Applying SMI will provide more searchable MRO materials, reducing the challenge and clutter of weak and indeterminate material masters. Your Maintenance and Supply chain business processes run better simply by removing the ongoing fog of indeterminate MRO material identities. If your asset intensive business (Oil & Gas, Pipelines, Utilities, Mining, Process Industry) has at least mid-size scale, the operations waste reduction savings are likely measured in the millions of dollars annually.

This problem has been lurking, frustrating users and wasting time and money since the advent of enterprise business systems. But it sits in its own fog and is hidden by cross functional silos.

If you don’t know if your company has a weak MRO material identity problem, simply ask some maintenance planners. Do you have a problem with squirrel pile off book stocks increasing your O&M costs? Then you almost certainly have a weak MRO material identity problem.

The “how to” short story is you apply the taxonomy to your MRO materials. The templates include descriptions, key specs and MPNs. Finally compare and find the duplicate records previously invisible.

If you implemented a master data management software, the SMI taxonomy is the missing piece where the software vendor said, “our system can implement any data quality rules you want”. If you do not have an MDM system, the SMI taxonomy can be applied, and the records updated by mass maintenance. Either way the quality and utility of your MRO material master records improves.

The call to action here is ‘Go see if you are suffering from weak MRO material identities?’

SPC Results, can guide you.