Nowadays there is considerable complexity in maintenance areas to keep fleets in optimal condition, especially regarding repairs, due to delays that may occur in the workshop, either due to lack of components or qualified labor.
Fernando Noriega, general director at Idealease Mexico, shares that there are three main reasons why a truck may be stopped: lack of spare parts, shortage of technical talent for repairs, and diagnostic failure, mainly derived from technology in the units.
“In 80% of cases, trucks are stopped due to lack of a spare part. Due to the growth the trucking industry is experiencing worldwide, the aftersales part has been neglected. Technology is changing so rapidly that it’s difficult to quickly follow up on spare parts, and if there’s an epidemic of a certain spare part, it can’t be found. Another factor is that plants cannot grow fast enough to produce the necessary spare parts,” Noriega detailed in an interview with T21.
Taking this into account, it is necessary to have a balance between the inventory as working capital in spare parts and what the supplier and manufacturer must have in stock. In Noriega’s opinion, this is an important issue since despite technology and managing fill rates (service level) of 90%, the remaining 10% can cause significant delays in repairs.
One of the strategies Idealease has implemented to avoid complications is communication with manufacturers and maintaining a healthy inventory. “For consumables and spare parts that will be used over a year, we try to have sufficient inventory. Another strategy is to use remanufactured parts, and in some cases, we already start remanufacturing some (original) spare parts,” detailed the Idealease representative.
According to Noriega, this strategy should be the industry standard to avoid over-inventorying. However, this balance must also be based on the information generated by the truck itself, so it is important to know the “health” of the fleet and anticipate the parts that will be necessary in the short, medium, and long term.
Refurbishment for electric vehicles
While the incorporation of electric vehicles into fleets for the transportation of goods and merchandise in the country is in its early stages, it is essential to plan for the spare parts that these types of units will require in the future.
In this regard, the general director at Idealease Mexico pointed out that the complexity of electric vehicles is an issue that must be addressed, as while spare parts related to the engine are eliminated in these units, other components are incorporated, for example, cooling systems.
“In reality, we don’t know how much the electric vehicle will fail because we don’t have the experience; along the way, we are learning, and we will have to have the right balance, although it is said that these units have 30% fewer moving components. However, to replace the combustion engine, different components are used that can also fail and are not necessarily considered in the spare parts scheme. That’s why we will have to pay close attention to the enfant care (spare parts necessary for the care of electric vehicles) in the launch of new products,” he affirmed.
