spanner sets, which are at different price points but do exactly the same job.