Parts, when you need them, where you need them

Article via Cranes & Lifting Magazine

Aaron Gedge, TRT Australia’s Parts Manager and his team are challenged with a complex process of managing parts for various leading brands and numerous types of equipment. With ‘Innovation in TRT’s DNA’, the team supports the growing population of cranes throughout the region.

Aaron has been TRT Australia’s Parts Manager for three years but he has a depth of experience with other OEMs of Off Highway equipment.

“When I first was approached for the role, I dove straight in. I’ve known Troy Hand (TRT Australia’s National Sales Manager), for some time and I was aware of the OEM range represented by TRT. I thought it was a great opportunity to work for an Australasian company pushing into the manufacturing space of new and innovative machinery and was thrilled to start with TRT,” he said.

Aaron introduces the spare parts team and explains how they manage the dynamic tasks of ensuring parts are available when and where they need to be.

“We’ve brought together a comparatively new team which includes a mix of youth and experience. It features Louis Wong, a seasoned campaigner who’s been around the traps within heavy industry and he’s been a great find with a wealth of experience. We also have Limalei O’Brien and although she’s young, she’s no rookie. She has really taken to supporting heavy machinery quite readily, and we have Kassie Webb, our Storesperson. Between the three of them, and with me in support, we can get through and execute our strategies well,” said Aaron.

With the team supporting TRT products, including the TIDD pick and carry range, as well as the TRT trailers, Kobelco and Manitowoc ranges, Aaron explains how they manage the availability and turnaround of parts.

“Our strategy can be summed up in one word, ‘OUTSERVE’,” he said. “We are focused on ‘over delivering’ or ‘OUTSERVING’ our customers’ requirements when it comes to service and parts availability. We are very aware of working in a ‘credible spares space’ and we understand customers expect their parts when and where they are needed.

“Supporting a number of brands, each with a vast array of models, is complicated and we are very busy, but we always strive to ensure that all orders are closed out ASAP. We give ourselves a guideline of processing an order within one working day, but we do understand that it’s not always possible.

“We always make sure we are communicating with the customer, they know it’s a person not a bot reading the email, acknowledging the order, working on it and checking on its progress. That’s not just the sale of the part but includes an after sale follow-up. We’re focused on expediting the order, checking lead times and generally working towards fulfilling the client’s expectations.”

Aaron goes on to explain how the team manages the replenishment of parts to ensure they are readily available when required.

“With our spare parts holding, we set our restocking levels quite aggressively and we review usage data regularly. This can be reactive, so it’s only one of several approaches that we employ to ensure that we’ve got maximum coverage in terms of parts availability. We also capture and review our machine population, so we know which machines are out there in the field, where they are located and how hard they are working.

“We look for crossover parts which we order preemptively. We will go through the entire Grove population for example, and look at the common items, which could include drive shafts, winch ropes or the cab’s window. We identify items that would present as being a problem to freight quickly, and we do our best to ensure that if it’s a well-utilised machine, we’ll actually take the plunge and get that part on the shelf, even though it might not have ‘turned’ as often as we needed it to.

“We also work closely with Troy and the sales team to understand which machines are being sold and when they are going to be in the field. We then look at the list of fast-moving parts like filters, to ensure we have the right levels of stock for when the machines arrive. This enables us to get ahead of the curve where we can,” said Aaron.

“We also work closely with the service team. This currently involves having a better understanding of the recent changes to the Australian Design Rules, and what they are going to mean to emissions, changes around the engine and the powertrain. They provide a ‘heads-up’ and we’ll determine which critical spares we need on the shelf.”

Aaron and his team are faced with significant logistical challenges given TRT’s Service Team of 22 covers the Australasian region including Papua New Guinea.

“Our 22-strong service team includes seven field technicians and they are all focused on making sure our customers are front of mind, and that we’re always ready to service their requirements,” he said. “Our team operates Australasia-wide, we’ve had guys in Indonesia, and we always have a technician in Papua New Guinea.

“We find our machines operating in far-off regions and we are prepared to provide the required levels of support for these machines with our ‘OUTSERVE strategy’.”

Aaron goes on to explain how the inventory processes are managed and how the parts replenishment process works.

“We recently made a significant investment in a new inventory control system called Pronto and we’re really leveraging that, looking at all the different sorts of usage, including workshop usage and front counter sales. We can see which parts are moving quickly and make sure these are automatically replenished,” he said.

“When it comes to major projects and special requirements like major inspections, all the parts are generally booked well in advance, and this includes the space in the workshop and the required labour for the project. As best we can, we go through the requirements and prepare for the customer and order as much as we can in terms of parts at the front-end of the project,” he said.

“Of course, from time to time, unforeseen issues arise, and we don’t have a particular part available. In these instances, we will work with our suppliers and leverage our extensive network to get the part to the project as soon as possible.

“We have direct communication with colleagues in the German, US and Japanese factories, so we can normally get a quote for the part and the freight cost to the customer and have the part on its way within a day. The key is communication. We are always going back to our customers with updates and holding the supplier accountable to their delivery promise.”