A practical routine for repair parts inventory.

Give each part a clear identity

Start with the parts your bench reaches for most often. Use a consistent name, an internal SKU and a shelf or bin location for each item. Similar-looking screens, batteries and connectors need enough detail to distinguish their model, version or compatibility. Keep supplier references separate when they differ from your own SKU.

Choose a naming pattern the whole team can follow. A readable label is more useful than an elaborate code that only one person understands. Place the label on the bin as well as the stock record, and separate items that are easy to confuse.

• Use one internal SKU for each distinct item.
• Record model and compatibility details your bench needs.
• Give the item a labelled shelf or bin.

Receive parts before they reach the shelf

When a delivery arrives, compare what is actually in the box with the order. Count units, check item identities and note damaged or missing items before changing stock quantities. Keep uncertain or faulty stock apart from parts ready for use so it is not picked accidentally.

Record the received quantity once, then put the parts in their assigned location. If several people can receive deliveries, make ownership explicit. A box left by the counter with no receiving note can become either missing stock or stock counted twice.

• Match the delivery to the correct order and SKU.
• Count usable units and set exceptions aside.
• Record the quantity received and who checked it.
• Put accepted stock in its labelled location.

Connect parts usage to the job

When a technician takes a part, record which repair it is for using the shop's normal stock process. Do this close to the movement, while the details are clear. A pile of empty packaging at closing time is a difficult way to reconstruct which parts went into which devices.

Agree how your team handles a part that was picked but not used, a faulty new part or an item waiting to be returned. These movements are different from a completed repair. Do not silently put a questionable part back into the ready-to-use bin.

• Record parts used against the relevant ticket.
• Keep unused, faulty and return stock distinguishable.
• Record corrections with a clear reason.

Count a small, useful group regularly

Choose a manageable group of frequently used or easily confused parts for a regular physical count. Count the shelf first, compare it with the record and investigate differences. Check recent deliveries, repair usage and returns before making an adjustment. The aim is an explainable quantity, not simply making two numbers match.

Record what you counted and any correction made. Repeated differences on the same SKU are a signal to inspect the handling routine or bin labels, rather than asking staff to remember more carefully.

• Choose a small group of priority SKUs.
• Compare physical quantities with recorded quantities.
• Investigate differences before adjusting the record.

Make reordering a review, not a guess

Review low-stock items alongside the jobs waiting for parts and orders already placed. Set practical minimum quantities using your own usage and supplier lead times; a slow-moving specialist part may need a different rule from a common battery. Assign one person to decide what to order and record the decision so another shift does not duplicate it.

• Check low stock and repairs waiting for parts.
• Review incoming orders before buying again.
• Give each reorder decision a clear owner.