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bedfordone
Active Member

USA
47 Posts

Posted - 02/14/2017 :  12:14:17 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Is anyone out there using barcode's for parts inventory. If so do you like the system? What company are you using? Is it compatible to your parts inventory program? How long did it take, to get up and running? Is there anything you would do differently? Any and all advice would be welcome as head down this dimly lit hallway!!

Thanks, Brian

Edited by - bedfordone on 02/14/2017 12:31:07 PM

Thomasbus24
Administrator

USA
4544 Posts

Posted - 02/15/2017 :  04:21:31 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Great topic! I'm just getting started with ServiceFinder (TransFinder's bus maintenance package) which has this ability. I've been curious if anyone has gone to bar coding.
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RonF
Top Member

867 Posts

Posted - 02/15/2017 :  04:51:29 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Fleetvision, a part of VersaTrans has the capability and one day I want to incorporate into our shop.

US Army retired CMBT
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BigPapa
Advanced Member

215 Posts

Posted - 02/15/2017 :  05:35:00 AM  Show Profile  Visit BigPapa's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by RonF

Fleetvision, a part of VersaTrans has the capability and one day I want to incorporate into our shop.



^^^ Same here.

Our problem with FleetVision is that they told us we could set up our service trucks, Fast Lane, and Service Rack basically as their own "independent shop" so they could have their own parts inventory and bill their own time, but now they say it can't be done. Still trying to figure out what to do.
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second.flood
Top Member

USA
640 Posts

Posted - 02/15/2017 :  07:01:06 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I have Fleetvision, trying to find time to properly implement it is seemingly impossible.

I almost feel it is a time waster verses just keeping a few simple spreadsheets.
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BusFleet
Active Member

USA
36 Posts

Posted - 02/15/2017 :  09:30:43 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
We've been using ServiceFinder since September 2015. Is it perfect for our district, no but it's 100 times better than what we had. Overall, we like it. We have not gone to barcoding yet because we have bigger issues to resolve (shortage of technicians).
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JoeHEB1
Advanced Member

498 Posts

Posted - 02/15/2017 :  09:50:02 AM  Show Profile  Visit JoeHEB1's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by second.flood

I have Fleetvision, trying to find time to properly implement it is seemingly impossible.

I almost feel it is a time waster verses just keeping a few simple spreadsheets.




^^^^^This^^^^^^
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RonF
Top Member

867 Posts

Posted - 02/15/2017 :  11:33:14 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
Man I love Fleetvision.

US Army retired CMBT
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BigPapa
Advanced Member

215 Posts

Posted - 02/15/2017 :  12:23:08 PM  Show Profile  Visit BigPapa's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by RonF

Man I love Fleetvision.



Am I sensing a bit of sarcasm?
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baptistbusman1
Senior Member

USA
175 Posts

Posted - 02/15/2017 :  3:16:32 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but i'm just curious as to how many buses does everyone take care of and how deep do you get with your parts inventory?

We have 46 buses, all C2's, and barely keep any parts on hand. Filters, 4 heater motors, lights, brake pads, calipers, one set a piece of front rotors, bearings and seals. I've been to bus garages near us, with similar fleets and it's astounding the amount of inventory they keep. Tens of thousands of dollars sitting on the shelf just covered in filth.

Once again, just curious.

I was formally Baptistbusman. However, I lost my password, and had not updated my email address.

Here is a link to my old posts. http://www.schoolbusfleet.com/forum/search.asp?mode=DoIt&MEMBER_ID=1846
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ICBUS07-30
Senior Member

USA
59 Posts

Posted - 02/15/2017 :  5:03:45 PM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by baptistbusman1

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but i'm just curious as to how many buses does everyone take care of and how deep do you get with your parts inventory?

We have 46 buses, all C2's, and barely keep any parts on hand. Filters, 4 heater motors, lights, brake pads, calipers, one set a piece of front rotors, bearings and seals. I've been to bus garages near us, with similar fleets and it's astounding the amount of inventory they keep. Tens of thousands of dollars sitting on the shelf just covered in filth.

Once again, just curious.



32 buses in our fleet. We used to house our parts in about 3000 square foot loft. The old mechanic had to keep 5 of everything. We now use a 15 by 50 room with shelf's along the walls and it is perfect for us.

Formally ICBUS0730
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RonF
Top Member

867 Posts

Posted - 02/16/2017 :  03:43:47 AM  Show Profile  Reply with Quote
I have 58 buses and currently maintain and inventory of $67.427.15. This does include tires, batteries, fluids and a massive amount of excess that was here when I started. This is great because in Dec. of 2014 when I first started using FleetVison and I did the initial inventory and entered everything it the data base we had nearly $90K in inventory.
Some good examples where nearly 100 filters for Allison transmissions. 30 seats of 4702 brake shoes. Stuff like that.

BigPaPa,
No sarcasm at all. I really like FleetVision. I have worked with Maintenance management software in the Army, and STEMS in my last school system and both were good as well. For my first year here everything was pen and paper and what you could remember. However I found out that we had VersaTrans and Fleetvision and paying for in but the system was not using it, so I taught myself how to use it, read some of the manual and here we are today.
I has saved us money in parts and time in repairs.

US Army retired CMBT
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BigPapa
Advanced Member

215 Posts

Posted - 02/16/2017 :  08:16:16 AM  Show Profile  Visit BigPapa's Homepage  Reply with Quote
We have just over 800 buses, 650 used daily. We have a complete stock room, tire room, and filter room. I am one of two full time parts employees. We have @ 4400 part numbers in our FV inventory, not all are on hand, worth a bit over $400K.

When I cam here, just over two years ago, they were making less than a half turn a year and the inventory value was quite a bit more. Lots of obsolete parts on hand. We are now at just over three turns a year. We generally have anything we need to repair a bus when it's pulled in the shop but we do have to special order things at times. We are also still cleaning the inventory out slowly but surely.

Ron,
My first real job was in the parts department of a business that built electrical utility trucks. We used legal pads and punch cards. Since then I have been in the motorcycle/powersports business where I was a parts manager for almost 30 years. We had three stores with a total of $1.5 million in parts and accessories, over 30K part numbers. Finally got tired of the idiots and the pressure and got out of retail. Anyway, we went through several software systems while I was there and those systems were head, shoulders, chest,and belly above FV. Granted, I may not have access to all it has to offer due to management (that's another story) but from what I see it leaves a lot to be desired. I don't have time or room here to tell you all I'd like.
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