A healthy approach to mobile MRO purchasing

These impressive pieces of machinery require significant financial outlay. Taking one offline is not a small undertaking; when an MRI scanner needs to be serviced or repaired, time really is of the essence. The right product needs to be available at the right time to get it fixed. And engineers need to be able to access purchasing systems no matter where they are. The same time sensitivities relate to other important medical equipment too. If engineers can’t access an ordering system, they face a number of constraints and challenges.

For this company, this often meant field-based engineers would travel to their nearest RS Local branch to see if a part was available. If it wasn’t in stock, they would have to return to base to place an order online. The costs and time involved in such an approach soon add up.

When the engineer can’t get to the ordering system, the ordering system needs to come to the engineer. That became the basis for RS response to this customer’s situation. Building on an existing, successful relationship with this customer, RS developed a solution ideally suited to field engineers – a version of RS PurchasingManager™ optimised for mobile use. It takes all the capabilities office-based users of RS PurchasingManager™ are already accustomed to out into the field. From product identificationto raising purchase orders, and with a searchable catalogue that can be tailored to suit a customer’s requirements, RS PurchasingManager™ is a web-based order management tool. Using this system, the customer can now track, manage and authorise field engineers’ orders in a streamlined and controlled manner. It has also madeit possible to review demand in a more accurate way, through detailed purchase history analysis.

Some results are measured in terms of stripping cost out of a process and saving money. This project has done that, helping reduce annualised source to pay process costs by £24,100, which is a reduction of approximately 25 minutes per order. Some of the other key achievements have been around the amount of time saved placing orders, and in establishing robust processes.

The easier it is for an engineer to follow a process, the less likely they are to deviate from it. When ordering very specific parts, such as those used in medical equipment, there is a clear need to purchase from particular suppliers. But with smaller, low-value consumables, there are always going to be other potential sources to turn to. And when the pressure is on to get a job done fast, there may be the temptation to pick something up en route to a site, without thinking about following due process. Yet this customer’s use of RS PurchasingManager™ mobile demonstrates the success of encouraging engineers to stay within purchasing compliance.