Answering the What, Why, and How of Parts (Not Necessarily in That Order)

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BY ANN HALSNE

When I was first asked to lead the new parts distribution for Nuova Ricambi SRL, I was hesitant. Building a business from scratch with a small group who was entering the great unknown? Uhhh. Mayyybbeee. 😊 Then, like most journeys in life, there was a nudge and once I am all in, I am ALL in.

Parts Company 101

The WHAT is simple.  Sproparts sells parts. We do our best to manage stock for the US Market. We listen to the needs of the technicians. We carry the stock so they don’t have to carry everything around in their truck or carry the cost of high-cost parts that will rarely be used. Let us do that. We got you.

 The WHY is easy, too.  We really like humans (dogs too!)  Our core customers are technicians who need parts to fix and maintain equipment to keep the coffee flowing. This cycle of fix, break, repeat is, unfortunately, part of the process in coffee consumption. Every day, we get to talk to techs and end users, help them get what they need, listen to their field stories, revel in their successes, and rant with them over slow supply chains, high costs, stressed customers, bad traffic, and broken fittings. Being part of the process is rewarding. We are here to help the coffee community from the ground up. We exist to help. Period.

It’s the HOW that is sometimes tricky in this industry. I wish it were as easy as the great Brenna Worthen’s philosophy, “Parts come in, Parts go out.” At Sproparts, we are not technicians. Well, not traditional field technicians, anyway. Mechanical aptitude, the competitive need to find an answer, inventory management, and organization have helped Sproparts get to where we are today. Our parts business is growing because you are growing. We work with one-person tech shops, small company techs, as well as huge companies full of dispatching techs. Every business, every technician, has their own approach to business. We receive parts orders by email, phone calls, from third parties, voicemails, carrier pigeon (I DO hope for this one day). Some request will call-pick-up, some want a specific delivery carrier, and others just want the parts to show up.  Many PO’s have part numbers but, often, we are cross referencing numbers and descriptions. How do we do it?

  • Communication

Let me say this: sometimes I am speaking Iowan and the tech speaks English as a second language. But we have parts in common. We share descriptions and talk about what the part does and we work it out. It is invaluable to have this common language. Our coffee industry can speak Coffee. It is a testament to our industry’s flexibility and tolerance of differences. It is a breath of fresh air in a world that has had some major adversity lately. THANKS FOR SPEAKING COFFEE!!

  • Meeting Customer Needs

We meet the customers where they are.  You want an old school catalog? You bet. You want to call while you are stuck in traffic and rattle off an order? Ok! Really, the satisfaction of a customer walking into Sproparts with a dirty old broken o-ring is about as fun as anything. You run your business how it best suits you. We will adapt to meet your needs.

  • Agility and Precision

Our mentality will always be David and Goliath. We are small, so speed and agility is important. We love to get the uncommon part in stock before the customer needs it. When we hear about a need, we bring it in to the US. Sometimes we get stuck with it for a while, but we know that if one technician mentions needing it, there will be another searching for it as well. Sproparts calls this “clumping”. Next time, it’ll be in our warehouse and out the door for you and your customer. Getting the order precise is important. We want you to get what you EXPECT. There are many a gray area in parts, so we need to work together.

  • Lastly, and most importantly – LISTEN

    We have built our parts inventory around discussions with our local technicians. Without you, our parts stock wouldn’t be as precise. We want to fulfil complete orders. We want to have everything that everyone needs. Realistically, we know that isn’t possible, but we strive for it anyway and get as close as we can.

  • Bonus Parts tips for Technicians:

·       Organize: keep the bags with part numbers and descriptions written on them.

·       Reorder when your bags or bins are getting low – not when they run out.

·       Stock wear parts that are used in many different models:

o   Screens

o   Sirai Pressure stats

o   Vacuum breakers

o   Gaskets

o   Steam Valve Rebuild kits

·       Know what equipment your clients have on the bar. Keep a record/log of specific wear parts for those pieces of equipment.

·       Work with your parts distributor so they can stock a few infrequently used parts on your behalf.

·       Communicate clearly expected lead times, prices, and shipping preferences.

·       The same part may have a million different part numbers attached to it. For example, the 616597 Sirai pressure stat has all of these part #’s: 20150, L270 , A10170, 2231-116597, etc. (I can’t list all 50!). We can help cross reference between manufacturers numbers.

·       OEM is sometimes really important. Sometimes it is not. Balance price, longevity, quality, and how long the customer may be down.

·       If you don’t know (and there is so much to learn for all of us!) just ask. We can work on it together.

·        Human. Kind. Be Both.