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NCRWA.COM|
Spring 2016
feature
M
By David Wheat
David is the materials manager at Krausz USA in Ocala, FL.
anaging water pipe clamps and couplings
inventory is an issue that all water municipalities
need to control. With a small inventory,
municipalities can save on space and money
but if there is a hitch with deliveries or a sudden
spike in demand, installers won’t have what
they need for repairs. Municipalities often have
tight budgets, meaning that a larger inventory
to better supply clamps and couplings is not
an option. This is especially true in smaller
municipalities where the amount of space for
inventory can be very tight.
This balancing act between cost and space can
be tricky but with these five tips, municipalities
can ensure they have the repair products they
need while keeping storage costs down.
1
Evaluate how much stock is needed
throughout the year
Before deciding on how much inventory you
need, take a careful look at the demand for
repair products and when they are used most
frequently. Look at your orders over the
course of the last three or four years. Do you
notice periods when the demand for certain
clamps or couplings is high, and other periods
when it’s low?
See if you can manage inventory based on past
records and decide which products should be
in high supply and which ones can be lower. In
addition, knowing the size and types of pipes
that are in the ground can help predict what kind
of repair tools to store.
2
Use repair products that can be
used in a number of applications
If you store clamps and couplings that can be
used in a number of applications, then you don’t
need to keep as many repair products in stock
and space is reduced. There are products on the
market that offer full transition couplings that
will fit pipes of varying types and sizes within
your water or wastewater infrastructure. There
are also products that have the versatility to
either join or repair pipes.
These space savings are significant as one
of these products can take the place of three
traditional ones given its capacity to be used on
a variety of pipes and repair situations.
Effectively
Managing
Inventory Space and Costs