We Need to Talk… about Spares
I
n this digital age, dialling a number
and putting a phone to your ear can
seem antiquated. Why talk, when the
internet has all the answers, right? But,
David Lenehan of global spare parts
and repairs provider Northern Industrial
argues, sometimes Google is not all-
knowing – especially in a complex
breakdown situation.
When you’ve had a breakdown, chances
are you’re super stressed. The downtime
money clock is ticking. You think you’ve
worked out the spare part that you need,
but you don’t have one in stock. Worse
still your kit has been declared obsolete
by the OEM. You type the part number
into Google and cross your fingers. The
6
dots spin on the screen. You wait a few
more painful milliseconds. Google says
“no”. And the world stops. This isn’t how
it’s supposed to be. is no Google. So he picks up the phone
and calls a trusted spare parts supplier.
They talk briefly about the weather and
the stresses of downtime.
Alternatively, Google says “yes”. But
also reveals that everyone else on the
planet who owns the same machine
as you has already been onto Google
about this self-same part. Meaning it
has effectively become gold dust. The
downtime money clock keeps ticking.
You weigh up your single option. Click.
Buy. Ouch. Then the supplier asks him a few
questions back.
Somewhere in the multiverse, another
version of you has the exact same
problem. In his universe though, there
Can you describe the fault? What is the
machine? What is the issue? What make
and model of PLC or drive is showing the
fault?
The multiverse you does not mutter
about wasted time and demand an
engineer be despatched immediately
because every second of downtime is
costing him money.