MedWrench Q&A Blog with Josh Glas from PhiGEM Parts!

In today’s edition of the MedWrench blog I would like to highlight my brief Q&A session with Josh Glas, President at PhiGEM Parts. As always, Josh was very helpful and informative. Thanks again Josh for sharing your expertise! Be sure to check out PhiGEM Parts, your first and last stop for the highest quality, field tested diagnostic imaging replacement parts.

Q. Having been in the replacement parts business for 10 years, what has been the most notable change in the business during this time?

A. One of the most noticeable changes during the past 10 years is the aggregate number of parts companies now competing in the marketplace. As a result of this influx of parts companies it is imperative that the end user take steps to carefully vet any company they intend to do business with. Some of the questions they may want to ask are as follows:

A. How long have you been in business?

B. How do you acquire your parts?

C. What is your failure rate/return rate and how are warranty situations handled?

D. And referrals are always good of course.

Additionally, there are different barriers to entry with respect to starting a parts company and because of that there are many different types of parts companies. Does the company you’re dealing with stock their own inventory or do they solely help you find the parts in the marketplace? There are pros and cons to each type of company and it is important the end user understand the type of business they are purchasing parts from. Ask questions! If the answers you are getting are not to your satisfaction, move on. There are many quality vendors in the market and you should deal with someone you have confidence in.

Q. Do you sell new, used, or refurbished parts? From your expertise which ones offer the longest lifespan for the most affordable price?

A. PhiGEM Parts sells used, system tested parts that are evaluated while in service, prior to deinstallation. With respect to the question, there is not a one-size fits all answer to properly address your inquiry. Every customer has a different risk tolerance when it comes to purchasing replacement parts that are not directly from the OEM. There are certain situations where almost no risk is tolerable. In cases such as this, it might be beneficial to look to a parts company that has the infrastructure in place where they legitimately have staged systems and can claim the parts are 100% guaranteed to work as expected. Obviously, with this level of assurance, there is an increased cost. However, that is not to say that not having that type of infrastructure in place is a negative. With respect to my own business, we do not have staged systems, but our DOA rate rivals even that of the OEM’s with a rate that teeters between 2% and 4% at any given time. To reiterate my statement above, it is important to have confidence in your vendor and that they have the capability to stand behind the parts they are providing to you.

Q. On average, how long does it typically take before certain parts become obsolete and hard to find?

A. This is a very difficult question to answer with real certainty. The manufacturer, modality and the specific system model plays a big role in determining obsolescence over time. I see many systems that are only now coming out of service that were purchased new in the early 90’s. Notwithstanding however, I also see many systems coming out of service manufactured as recently as 2010+. In speaking to averages, I would say it becomes increasingly difficult to find parts for system that are older than 15-20 years at this point. Although there is still likely an abundance of inventory on vendors’ shelves, there is less new inventory becoming available as replenishment. All things being equal however, parts from systems pre-dating 1990 are, or will be more and more difficult to locate. On the flip side, there are less of them in service these days so it may not be as big of a concern to those hanging onto their vintage equipment. My recommendation for anyone using these older systems would be to find a parts supplier capable of supplying parts for such systems and let them know you still have one in service.  Begin a relationship and have that resource available to you should you have a need for parts as you ultimately will.

Josh Glas, President at PhiGEM Parts