RS South Africa has spent over 80 years aggregating suppliers using technology and services to over a million suppliers globally.
“Customers approach us with their specific pain points, and we look at what solutions we can offer in terms of an overall plan or strategy,” explains Craig Henry, MRO business development and value-added solutions manager at RS South Africa.
Here maintenance, repair, and operations (MRO) is key to the seamless functioning of supply chains across a range of industries, from equipment and machinery to the processes essential for a company’s daily operations. The efficiency of MRO significantly impacts maintenance planning, operational costs, and overall supply chain efficiency.
Managing MRO activities presents many challenges for companies, from inventory optimisation to procurement complexities, and effective maintenance planning. If unaddressed, these challenges can lead to disruptions in the supply chain, affecting productivity and incurring unnecessary costs, highlights Paul Nash, corporate accounts manager, RS South Africa.
Key to supply chain management is identifying reliable suppliers, a critical focus for quality MRO. Another factor is data management, from inventory levels to procurement information and maintenance records. “Planning and scheduling maintenance is an important area a company must focus on,” advises Nash.
Technology is transforming MRO operations, offering innovative solutions to traditional challenges. It includes the Industrial Internet of Things, predictive maintenance algorithms, and automation and digitilisation. Meanwhile, the introduction of AI and blockchain on the supply chain side is assisting with traceability.
‘Smart’ contracts are another trend, whereby customers comprehend the value that a stakeholder and partner can add to their businesses. The traditional 12-month contract is a thing of the past, with companies now requiring a three- to five-year optimisation plan to be rolled out to cut costs over the long term.
Asset tracking is equally important, with customers switching to robotics in certain applications, as part of the overall trend towards automation. Even 3D printing now presents customers with another tool in their arsenal to secure critical components quickly and conveniently.
“Make sure your objectives and goals are clearly defined. Prioritise what is going in first, and what is most compatible. Key stakeholders are crucial. If you do not have their buy-in, any strategy is unlikely to take off properly,” concludes Henry.
Large-format table top enclosures RS South Africa
Enclosures, Racks, Cabinets & Panel Products
The COMMUNITEC enclosure range from OKW is ideal for housing large-format electronic assemblies in an elegant, modern, design-oriented package. A key feature is the recessed handle concealed behind the operating panel, which allows the units to be carried comfortably and provides greater flexibility in use.
Read more...Women and the future of engineering in South Africa
Editor's Choice
With women making up just 16% of registered engineering professionals in South Africa, AvenirHoldings CEO, Tshidi Mndzebele, is calling on women engineers and graduates to pursue formal professional registration as a key step to unlocking career growth and industry leadership.
Read more...The effect of seasonal changes on ESD performance in South Africa Actum
Editor's Choice Circuit & System Protection Manufacturing / Production Technology, Hardware & Services
Electrostatic discharge performance is influenced by several environmental factors, with relative humidity being one of the most important. This is particularly relevant in South Africa, where seasonal changes can result in significant differences in humidity levels.
Read more...Compact RTK design: More than just the receiver iCorp Technologies
Editor's Choice Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
In practice, engineers building compact RTK products keep discovering the same thing: the hardest component in the system is no longer the receiver. It is the antenna.
Read more...The signal-to-noise challenge in large-scale IIoT Sigfox South Africa
Editor's Choice Telecoms, Datacoms, Wireless, IoT
For much of the last decade, the industrial IoT industry has been driven by a relatively simple assumption: if a little data is useful, more data must be better. That thinking shaped countless deployments.
Read more...Women building South Africa’s power infrastructure
Editor's Choice
As South Africa celebrates Women’s Month in August, women are increasingly taking their place on the factory floor, in technical workshops and across engineering environments, helping manufacture the infrastructure that keeps the country’s electricity network running.
Read more...More efficient production with optimised procurement
Editor's Choice
The smallest part on the BOM is usually the one that holds it up. Interconnect, passive and electromechanical components rarely get attention until they are missing. That is starting to change, and it is reshaping how procurement teams think about risk.
Read more...Procurement is becoming a competitive advantage RS South Africa
News
As mining, manufacturing and industrial businesses continue to navigate rising costs, supply chain disruption and increasing pressure to improve operational performance, procurement and inventory management have become strategic business priorities rather than simply administrative functions.
Read more...Locate underground cable faults faster with the Fluke AF2082 A-Frame Comtest
Editor's Choice Test & Measurement
Underground cable faults can lead to costly downtime, service disruptions, and extensive excavation if the fault location is uncertain. The AF2082 simplifies this process by guiding operators directly to the fault point.
Read more...Here is what we learnt from three supply chain crises Seven Labs Technology
Editor's Choice
Component crises are not random events. They follow a pattern. After fifteen years and three major disruptions, Seven Labs knows exactly what that pattern demands, and what it takes to keep production lines moving.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information contained herein, the publisher and its agents cannot be held responsible for any errors contained, or any loss incurred as a result. Articles published do not necessarily reflect the views of the publishers. The editor reserves the right to alter or cut copy. Articles submitted are deemed to have been cleared for publication. Advertisements and company contact details are published as provided by the advertiser. Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd cannot be held responsible for the accuracy or veracity of supplied material.
printer friendly version