Expendables and consumables. The inglorious material that gives you a headache.
You know the feeling. You get a 100 part requirement. Or 200. Or 1,000. And your head wants to explode.
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Do you have surplus aircraft part inventory?
This unnecessary buildup occurs when you order inventory in preparation for near term consumption.
When that consumption never occurs. Voila! Surplus inventory builds up.
Here’s the impact that this causes to your operation.
It’s not the price you pay, how business savvy you are, or how excellent your negotiation skills are. This is the MOST IMPORTANT skill you need when purchasing aircraft parts.
Your surplus aircraft material was sitting. Rotting. Wasting away on your shelves.
Slowly eating away at your operational results. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.
Cash was being sucked down the surplus drain. And the only thing you could do was…
Price. How important is it to you? How often do you try and get the lowest price? I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, “It’s incredibly important.” and “Every chance I get.” And that’s fair. It’s also common to ask how much something costs. Or to reduce the cost of something. We often use price and cost interchangeably. That’s a mistake.
Expendables and consumables. The inglorious material that gives you a headache.
You know the feeling. You get a 100 part requirement. Or 200. Or 1,000. And your head wants to explode.
In our previous post, we talked about how to cut a huge amount of money from your operating expenses.
Now, let’s talk about how to cut 20 hours a week from your purchasing activities.
First, think about what those 20 hours mean to you. Is it more time with family? A hobby? The ability to work on higher level projects?
Are you purchasing aircraft material daily?
Like most airlines and MROs, it is important to complete projects, keep aircraft in the air and make money.
But what if, everything you thought about purchasing was costing you more money? The money you didn’t know was seeping through the cracks as hidden operational expenses. Money not on the POs you send, but hidden in everything that surrounds the PO.
In a few day's your bird will hit the hangar and begin its c-check.
You feel your heartbeat beginning to race. Thump-thump. Thump-thump-thump. Thump-thump.
Your blood pressure is rising. You have no idea of what issues are going to arise or how you'll resolve them.
For now, you just have to wait.
Do you feel overwhelmed having to manage your aircraft component repair process?
You deal with hundreds of assets, dozens of MROs and the logistics that has to happen to and from your MRO partners.
And that’s just the beginning. You then have to approve, deny, or cry over the work order quotes you receive. Hoping. Pleading, that nothing was overlooked.
It’s a complicated process. You have to notice all the small details, ask questions, and trust the partners you’re working with.
And maybe this situation sounds all too familiar to you...
Are your repair turn-around-times (TAT) a mess?
They’re a headache.
Believe it or not. You’re not alone. The problem remains the same for everyone. Whether you’re a large airline or a small aircraft MRO. You feel the pain.
We recently spoke with The VP of Maintenance at Japan Airlines and he mentioned the same issue. He’s frustrated. Even with the contracts that he has in place, working with the largest OEMs and MROs, repair lead times and quality are a constant frustration.
How does that make you feel? He pays premium prices and still has the same problems as you. See. It could be worse.
Not long ago having a lot of inventory was common. It was "smart", and the industry norm. You had something when you needed it...if you ever needed it.
I used to think this way as well.
I'd wake up every morning, sip on my coffee, and wonder how I was going to keep plenty of stock. Always. But then one morning I woke up and the coffee smacked me clear across the face.
Your surplus aircraft material was sitting. Rotting. Wasting away on your shelves.
Slowly eating away at your operational results. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.
Cash was being sucked down the surplus drain. And the only thing you could do was…
You have hundreds of suppliers.
Just looking at the list numbs your brain.
It’s a jumbled mess that has very little meaning.
It tells you nothing about how your partners are delivering on their promises. It tells you nothing about why you’re working with someone over others. It gives you very little strategic insight.
The only good that you get from it is… You can mass email RFQs.
Price. How important is it to you? How often do you try and get the lowest price? I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, “It’s incredibly important.” and “Every chance I get.” And that’s fair. It’s also common to ask how much something costs. Or to reduce the cost of something. We often use price and cost interchangeably. That’s a mistake.