Manufacturing Aftermarket

Produces the demand forecast that drives service parts inventory for a manufacturer installed base, using IFS Cloud Demand Planning together with the classification and demand models of Inventory Planning and Replenishment (IPR). Because aftermarket demand is largely intermittent, the process segments SKUs by volume value, issue frequency and lifecycle stage and applies fast-mover models to movers and Croston or slow-mover models to sporadic parts. The approved forecast is exported from Demand Planning and consumed by IPR, Master Scheduling and MRP so stocking and procurement work from one number.

Plans and executes the final purchase of a component or service part that a supplier is discontinuing, so that a manufacturer can honour its aftermarket support commitments for the remaining life of the installed base. The process converts an end-of-life or product change notice into a quantified remaining demand estimate, evaluates the alternatives to buying (alternate part, redesign, brokered supply), and releases the LTB Purchase Order before the supplier last order date. In IFS Cloud the sized quantity is held as Inventory Part stock with a restricted issue policy and the burn-down is monitored against the support horizon.

Sets and maintains stocking policy across the aftermarket network from central warehouse through regional hubs and forward stocking locations down to technician van stock, using IFS Cloud Inventory Planning and Replenishment with the Multi Echelon extension. IPR calculates safety stock, order point, lot size and next order date per SKU and location against a target service rate, and Multi Echelon aggregates downstream supply plans into the upstream echelon forecast. Replenishment proposals are then released as purchase or internal supply and van stock is topped up in line with the technician schedule.

Controls the replacement of one service part number by another across the aftermarket catalogue, stock, open orders and service documentation. In IFS Cloud the interchangeability relationship is registered on the Alternate Parts tab of the Part page, where the Fully Interchangeable flag decides whether the alternate is an acceptable replacement for the primary part and whether a reciprocal catalogue record is created. The process also governs run-out of the old part, transition of open demand and supply, and communication of the change to dealers and field engineers.

Captures aftermarket parts demand from dealers, end customers, self service portals and internal field service, and fulfils it through IFS Cloud Customer Orders, Inventory and Shipment. Order type configuration decides which steps run automatically and whether emergency lines get priority reservation at order entry, while reservation management links order or shipment lines to physical stock before pick and delivery. The process ends with delivery confirmation and invoicing, or with a controlled backorder and alternative sourcing decision when stock is short.

Plans, dispatches and recovers the pool of serviceable units a manufacturer uses to keep customers running while their own unit is in the depot, executed in IFS Cloud through the CRO exchange line where parts are dispatched to and received from the customer, dispatches approved and receipts confirmed. It covers pool sizing and replenishment from the refurbishment output, the swap transaction itself, chasing the unreturned original, and billing where the customer keeps the loaner or fails to return a core. The pool is the buffer that decouples customer uptime from depot turnaround time.

Establishes and maintains the virtual representation of every unit the manufacturer has shipped, so that aftermarket service, warranty and contract entitlement all resolve to a single authoritative asset record. In IFS Cloud this means Object Families, Object Subfamilies and Models as installed base basic data, Part Serial records created through inventory and delivery, and Service Objects classified as either Serial or Functional. Getting serialisation and the Model-Part connection right here is the precondition for every downstream warranty, claim and contract process in this theme group.

Executes the scheduled preventive maintenance visit on installed manufacturer equipment, from PM-generated work order through on-site completion and contract settlement. In IFS Cloud the visit originates from an active PM action revision that generates the work order carrying the work lists, material and resource demands defined on the PM action. Entitlement is checked against the service contract or warranty before the visit is committed, and the finished work order feeds both invoicing and PM interval review.

Executes in-house repair of customer-owned units returned to a manufacturer's repair depot, using the IFS Cloud Component Repair Order as the umbrella object that links the customer order, inventory, repair order, part service contract, cost lines and sales lines. The unit is received against a CRO repair line, a work scope and repair order type are selected, technicians execute and test, and the line is signed off, cost and sales lines are generated and transferred to the customer order for invoicing. Units found beyond economic repair exit to scrap or quotation rather than continuing through the repair flow.

Restores returned cores and used assemblies to a defined saleable condition through the IFS Cloud MRO shop order chain, where a disassembly shop order strips the unit, a disposition shop order decides receive or scrap per component and raises repair orders, repair shop orders fix the real parts, and an assembly shop order rebuilds the unit. Refurbishment returns a unit to a serviceable condition, while remanufacturing is the rigorous industrial process of returning a used or non-functional product to like-new or better-than-new condition through a controlled, reproducible process. The output is stock for the exchange pool or for sale, not a repair returned to a named customer.

Delivers new equipment into productive service at the customer site and, critically, creates the installed base record that every later aftermarket process depends on. In IFS Cloud the sold Customer Order becomes an installation scope of Work Orders and Work Tasks, site readiness and logistics are coordinated, and commissioning tests are recorded as Measurements against customer acceptance. Completion registers the as-built Serial Object, starts the Warranty term and activates the Service Contract, closing the loop from sale into service.

Closes the loop from field failure back into engineering and out again as a corrective action in the field. Failure reports from work orders, warranty claims and returns are analysed to root cause in a FRACAS discipline, safety and regulatory reportability is assessed, and where required a corrective action plan is agreed with the regulator. IFS Cloud service campaigns then drive execution against the affected installed base population, with completion tracking, progress reporting and verification that the corrective action actually prevented recurrence.

Creates and maintains the serviceable view of the product: the service BOM of spare parts that field and depot technicians can order and fit, together with the technical documentation that tells them how. In IFS Cloud this is delivered through the engineering part revision, which is the parent of the part structure, document survey, document requirements, approval routing and spare parts, integrated with IFS Document Management for revision control and electronic signature. The process ends with an approved revision, an engineering change note and distribution of the updated documentation to field, depot and dealer audiences.

Turns aftermarket service agreements into cash across three commercial models: fixed recurring fees, usage-rated charges driven by meter readings, and outcome or availability-based charges with bonus and service-credit mechanics. In IFS Cloud the Service Contract carries the billing structure, periodic invoicing draws on contract calendars, Measurement readings and completed Work Order lines, and the resulting Invoice feeds revenue recognition and contract margin analysis. It is the process that makes servitization financially controllable rather than merely aspirational.

Converts a diagnosed service demand into a resourced, parts-ready appointment on a named technician's day. In IFS Cloud the Work Order is decomposed into Work Tasks carrying competency, tool and duration requirements, parts are reserved against van or site stock, and the work is released to IFS Planning & Scheduling Optimization (PSO) which balances skills, travel, SLA priority and parts readiness. The committed assignment is then dispatched to the technician's mobile device and confirmed to the customer.