Stores management of critical, repairable equipment is significantly more complex than managing commodities in a stockroom. Each individual item of critical equipment must be uniquely identified and tracked as it enters stores, is maintained in stores and removed from stores. Adding to the complexity of critical equipment stores is the fact that there are often multiple stores locations at the plant and offsite.

First, a piece of equipment must be received into stores. Often an incoming inspection and testing is performed to insure that the equipment to insure that the equipment entering stores meets the plant’s specification for repaired or new equipment. All incoming test and subsequent periodic inspections results must be recorded with the specific equipment ID.

Secondly, the equipment must be placed in an identifiable stores location. To accomplish this, the rack and bin arrangement for each storeroom must be defined. The equipment is moved into and out of these locations.



Some stored equipment must be maintained and tested on a routine interval. Tango™ provides the ability to define inspection tasks by equipment and it provides tasks lists for the executive of this work.

Once equipment is placed in stores, Tango™ provides the ability to search stores.

Tracking a component into and out of stores is facilitated in Tango™ with the Equipment Tracker (Figure 5). The barcoded ID page allows a stores clerk to scan the equipment into and out of stores. The equipment traveler may be printed by the repair shop from Repair Tracker ™ so that the traveler is on the equipment when it arrives at plant stores.

When a piece of equipment is removed from stores, the stores clerk usually knows the area of the plant receiving the equipment and the work order number. Upon removal from stores, the clerk may designate that the equipment has been moved to a production area defined in Tango™ as an anonymous location.