{"id":1660,"date":"2026-03-27T03:39:48","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T03:39:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bulbthings.com\/blog\/?p=1660"},"modified":"2026-03-27T03:53:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T03:53:03","slug":"min-max-spare-parts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bulbthings.com\/blog\/min-max-spare-parts","title":{"rendered":"How to stop overbuying or running out of spare parts"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2><b>The \u201cspare parts trap\u201d most growing teams hit<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At first, spare parts are easy: you keep a small box of \u201cjust in case\u201d items and call it a day. Then the business grows, equipment count doubles, and suddenly you\u2019re either:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overbuying parts \u201cto be safe\u201d (cash tied up on shelves), or<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Running out at the worst time (downtime + urgent shipping)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A simple <a href=\"https:\/\/fleet.des.wa.gov\/Fleet\/help\/popups_rtf\/popups_min_max.htm\">min\/max<\/a> approach fixes both\u2014especially when your asset management software, asset tracking software, and CMMS are connected to the same equipment records.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>What \u201cmin\/max\u201d actually means (without the warehouse jargon)<\/b><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Minimum (min):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the lowest quantity you want on hand before you reorder.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Maximum (max):<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the quantity you want to have after reordering.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When stock drops to min, you reorder enough to reach max. That\u2019s it.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>How to pick min\/max numbers (a practical method)<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You don\u2019t need perfect math. You need \u201cgood enough\u201d that prevents drama.<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>Step 1: Start with your critical spares list<\/b><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Pick 10\u201320 parts that commonly cause downtime. Examples:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Belts, filters, batteries<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Printer rollers, scanner cables<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Common fasteners for a specific machine<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>Step 2: Use three inputs<\/b><\/h3>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Lead time:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> how long it takes to get the part delivered<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Usage rate:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> roughly how many you use per month<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Risk:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> how painful it is if you run out<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><b>Step 3: Set a starter rule of thumb<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Min<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> = 1\u20132 weeks of usage (or 1 unit if usage is low but critical)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Max<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> = 4\u20138 weeks of usage (unless it expires or you have storage limits)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Connect spares to the equipment they support<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is where a lot of teams lose time: parts exist in a separate spreadsheet with no obvious link to the machine. If you tie each spare part to the asset record, you unlock:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Faster troubleshooting (\u201cthis filter fits that unit\u201d)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cleaner purchasing (\u201cwe used 3 last month because that line is aging\u201d)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">More reliable planning in your CMMS (maintenance tasks can reserve parts)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Make it a habit: the monthly 20-minute parts review<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Once per month, do a quick review:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check which parts hit min (and why)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Adjust min\/max if usage changed<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Flag slow movers to stop buying them automatically<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><b>Where Bulbthings fits<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/bulbthings.com\/for-asset-inventory-tracking\"><strong>Bulbthings<\/strong><\/a> is an AI-powered, all\u2011in\u2011one asset management platform for growing businesses. It helps you keep equipment records and maintenance in one place (CMMS-style), while supporting asset tracking software workflows like locations and assignments\u2014so spare parts and the assets they support stay connected and easy to manage.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you want fewer \u201cwe\u2019re out of stock\u201d emergencies and less money stuck on shelves, try Bulbthings and set up simple min\/max rules tied to your equipment.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The \u201cspare parts trap\u201d most growing teams hit At first, spare parts are easy: you keep a small box of \u201cjust in case\u201d items and call it a day. Then the business grows, equipment count doubles, and suddenly you\u2019re either: Overbuying parts \u201cto be safe\u201d (cash tied up on shelves), or Running out at the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1660","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Min\/Max Spare Parts for Maintenance Teams | CMMS + Tracking<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Set simple min\/max rules for spares, link parts to equipment, and reduce downtime. 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