Parts Naming and Organization

Hi ​@mmaka, thank you for reaching out to the community! Here are a few simple recommendations:

Name parts the way your techs say them out loud. If they call it a "fuel filter," name it "Fuel Filter - Ford F150 - 5.0L." If they have to guess the name to find it, the system is already working against them.

Use this simple format: What it is - Where it goes - Size/Spec
Example: "Belt - Conveyor B - 42in"

Keep it consistent from day one. Before you import anything, agree on your format as a team. Changing names later is painful.

Set up your locations. Create a "Parts Storage" parent location with your storeroom areas in the hierarchy below it (Shelf A, Bin 3, etc.). Assign every part to its spot. This is what makes parts actually findable. If you are on the Enterprise plan, multi-location parts lets a single part live in multiple storerooms so techs find it instantly.

A few quick rules:
- No abbreviations only you understand
- Always include the size or spec
- One part = one name (no duplicates)

Hope this helps get you started!

This is interesting as I use an ERP system which has a part code ( the code as “we” know it not necessarily a vendor code), a name and a description, a type, stockable/non stockable, etc.  In terms of location, the stockable parts are within locators within subinventories, so the recommendation from Jessica makes sense to me.  Mark        

We do it slightly different. We are forcing the use of the manufacturers/vendors name, trade names etc, followed by the relevant information and specs. In our environment if you asked six mechanics what something is called you will get different answers. This is also incorporated into training. Knowing exactly what something is helps them understand how to find it whether in MaintainX or on the internet. Classic example is one mechanic refers to every solenoid valve as a “Mac Valve”. We use a lot of industrial sensors and it’s quite a challenge to understand that even though many sensors look alike, connect with the same style cables they don’t function the same and are not interchangeable. I want them to know the correct terminology. Take the time to look at the documentation for your parts. Lastly it’s great you recognize the need to standardize. As you progress you might find that some hardware is being duplicated, or close enough to being duplicated that you can standardize on one part a reduce your inventory sku’s. One of my early mistakes with MaintainX was letting the team add parts on their own. Having a plan, training to the plan and auditing the plan will leave you with an inventory you can trust and most can understand.