After-Sales Management with Focus on Inventory Management

This book focuses on certain aspects of managing a field service department in a semiconductor equipment manufacturing industry. Special attention is paid to the cross-cultural management aspects in Southeast Asia, a diverse region where a number of manufacturers of integrated circuits have set up their production facilities. The work provides a methodic introduction to Southeast Asian countries including their political, economical and demographic status. Having provided a common background for understanding operations in Southeast Asia, the work selects the topic of inventory management that appears particularly important in a remote field service organization. The basic theory and techniques of spare part management are provided and explained. Finally, the spare parts management theory is compared with the current processes in a specific case of a US-based semiconductor equipment manufacturer. An analysis of the current status is performed and a number of suggestions for optimizing the process efficiency and minimizing the inventory costs are provided.