Partner POV | Right-size your MRO inventory levels with IBM Maximo Inventory Optimization Essentials

Article written and contributed by, Dylan Jones, Senior Product Manager, IBM.

Today, we're excited to announce that IBM MRO Inventory Optimization has become IBM Maximo Inventory Optimization, and is now available in an Essentials version. IBM Maximo Inventory Optimization is a cloud-based solution that streamlines inventory management by optimizing maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) stock levels, enhancing visibility and minimizing unplanned downtime for asset-intensive industries. It helps our clients drive significant reductions in carrying costs and stockouts and improve service levels, while leveraging advanced AI and machine learning algorithms for improved predictive accuracy and supply chain visibility.

Entry-level package for optimizing inventory levels

More and more customers with smaller inventory holdings are finding it harder to make time to do the important work of inventory optimization. There are fewer people to do more work than ever and ensuring that the right materials are available at the right time in the right place has never been more important.

Acknowledging that inventory is just as important to customers with smaller asset-intensive operations, IBM has released the Maximo Inventory Optimization Essentials version to allow these customers to capitalize on the same reliable recommendations as their larger peers. With this entry-level package, IBM is building on its strong industry presence and responding to increasing customer demand, making inventory optimization accessible to more customers.

Challenges of MRO inventory optimization

Maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) inventory is difficult to manage. It usually consists of a swathe of disparate materials with a whole range of different characteristics, from safety glasses to electric motors, mechanical seals to granulated coffee and conveyor belting to circuit breakers. The complexity of MRO inventory demands a smart solution to manage reorder levels. Different demand profiles, criticalities, lead times and procurement approaches require tailored management strategies to determine optimal holdings, and whether in fact it makes economic sense to hold a particular material.

Organizations may have time to set initial reorder levels, but manual adjustment is likely not sustainable on an ongoing basis. Reacting to changes in usage, criticality or lead time is time-consuming and the data around these changes may not be easily available. To ensure Maximo Inventory Optimization can help as many customers as possible address inventory challenges, we decided to develop an Essentials version.

Start with the Maximo Inventory Optimization Essentials

Maximo Inventory Optimization Essentials allows customers to recalculate reorder levels on an ongoing basis—usually monthly—allowing for more proactive decision-making. Built on over 20 years of industry experience, any identified changes are presented using filters. What does this mean? Users no longer need to search through thousands of recommendations to find the correct next step that will add the most value to your organization. The solution will provide filters for prioritization of high-impact changes, along with the recommended changes to be made.

The Essentials version is designed for quick setup and minimal configuration, helping reduce upfront effort and costs so customers can start organizing their warehouses faster. Companies only need to upload their data and Maximo Inventory Optimization Essentials helps optimize reorder levels. Maximo Inventory Optimization Essentials provides insight into recommendations, allows for modelling of the effect of upcoming changes in advance and then presents results for proactive implementation. It delivers the same AI-driven recommendations as the Maximo Inventory Optimization Standard edition—trusted by some of the world's largest mining, oil & gas, utilities, and transportation companies.

By implementing the solution, organizations gain an edge in mitigating stockouts, overstocking, unforeseen disruptions, and maintaining compliance across vast inventories. This technology not only enhances asset lifespan through proactive maintenance but also optimizes supply chain dynamics by predicting demand more accurately and streamlining procurement processes. The result is a more responsive, agile operation, fortified against unexpected downtime and propelled towards sustainable growth.