Maintenance departments need accurate, up-to-date inventory tracking to reduce downtime and control costs. Modern software solutions help them strengthen and streamline internal workflows that support efficiency and create accountability through transparency. To maximize the value of these platforms, though, maintenance departments should create new ways of working with suppliers to move from basic transaction-based relationships to mutually beneficial strategic partnerships.
Why inventory management is so important for maintenance management
Having the right inventory of parts and supplies is crucial for a maintenance team to effectively handle both reactive and preventive maintenance. For reactive maintenance, immediate access to necessary components is essential to minimize downtime and prevent further damage. Without the right parts, equipment failures quickly lead to costly production delays and safety risks. For preventive maintenance, a well-stocked inventory ensures that routine checks, lubrications, and replacements can be performed on schedule, reducing the likelihood of unexpected issues and extending equipment lifespan. Both approaches rely on having the correct parts in stock to maintain smooth operations and equipment reliability.
How the maintenance department can make suppliers into partners
Making your suppliers into partners for a maintenance department means fostering a collaborative and mutually beneficial relationship that goes beyond the traditional transaction-based model. It’s a multistep, interactive process focused on alignment and shared success.
The maintenance department and suppliers must collectively create processes and polices that support:
- Strong communication: Establishing open and frequent lines of communication to ensure that both parties are aligned on maintenance needs, part availability, and delivery schedules. There can be regular meetings, updates, and feedback sessions to address any issues promptly
- Shared goals and objectives: Working together to set and achieve common goals, such as reducing downtime, improving equipment reliability, and lowering overall maintenance costs. Suppliers can provide insights and recommendations based on their expertise, helping the maintenance department optimize their processes
- Joint problem-solving: Collaborating to solve problems and find solutions. For example, if a part is frequently failing, the supplier and maintenance department can work together to identify the root cause and develop a more reliable part or maintenance strategy
- Long-term commitment: Moving away from short-term, price-driven relationships to long-term, value-driven partnerships based on long-term contracts that provide stability and predictability for both parties, allowing the supplier to offer better pricing and the maintenance department to plan more effectively
- Innovative solutions: Encouraging suppliers to bring innovative solutions and new technologies to the table to help the maintenance department stay ahead of industry trends and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of their maintenance practices
By treating suppliers as partners, the maintenance department can enhance its operational efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the reliability of its equipment.
How a modern maintenance inventory solution supports inventory partnerships
Building a partnership starts with removing barriers. You can’t share goals without first sharing data. Modern inventory control software simplifies and strengthens workflows with features that include automation and accessibility.
Safeguard critical supplier data
One of the most fundamental aspects of maintaining a strong relationship with your suppliers is ensuring you can quickly access their contact information. By safeguarding this data within your facility management software, you can quickly reach out when you need to place orders, resolve issues, or discuss new opportunities. Accurate and up-to-date contact details also help in avoiding delays and miscommunications, which can be crucial in maintaining the smooth operation of your facility.
It’s more than just knowing who to contact. Lead times are also essential for effective inventory management and planning. By securely storing and regularly updating lead times for each supplier, you can better anticipate when parts and materials arrive, helping you schedule maintenance and repairs more efficiently.
Track past purchase orders
Past purchase orders are important for tracking spending, identifying trends, and improving procurement processes. By keeping a detailed history of your transactions with each vendor, you can quickly reference previous orders, prices, and delivery times. The data can help when negotiating better terms, identifying reliable vendors, and ensuring consistency in your purchasing process.
You can also use it to work with suppliers to ensure you’re purchasing the best possible parts for your specific applications. For example, if the purchasing orders reveal the team is having to replace a particular part more often than expected, you can work with the supplier to determine why. In some cases, you might be using the wrong part for the job, while in others you and the supplier might collectively decide the team needs additional guidance on how best to install and test the part.
Place orders from inside the software
The ability to place orders directly from within your facility management software improves efficiency and accuracy. Instead of manually calling or emailing suppliers, you can streamline the process by placing orders with just a few clicks. This saves time and reduces the risk of errors, such as incorrect quantities. Suppliers benefit from this streamlined process as well, as it often leads to faster and more accurate order fulfillment. By making it easier for both parties to initiate, track, and fulfil the transaction, you strengthen the partnership and ensure that your facility always has the parts and materials it needs when it needs them.
Add delivered parts and materials to inventory counts
Automatically adding delivered parts to your existing inventory counts is another feature that can significantly enhance your relationship with suppliers. Real-time updates ensure your inventory levels are always accurate, allowing you to make informed decisions about future orders and maintenance schedules. And suppliers can quickly rectify any errors they might have made on their end because you can tell them when there’s an issue with a delivery.
Modern inventory management solutions support better relationships
Making suppliers into partners is a strategic move that can significantly enhance the efficiency and reliability of your maintenance operations. Embracing joint problem-solving and leveraging the supplier’s expertise can then lead to more innovative and effective maintenance strategies, and fostering regular communication, aligning on shared goals, and building a relationship based on transparency and trust, you can ensure everyone is working together to reduce downtime, improve equipment reliability, and lower overall maintenance costs.
By Jonathan Davis
As a content creator at Eptura, Jonathan Davis covers asset management, maintenance software, and SaaS solutions, delivering thought leadership with actionable insights across industries such as fleet, manufacturing, healthcare, and hospitality. Jonathan’s writing focuses on topics to help enterprises optimize their operations, including building lifecycle management, digital twins, BIM for facility management, and preventive and predictive maintenance strategies. With a master's degree in journalism and a diverse background that includes writing textbooks, editing video game dialogue, and teaching English as a foreign language, Jonathan brings a versatile perspective to his content creation.
