Trunk inventory and bean counters

[mascan42]

KMBS has finally lost their minds. In an effort to keep better control over their techs' inventory, they've decided to AUTOMATICALLY remove parts from our trunk replenishment lists (min/max levels) without consulting with the techs first. A few examples of this idiocy:

Feed rolls that NEED to be changed in sets of 2 or 3 (depending on the model), I've been reduced to carrying only 1. How can I fix a copier with only one feed roll? It's impossible.

They want me to carry developer, but not the drum that goes with it, despite the fact that I always use them together.

They've decided that I should carry a transfer belt. Nonsense.

A charge unit I've only ever used twice, and that was because the charge wires were on backorder.

Two cleaning blades when I've barely used one in the past year. What are they thinking?

Bottom line: If they believe that a speadsheet can decide better than a technician what a technician needs, we have a serious problem.

[Jules Winfield]

LOL, priceless...

I'll bet some moron in a suit and a wind-tunnel tested hairdo got a fat bonus for coming up with that idea...

[blackcat4866]

Ikon used to do this. It was continual battle to keep 2 heat roller bearings, 6 claws, and a heat roller all at the same time. They might as well take all of it if you have to order parts on most every call. =^..^=

[jmaister]

This is what Mr. Bean counting crews think about...

there's X feed tires order last year, only Y feed tires that's been replaced. There should only be Z feed tires made for 1 machine, but there are still so many out there unaccounted for. multiply by 2000 machines, total is ##### loss in revenue, .....

to stop the snowballing effect for the coming year, they point to the techs.........cuz they are the nicest buncha guys they know.

The nicest buncha guys.

really tho... blame it on "the race to the bottom."

[Ikon Princess]

Ikon term; you have just been "starred". Yup, it worked in Kansas. So sorry for you.

[Shadow]

I used to work for a dealer like that.
then I showed them the parts manual and what was required for each machine.
didn't help too much as they stuck with emergency part ordering and higher shipping costs.
Bean counters don't know how to read words, just numbers.

[Hemlock]

Christ, Oce did this back in the mid 90s - it sucked back then as well.

Options:

1. Carry more than the report says - you get dinged on your eval for too much inventory.
2. Carry what the report says, and then emergency order what you need - get dinged on teh eval for excessive e.o.'s.
3. Carry what the report says, only replace with what you have, machine breaks down more often - get dinged for excessive visits.
4. Replace part, put old one back in box and return as good; machine works, parts #s look good, next tech hunts you down and kills you.
5. Start sending out résumés.

[copiman]

The company I was at years ago did this very same thing. I understand what they are attempting to do. They are attempting to reduce cost. Not have parts in the cars that are not turning. The problem is how they go about it. When this happened to us, they took all kind of parts. Ended up shipping us back what we did not want. What a mess. We, techs, all know how to help them get to where they want to be. The problem is they think they have all the answers. Good thing I don't have this problem today. Enough on that, I could go on and on. Anyway, may I make a suggestion. Keep a record of what they had you send back. The reason for this is that when your numbers are effected, you will be able to show them that you did not have what you needed and that that part was pulled from you. Cover yourself. Good luck.

[prntrfxr]

If you think being an in shop rebuild tech is any better, guess again. Example, HP 9000 fusers to be rebuilt, parts department told to use ordering history as guideline. We sold a bunch of upper rollers to another company, so the parts order for the next month had 400 lower pressure rollers and only 200 upper pressure rollers. After you build the first 200, then what?

Management wants to keep only what turns every month. That's a good idea in principle, but you can't lump production parts with sales parts. If you have something on regular production, you need to keep a single run production quantity in inventory all of the time of all the parts used to rebuild a part. Not just go by sales, which is a smaller quantity every month based on a quarterly average of individual parts. They don't treat it separately so we run out of parts before we run production. Let you not have a production part in inventory and watch how much they scream. You can't make a cake without eggs, but magically we're supposed to make that happen. Backlogs everything including orders. So, an order is placed and we pay overnight shipping and then we kill ourselves to get the parts out in time. Tell me how that saves us money. Try explaining that to a bean counter who believes that inventory is inventory and it shouldn't matter whether it's machine parts or produce, it should be inventoried the same. I'm all for modern methods, but not when it creates more stress for the techs and costs us more in the long run.

I want to go back to business where the concern is the quality and you're not a technician you're a craftsman. Where you're proud to put your name on everything you do and you treat it as a form of art not a slap it together in the fastest time possible. I understand the concept of making money, but I don't think you should sacrifice your principles to get it done. Unfortunately, as long as companies out there are interested in getting parts at the lowest price, you are going to see a decline in the quality of the merchandise you buy, and that's across the board not just in our industry. Just ask yourself why people aren't buying American cars.

[ZOOTECH]

I want to go back to business where the concern is the quality and you're not a technician you're a craftsman. Where you're proud to put your name on everything you do and you treat it as a form of art not a slap it together in the fastest time possible. I understand the concept of making money, but I don't think you should sacrifice your principles to get it done. Unfortunately, as long as companies out there are interested in getting parts at the lowest price, you are going to see a decline in the quality of the merchandise you buy, and that's across the board not just in our industry. Just ask yourself why people aren't buying American cars.

