Maintenance, Repair & Operations

Repairs and Spares ― Part 2

Feb. 18, 2020

Tips for reducing a glut of spare parts

Mark Lamendola

How do you eliminate being “over-insured” with spare parts? Here are some tips:

Standardize parts that come in all shapes and sizes (e.g., lamps, indicators, alarms, meters, connectors, fuses, etc.). Having four pieces that can be used in 150 different places costs less than having 100 pieces to accomplish the same end.
Maximize predictive maintenance. It's very expensive to have spare motors, and not just because of their purchase cost. Storing them properly is also expensive. Bearing failure is a major cause of motor failure. Using ultrasonics, you can anticipate this failure months ahead of time and thus reduce or eliminate the need for spares.
Eliminate the typical root causes of failure. Rather than do root cause analysis after the proverbial horse got out of the barn, go after those causes before the damage occurs. You already know that bonding errors, voltage imbalance, transient voltages, and poor lubrication practices are often chief causes of failure. Eliminate these, and you eliminate maybe 50% of the need for spares.

About the Author

Mark Lamendola

Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.

Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.

Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.