The Hidden Costs of Poor Spare Parts Master Data: Six Key Challenges
Introduction: Spare parts master data may not be glamorous, but it is the backbone of effective Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) and supply chain management. In asset-intensive sectors – from energy and utilities to transportation and manufacturing – bad spare parts data can silently wreak havoc on operations. When part information is incomplete, inconsistent, or outright wrong, it leads to everything from duplicated inventory to unplanned downtime. In fact, poor spare parts data quality is often costing organizations millions in avoidable procurement and storage costs, and even more in lost production due to downtime. Below, we explore six key challenges caused by poor parts data management, each with its operational pitfalls and financial consequences. The goal is not to point fingers, but to illuminate where inefficiencies lurk – and how smart data practices like data cleansing and data enrichment can pave the way to improvements.