How to Efficiently Offer Spare Parts to Your Customers


Spare parts are both a hindrance and a necessity for many businesses and their customers. Because maintaining a spare parts inventory has historically been a problem for suppliers and other companies, many of them are hesitant to manufacture them. Not only are spare parts costly to manufacturer and store, they are often so rarely ordered that the benefits of having them in-house don't seem to outweigh the disadvantages of doing so.

The New Future of Spare Parts
With the rise in innovative manufacturing techniques like additive manufacturing that provide a complementary base of services alongside CNC manufacturing, sheet metal prototyping, plastic injection molding and more have changed the landscape of spare parts. No longer is the only course of action to maintain an inventory of spare parts in stock if a company wants to offer them to their customers. These services provide nearly any company with access to parts of any type -- from the most basic to complex geometries.

Establishing a Solution for Spare Parts
For most companies, spare parts pose unique challenges. They are typically comprised of numerous parts that are unique in a number of ways. In addition, over the course of time, some of these parts, materials or production methods likely become updated while others are phased out as new generations come are integrated into the market. This often results in a trade-off for a company between the costs of maintaining spare parts that are likely to become obsolete and providing the ability for the customer to replace parts if needed.

On-Demand Manufacturing Provides a Viable Spare Parts Solution
The rise in the on-demand manufacturing sector and its ability to produce spec parts quickly and accurately offers several advantages for companies who are challenged by the spare parts dilemma. This enables a business to sharply reduce the size of their spare parts inventory or to even eliminate it entirely. Because digital files are used, the ability to produce updated designs with new materials and/or production methods is easy to implement without a significant increase in cost.

Determining if Your Business Can Benefit From On-Demand Manufacturing
An analysis of your current strategy of handling spare parts compared to the costs of outsourcing them on an as-needed basis is needed. Don't forget to factor in values for when a customer inquires about a spare part and there are none available. Is this customer then lost to a competitor that provides this service? For many companies, outsourcing the on-demand manufacture of spare parts is more cost-effective than purchasing the equipment and paying the staff to complete this in-house.


When you're looking for a company that offers on-demand manufacturing to meet the needs of your customers, such as those who need spare parts, consider their capabilities, turnaround time and experience. At 3ERP, we have more than 11 years in the industry with over 26,560 projects delivered to 426 satisfied customers. Our cutting-edge services, precise attention to detail, around-the-clock customer service and quick turnaround times ensure that you can meet your customers' demands for spare parts efficiently and at a cost savings. 

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