Asset Management: Don’t Overlook Spare Parts

How spare parts are managed is an essential element in reliability and maintenance management of physical assets. It makes sense, then, for an organization’s asset-management system to address all requirements for spare-parts-management processes throughout the entire risk-posing supply chain. Here are key references to ISO-55001 clauses with my suggested questions regarding these processes.

Planning (Clause 6)

6.1 Actions to address risks and opportunities for the asset management system

• Where are the organization’s objectives at risk due to failures of spare parts and/or spare-parts-management processes?
• What practices should be put in place to prevent undesired effects from failures of spare parts?

6.2 Asset-management objectives and planning to achieve them

• How should asset-management objectives within relevant organizational functions and levels be structured to include spare-parts management?
• How should the strategic-asset-management plan address the spare-parts supply chain?

Support (Clause 7)

7.1 Resources

• Organizational collaboration may be required to manage the spare-parts supply chain. What parts of the organization should be involved?”
• What resources would be required to maintain reliable spare-parts-management processes?

7.2 Competence

• What skills and knowledge are required to assure the spare-parts-management processes continue to achieve the asset-management objectives?

7.3 Awareness

• What ensures that those involved are aware of the company policy, objectives, and plan?

7.4 Communication

• What communication mechanisms are needed to assure effective management processes?

Operation (Clause 8)

8.1 Operational planning and control

• What practices should be established to ensure that spare-parts-management processes are being carried out as planned?

8.2 Management of change

• What processes are needed to ensure that any changes to the spare-parts-management processes don’t have any unintended consequences?

8.3 Outsourcing

• How should the spare-parts supply chain outside the organization be managed to ensure that the objectives and plans are achieved?

Performance evaluation (Clause 9)

9.1 Monitoring, measurement, analysis and evaluation

• What elements of the spare-parts-management processes should be monitored, measured, analyzed, and evaluated?

9.2 Internal audit

• How should an internal audit be conducted to evaluate the effectiveness and compliance of the spare-parts-management process?

9.3 Management review

• What elements of the spare-parts-management process should be periodically reviewed by top management?

Improvement (Clause 10)

• What corrective actions should be established to address non-conformity with the spare-parts-management processes?
• What processes should be in place to prevent failures or identify potential failures of the spare-parts-management processes?
• What continuous-improvement processes should be established to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the spare-parts-management processes?

The ISO 55000:2014 Asset Management Standard could play a major role in industry in the coming years. Keep up to date with our ongoing coverage of this Standard at maintenancetechnology.com/iso55k.