Well said; a boost to your rep.

[HenryT2]

I want to go back to business where the concern is the quality and you're not a technician you're a craftsman. Where you're proud to put your name on everything you do and you treat it as a form of art not a slap it together in the fastest time possible. I understand the concept of making money, but I don't think you should sacrifice your principles to get it done. Unfortunately, as long as companies out there are interested in getting parts at the lowest price, you are going to see a decline in the quality of the merchandise you buy, and that's across the board not just in our industry. Just ask yourself why people aren't buying American cars.

A lot of us feel the same way !!!!!!!

These days it seems that there is TOO much focus on the QUANTITY
and not on quality .

[rthonpm]

x3 to prntrfxr's thoughts!

I worked with a dealership that tried doing the same thing, only to end up spending more than they supposedly saved in shipping out parts again overnight. This is what happens when you get management that hasn't turned a screwdriver in years trying to figure out where to scrimp in order to help make the numbers look good. Sadly enough, we've come to a point where there is no real analysis of any situation from management. The solution they develop is generally whatever makes the numbers they're plugging into Excel come out with the result they're looking for, or being asked to show. Reactive policies, a growing acceptance of mediocrity while still paying lip service to building an outstanding organisation, and just general sloppiness are going to hit a breaking point soon.

makes me glad I got out of the rat race and went the route of being an independent: if things look bad at the end of the day, I only have myself to blame.

[mascan42]

My manager wants me to not carry any parts that cost less than $5. If I order a part that costs less than that, I'm supposed to write it off immediately, whether I use it or not. This will keep our turns down. But since that under-$5 limit includes most feed rolls, that means I have to order a roll, write it off immediately, then hold onto it until I use it, remember that I already wrote it off so my stock doesn't go negative, and also remember that I need to reorder it manually again so I can write it off immediately again. This is known as simplifying the parts process.

If the only way to meet the company's goals is to game the system, then the goals were unrealistic to begin with. The problem is, everybody knows this, but won't say so because they don't want to admit they can't meet the goals. So everyone massages the numbers to make themselves look good, and the higher-ups perceive the program as a success. I like to call it "No Roller Left Behind".

[zed255]

I want to go back to business where the concern is the quality and you're not a technician you're a craftsman. Where you're proud to put your name on everything you do and you treat it as a form of art not a slap it together in the fastest time possible. I understand the concept of making money, but I don't think you should sacrifice your principles to get it done. Unfortunately, as long as companies out there are interested in getting parts at the lowest price, you are going to see a decline in the quality of the merchandise you buy, and that's across the board not just in our industry. Just ask yourself why people aren't buying American cars.

Agreed. Just how does one convince the management?

[HenryT2]

Agreed. Just how does one convince the management?

It's management ...... they don't listen to the REAL working people .

[Jules Winfield]

It's management ...... they don't listen to the REAL working people .

Hell, they don't even listen to the customers anymore for Christ's sake...

[ddude]

really tho... blame it on "the race to the bottom."

This is true-this race to the bottom by the major players, using compiled stats while occasionally glancing out of their Ivory Tower is giving technicians a bad rep, when we are the only thing left of this industry with value.


Crazyness!!!!!!

[CanonSco]

KMBS has finally lost their minds. In an effort to keep better control over their techs' inventory, they've decided to AUTOMATICALLY remove parts from our trunk replenishment lists (min/max levels) without consulting with the techs first. A few examples of this idiocy:

Feed rolls that NEED to be changed in sets of 2 or 3 (depending on the model), I've been reduced to carrying only 1. How can I fix a copier with only one feed roll? It's impossible.

They want me to carry developer, but not the drum that goes with it, despite the fact that I always use them together.

They've decided that I should carry a transfer belt. Nonsense.

A charge unit I've only ever used twice, and that was because the charge wires were on backorder.

Two cleaning blades when I've barely used one in the past year. What are they thinking?

Bottom line: If they believe that a speadsheet can decide better than a technician what a technician needs, we have a serious problem.


Canon have been doing this for years. Its a constant battle to keep on top of it. I am the same, - have ONLY ever since the day I started this fitted SETS of tyres. Still get 1 or 2 random ones from a set taken off me.
Although, now, it only happens on my 6 monthly stock checks. So send it back, then re order them back up the next week.

Worse is the reduction of amounts without them telling you - "dam, I was sure I carried 2 of those - was it my fault I didnt get it back" ect etc.

[kyrenecopy]

I worked for an independent dealer for 27 years and we carried what we needed according to the field service file, the number of machines in our territory and the technicians input. Everything was on auto restock and it worked great. Then along comes Konica and buys us out and it all went to crap! It happened just like the original poster said. I was never so happy when they laid all of us Manager's off, they said that they weren't going to have a parts department locally anymore, everything would come from Kentucky! Over the past 2 years I have kept in touch with friends that still work there and it has totally went to hell. Some management types have no clue!:cool: