Availability is the key to business success
Despite high margins and direct customer access, the potential of the aftermarket in the German industry is still underestimated - especially in comparison to the USA. While many programs focus on production and efficiency, spare parts business and availability often remain unused as profit levers.
Unplanned downtime already puts the customer under pressure – e.g. when a car suddenly ends up in the workshop and restricts mobility, or when a truck breakdown causes immediate sales losses for a company. In agriculture defective agricultural machinery can even jeopardize entire harvests. Similar challenges can also be found in the aerospace, mechanical engineering, defense and rail transport sectors.
It is precisely at these critical moments that the rapid delivery of spare parts becomes a decisive measure to limit damage. If the required part is not available at short notice, the dissatisfied customer quickly loses confidence and looks to a competitor. This means that spare parts availability not only determines customer satisfaction, but also has a direct impact on sales - delivering the right part at the right time secures the order and promotes long-term customer loyalty.
At the same time suppliers in the aftermarket operate in a field of tension between service, costs and inventories. Maximum delivery capability is expected, but every additional part held in stock increases capital commitment and the risk of excess stock. Wide product ranges are essential to meet demand but quickly lead to inefficient warehouse structures. And traditional forecast models are reaching their limits: While seasonal effects and typical failure patterns are known, the demand for spare parts ultimately remains volatile and can only be predicted to a limited extent. If you don't take targeted action here, you either have too much stock or the wrong stock - both of which cost sales and profitability.
More turnover, less capital tied up
Our experience shows: Unavailable parts mean lost sales. But instead of just optimizing inventory figures, we take a holistic view of the financial impact. Our data-driven analysis compares two scenarios:
- Material available → The customer orders, sales are realized. Demand is significantly higher for time-critical spare parts in particular. If the required part is available immediately or the next day, the customer places the order directly - the probability that the order will remain with the supplier is high.
- Material not available → The customer avoids the product, sales are lost. In practice, it has been shown that customers do not wait if there is no short-term availability but actively look for alternatives. If the spare part cannot be delivered in the shortest possible time, it is often ordered from another supplier - with an immediate loss of sales for the original supplier.
Practice proves the relevance: Companies that work with our approach have been able to increase their sales by at least 17 %, while at the same time reducing their inventories in relation to sales – the result is a direct improvement in return on investment. But how does this work?
Data-driven optimization - from analysis to implementation
We rely on a structured approach based on valid data and practical simulations. Our approach includes:
- Sound business cases: Clear financial effects make the added value transparent.
- Simulation of various scenarios: We calculate which strategy offers the optimum balance between availability and capital commitment.
- Dynamic inventory strategies: Instead of rigid stockpiling, we develop adaptive solutions that are geared towards real needs.
- Seamless integration into existing systems: Our plug-and-play tool uses existing data sources and allows flexible control.
- Accompanied implementation: We ensure sustainable anchoring and measurable results.
Your advantage: Increase top line, improve delivery performance, optimize stocks
With our solution, you not only increase your sales potential, but also optimize your capital commitment. A higher delivery capacity reduces lost sales, improves customer satisfaction and strengthens long-term customer loyalty. At the same time, smart inventory strategies enable efficient warehousing, which avoids tying up capital unnecessarily and reduces costs.
Rely on data-driven decisions to sustainably improve your aftermarket performance. Let's take your spare parts business to the next level together - for more sales, less capital commitment and maximum competitiveness.
