Think beyond parts - what building a relationship with your supplier can do for you

Paul Porter, leader of GE Healthcare's Commercial Parts Solutions, provides insight on the importance and benefits of building a relationship with your service parts supplier. Have a question for the expert or want to find out more? Fill out the form at the bottom of the page to ask Paul Porter a question directly.

What parts solutions is GE Healthcare currently working on?

We have about $1.5B in service materials on hand in the U.S. We are currently decentralizing that inventory and moving it closer to where it’s needed to optimize logistics and speed of delivery. We are also investing in programs that make ordering simpler. If you have not checked out our Service Shop website lately, you should. Over 85,000 parts are now orderable online, 24x7.

As GE Healthcare’s Commercial Service Parts leader, what are your priorities?

Within my team, we continually ask each other “What is top of mind?” Parts quality is always paramount. Safety matters. These devices are used on our families. We also understand that returns, reorders, and rework can be expensive and bring hidden expenses when considering cost of quality. As an OEM, GE Healthcare delivers the highest levels of quality.  

Can you describe the ordering experience?

There are two great ways to order through GE Healthcare:

Via phone, customers are greeted by experts who can help identify parts (the right revision and if applicable, the right software version), verify pricing, confirm availability, and book orders. If the customer chooses to provide an email address, they will receive order confirmations and tracking updates.

Via GE Healthcare Service Shop, (eCommerce) customers have instant access to over 85,000 GE Healthcare service parts with real-time inventory to allow buyers to confirm that their quantity is in stock before placing an order. Customers can use the smart search engine to find parts based on their equipment, system ID, specific keywords, or by accessing over 70,000 service documents across all equipment modalities. Real-time order status updates and integration with most ERPs and/or CMMS systems (at no additional costs) are now available, as well. 

Is there any cool technology in the works?

While we are not allowed to disclose “futures,” our customers are invited to visit our HQ in Wisconsin to take part in technology development sessions. We really could not make advancements without the input we receive from these sessions. A great example of how we are working to make our customers more successful is our Tube Watch program. This service helps predict tube failure and reduce costly down time. 

Any tips for our readers for when they purchase service parts from other vendors?

After part quality assurance, consider looking beyond the part to the supplier. Build relationships, build measures of success and regular operating mechanisms. Also, co-develop stocking strategies and cost-reduction strategies.