Why does every purchasing manager think 'just buy more spares' is a strategy, when the real supply chain nightmare is managing 15-year-old AB PLC parts with 6-month lead times?

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You&#39;ve hit on one of the most frustrating realities in industrial maintenance! The &#39;just buy more spares&#39; mentality is often a knee-jerk reaction because it feels proactive and simple - you&#39;re physically doing something to prevent downtime. But you&#39;re absolutely right that this approach completely misses the real challenge with legacy equipment like 15-year-old Allen-Bradley PLCs.The real nightmare comes from several factors: First, manufacturers like Rockwell Automation end support for older platforms (like the SLC 500 series), making genuine parts scarce. Second, even when you can find parts, they&#39;re often from third-party suppliers with questionable reliability and skyrocketing prices. Third, the 6-month lead times you mentioned mean you&#39;re essentially gambling on equipment that could fail at any moment.The smarter approach involves proactive obsolescence management - identifying which legacy systems are critical, exploring upgrade paths, building relationships with specialized suppliers who handle obsolete parts, and creating a phased migration plan rather than just hoarding spares that might not even work when you need them.It&#39;s a classic case of treating symptoms (potential downtime) rather than the actual disease (aging infrastructure with diminishing support). The purchasing manager sees a simple inventory problem, but you&#39;re dealing with a complex lifecycle management challenge!

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Why does every purchasing manager think 'just buy more spares' is a strategy, when the real supply chain nightmare is managing 15-year-old AB PLC parts with 6-month lead times?

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