MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Operations): maintenance and repair in digital logistics

26 November 2019

It is called MRO (acronym for “Maintenance, Repair and Operating“) and includes an entire series of activities that aim to guarantee the maintenance, repair and proper operation of equipment, machinery and resources that a company normally uses in their production process.

This refers to equipment that ranges from office supplies to cleaning products; from industrial tools such as valves, pumps and compressors, to lighting equipment; from installation maintenance materials like lubricants or sealants, to computers.

What companies must do, to better manage MRO operations

Some companies take care of these maintenance operations after the fact, and only when problems have occurred; others instead think preventively, based on estimates obtained by accurate monitoring procedures that allow them to foresee and “pre-empt” problems, nipping them in the bud.

In any case, having an organised system that allows you to keep track of and have full control of all the equipment needed to complete these operations can be fundamental to speeding up and making MRO process management more efficient, reducing downtime and also containing costs.

In order to work better, true professionals should always have the full picture of the situation and have available: a list of generally used resources to complete the MRO operations. But also all useful information to understand how long restocking those resources takes and which are already on hand in the warehouse, so running out of available resources can be avoided.

MRO operations that are handled inefficiently: what are the risks incurred

MRO procedures are often underestimated, but in reality they can have serious repercussions on normal company functioning, and if they are not used effectively, they can create several problems. The first one? Longer than expected Machine downtimes that risk stopping production, delaying delivery times and thus compromising end customer satisfaction.

When these operations are poorly managed, there can be a negative impact on different company areas and they can also generate unexpected extra expenses.

It is not just a matter of choosing the right tools and equipment to intervene with, it is also a question of managing these resources in the best way and storing them in an orderly manner, so that they are always ready when needed, and avoiding long downtimes.

This is where inventory comes into play.

Because optimal inventory management is fundamental to efficient MRO procedure management ends

Often the inability to plan and best organise maintenance and repair operations can risk completely paralysing the company. Improper inventory management can in fact cause delays in MRO performance and consequently production interruptions and slowdowns.

Only companies who can manage their inventories diligently will be able to act promptly.

To ensure that all MRO resources are available as and when required, you might find it useful to adopt systems and software that allows monitoring, managing and control of the inventory, but also provides a suitable space where the resources can be stored.

And here is where automatic vertical warehouses can really make a difference.

Automatic vertical warehouses: why choosing them to manage MRO procedures is worth it

If the aim is to make MRO procedures faster and more efficient, automatic vertical warehousing can be a great help.

By choosing automatic vertical warehouses not only do you use floor space intelligently, noticeably by reducing footprint, but you can also have full control of the status of the inventory, minimising resource supply times, facilitating your employees work and obtaining the highest levels of efficiency at the same time.

In order to best carry out all MRO procedures and avoid delays or even stoppages, it is essential that the tools, materials and products needed to perform these operations are placed in a way that is easily accessible, and Modula vertical warehouses can ensure all this.

Modula also has visual, intuitive and very easy to use aids available, to increase precision management of supplies and reduce the margin of error; these aids allow anyone, even operators that have no special skills, to rapidly identify the products to be removed from or replaced within the warehouse.

Why opt for automatic vertical warehouses: the main advantages of Modula

Designed to reduce footprint and make better use of available height, Modula automatic vertical warehouses let you stock all of the resources needed for MRO operations in one place, track their slightest movement and manage their reordering quickly and easily.

Because they can be customised, automatic vertical warehouses can easily adapt to various loads, heights and sizes, making them ideal for any sector.

But here are a few of their main advantages.

The greatest strength of Modula automatic vertical warehouses is that they let you recover up to 90% of the footprint used for storing products and goods by utilising the height of the building, up to 16 metres.

Modula warehouses let you manage picking operations by using the so-called “goods-to-man” principle that means operators do not have to move around: they wait for goods at a specific place instead of going from shelf to shelf to deposit or remove them, with the result they are less exposed to minor accidents and injuries.

In order to increase the level of security, the solutions designed by Modula also include the use of passwords and badges to limit entry to the warehouse, only allowing access to authorised employees; they can even limit access to certain drawers, which can only be opened if you have specific permission.

Another great advantage of automatic vertical warehouses is that they allow goods and products to be instantly identified, including the resources needed for MRO operations, thanks to the use of ad hoc programs and software.

Good resource management is also fundamental to performing fast, efficient MRO procedures. With automatic vertical warehouses, employees will also know stock levels in real time, allowing them to align the theoretical one with the real one. Because Modula warehouses use WMS software that allows, real time, warehouse management, with a PC interface, all products that enter and leave the warehouse can be tracked and the stock status can be constantly checked.

Want to know more?

Ask for a quotation for one of our vertical warehouses or simply tell us what it is you need. Our team of experts will be only too happy to help you find the most efficient solution to improving the performance of your warehouse.
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