The waiting game in IT hardware maintenance

As an IT professional, dealing with hardware maintenance can be a race against time. It starts when a critical piece of equipment fails unexpectedly. You immediately reach out to your maintenance provider, only to find out the specific part you need isn’t available. As you wait for them to procure and deliver the part, the problems start to multiply, disrupting your organisation’s operations.

The situation becomes even more complicated when your IT systems are spread across different locations. In this blog, we’re diving into the intricate problem of part availability, examining its causes, and exploring potential solutions to combat it.

Unravelling the delay: The complex web of supply chains and logistics

The primary issue with delays doesn’t just stem from the multitude of global suppliers, manufacturers, and distributors in the IT hardware parts supply chain. These complexities are just the tip of the iceberg. What lies beneath the surface is a deeper problem – the lack of readily available parts at the local level.

This issue is attributed to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) often not having local storage facilities. Maintaining such inventories is deemed inefficient by these companies, primarily due to high costs and management overheads. This lack of local parts availability means that even the slightest disruptions on a global or local scale can significantly slow down the delivery of essential components, exacerbating the problem.

Geographical challenges: Farther the parts, the greater the trouble

Part delays intensify business disruption, particularly when they need to come from afar. Consider a scenario where a retail chain in regional Australia experiences a critical server failure. The essential replacement part is, however, in an OEM warehouse in Singapore.

Starting with long waiting times over the phone to escalate the issue with the OEM, the time consumed to then identify the issue, source the part, and then ship it across the continents isn’t merely inconvenient — it poses a significant threat to business continuity. The issue worsens when the part needs to be transported from Sydney to a regional location, leading to additional delays and wasted man-hours.

The domino effect on operations and finances

The ripple effects of these delays are substantial. When a crucial piece of hardware fails, everything grinds to a halt, and the financial losses begin to mount. Every minute without the part worsens the situation, affecting customer satisfaction, operational efficiency, and financial health.

A manufacturer can lose $22,000 per minute when production stops, and unplanned downtime can cost industrial manufacturers up to $50 billion every year. If you’re an IT professional, these are the numbers you dread. The significant repercussions of a typical downtime include:

• Escalating labour costs
• Production losses
• Reduced revenues and squeezed profit margins

Evolving solutions: The future of IT hardware maintenance

In the face of these challenges, a proactive approach is essential. This includes strategic planning, effective logistics management, and maintaining a ready inventory of spare parts. The speed at which you react can also be a game-changer when issues arise, aiding your business and alleviating stress for your IT teams. 

Here’s the good news: The IT maintenance industry is constantly evolving, aiming to make solutions more accessible no matter where the problem arises. With the right solutions and a partner understanding your unique needs, the waiting game in hardware maintenance could become a thing of the past.

Partnering with Interactive

We are the people behind the technology. We help organisations reach their full technology potential and transform. Interactive is a technology solutions provider across Australia and New Zealand providing services across three core capabilities: cloud, cyber and systems.

• Proudly Australian: Locally owned, operated, globally partnered.
• Customised engagements: Solutions tailored for every client.
• Guaranteed availability:100% of your parts procured and in stock.
• Unmatched coverage: 85+ warehouses across Australia and New Zealand.
• Specialist care: Support for any device, including end-of-service-life devices.
• Rapid repairs: Swift service guaranteed via SLAs (e.g., 2 hrs on site with the part), 96% of issues fixed on the first visit.
• Trusted by giants: Partner of renowned brands like McDonald’s and Telstra.
• Consolidated support: Single contract for all vendors, leading to cost savings.