10 Tips for How to Organize Your Fleet Operation’s Parts Room
Parts rooms can quickly become one of the most disorganized areas of a fleet operation. Without order and planning, technicians and other staff members can waste valuable time trying to track down parts to complete tasks, and parts can be over-ordered if inventory isn’t updated, costing operations money.
To prevent this, fleet operations should organize their parts room in a way that’s conducive to their shop. Get tips below on how operations can consider organizing their parts rooms.
1. Assign Staff to Parts Rooms
Parts rooms should have designated staff members to work them. Employees should have specific responsibilities to ensure the parts are properly organized, stocked, and ordered. This can include hiring a Parts Room Manager, Parts Clerk, and other staff.
2. Keep Parts off of the Floor, Aisles, or Walkways
For both safety and organizational purposes, parts should not be stored on the floor or in areas where staff members walk. This will help prevent staff members from tripping over parts. It will also help all employees better locate parts if they are organized and stored on shelves and in bins.
3. Store Parts in Boxes/Bins
Instead of storing parts on shelves separately, place parts in boxes and bins and keep shelves organized. Single parts are more likely to get lost or combined with other types of parts. Keeping items in boxes and bins will help parts be easily grouped and quickly located. Operations can choose how to organize the bins, if they want to group by part type (for example, engine parts), or by manufacturer, or another convention that works best for their day-to-day needs.
4. Label Rows, Shelves, Bins
Label every row, shelving section, shelf, and bin with one consistent location code: a letter for the row, a number for the shelving section, a letter for the shelf, and a number for the bin. For example, A5-C4 means row A, shelving section 5, shelf C, bin 4. A single code like this lets every employee find a part quickly and return it to the correct place.
5. Designate a Special-Order Shelf
To keep special-ordered parts easily identifiable – and to ensure they are not mistakenly used on another job — a shelf should be designated and labeled specially for them. This shelf can have special markings or colors, too, to ensure it is clear it’s for special orders only. Parts can also be tagged with a twist tag to note the vehicle number and Work Order ticket.
6. Designate a Warranty Shelf
Parts that are being replaced under warranty should be kept in a separate area. This will help staff know not to use them on other vehicles, and will help managers track what’s being covered versus what needs to be ordered new. Like the special-order items, these parts can also be tagged with a twist tag to note the vehicle number and Work Order ticket.
7. Label a Core Shelf
Parts rooms should have an area marked and labeled for return core parts. Staff members can make a note on each part to state when it is to be returned, and reference the Credit Purchase Order.
8. Create Clear, Descriptive Naming Conventions for Parts
Operations should determine a naming convention for all parts so items are labeled consistently. This will help when taking inventory, ordering new parts and looking for items in the parts room.
9. Use Barcodes
Attaching barcodes to parts bins and parts will help operations easily take inventory of what parts are in-stock. This will help staff members quickly locate parts, check what’s on-hand, and allow for employees to return unneeded parts to their correct designated places.
10. Take Inventory Regularly
Performing inventory regularly – monthly or quarterly – helps parts rooms better track what’s on-hand. It also helps rooms stay organized as any mislabeled or misplaced parts can be put back in their correct spots. Using barcodes and barcode tools can make the inventory process more efficient.
See how RTA’s parts inventory management tools, including barcoding, keep your parts room organized, or book a free demo.