How to control spare parts held by repair partners
Agree who owns each part and when it becomes chargeable. Record every movement against a named holder, then link fitted parts to customer jobs. Replenish from confirmed usage and reconcile unused, faulty and missing stock separately. Use this control brief when discussing factory support with Cambridge China Bridge.
Agree ownership and responsibility before dispatch
Write a stock-holding agreement for each repair partner and visiting engineer. State whether parts remain your stock or are purchased by the partner, the agreed event that triggers charging, and who approves adjustments. Agree responsibility for storage damage, loss, insurance, return freight and stock recovery when the arrangement ends.
Separate ownership from custody in the stock record. Name the owner, partner, technician and physical location, including van stock. Define approved users and prohibit unrecorded transfers between engineers. Use the spare-parts planning guide for factory availability; this agreement controls what happens after parts reach your service network.
Record technician issues as transfers
Give each part a stable code and record its revision, compatible models and batch or serial reference where available. Agree these identifiers in the product specification. Keep usable, reserved and quarantined parts visibly separate, both on the shelf and in the stock record.
For every issue to a technician, record the date, quantity, issuing location, receiving holder and acknowledgement. Moving a part into a van changes its location; record fitting separately. For urgent issues, use a temporary movement record and nominate someone to enter it into the shared register. Record transfers between technicians in the same way.
Close each customer job with a parts outcome
Use a customer-job reference to connect the technician’s issue record to the equipment model, equipment serial reference, fault reported and work completed. Record the quantity actually fitted and its batch or serial reference. A job reference can identify the customer without copying their contact details into every stock movement.
Before closing the job, classify the remaining issued parts as unused, faulty before fitting, damaged during work or retained for an approved follow-up visit. Record removed components separately from replacement stock, with an agreed return or disposal instruction. Keep diagnostic swaps distinct from confirmed consumption so that repeat visits do not inflate demand.
Replenish from usable stock and confirmed demand
Set replenishment triggers by part and location using confirmed fitting history, booked jobs, delivery uncertainty and the consequence of being unable to repair. Review slow-moving parts and obsolete revisions alongside shortages. Exclude quarantined stock from the usable balance and show stock in transit separately until receipt is confirmed.
Ask partners to submit a stock balance and unresolved job list with each replenishment request. Compare the request with confirmed consumption and approved reservations before releasing stock. Agree compatible substitutions with the factory and service team before dispatch. For screen and battery grading, use the phone repair parts guide rather than treating similar descriptions as interchangeable.
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Reconcile returns, faults and stock differences
At an agreed review interval, compare the physical count with opening stock plus receipts, less fitted parts and outward returns, adjusted for recorded transfers and approved write-offs. Investigate differences by holder, part and job. Accept unused returns into usable stock only after checking identity, condition and packaging. Keep faulty returns quarantined with fault notes, photographs and factory claim references; track replacement receipts and credits separately.
Give someone authority to approve each adjustment and retain its reason. At partner exit or engineer handover, reconcile outstanding jobs, stock and claims before signing off. For disposal, UK government guidance requires enough information to help the receiving business handle and dispose of waste safely. Attach the relevant disposal record to the stock write-off; do not treat a factory claim as proof of disposal.
Frequently asked questions
Who owns spare parts held by a repair partner?
Agree this before dispatch. Record the owner separately from the holder and specify the event that triggers a sale or charge, together with responsibility for loss, damage and returns.
Should issuing a part to an engineer count as usage?
Record it as a transfer to the engineer. Record consumption when fitting is confirmed against a customer job, and give unused or faulty parts their own outcome.
When should we replenish engineers’ van stock?
Use confirmed fitting history, booked jobs and the usable balance. Check unresolved issues and stock in transit before approving a request; exclude quarantined parts from available stock.
How do we reconcile faulty and unused spare parts?
Match returns to the original issue and job. Check unused parts before restocking; quarantine faults. Reconcile physical stock separately from factory credits, replacement receipts and approved write-offs.