What Are Forward Stocking Locations?

Forward stocking locations (FSLs) are at the heart of a third party maintenance (TPM) provider’s ability to deliver timely solutions. However, many people do not understand what they are, how they operate, or their role in the support process. This post will explore what parts depots are and why they are central to your experience and success!

What Are Forward Stocking Locations?

Forward stocking locations are also commonly referred to as parts depots or parts stocking warehouses. Essentially, they’re miniature warehouses that store spare parts and components for IT hardware closer to the end users that need them. They are positioned strategically across the globe to offer a local presence for shippers to stage inventory for local or regional delivery. Within the third party support industry, FSLs help ensure that TPMs can meet the strict terms set forth within service level agreements (SLA).

What Is the Goal of Forward Stocking Locations?

The goal of forward stocking locations is simple – the expedient delivery of critical parts to ensure that hardware problems can be solved as quickly as possible. Particularly for companies operating internationally, FSLs ensure replacement parts can reach the customer far quicker than from a main warehouse. By maintaining a larger network of smaller warehouses with uniquely stocked components, providers are able to reduce transit times for delivery, making spares more readily available exactly when and where they’re needed. Managed correctly, sending shipments to these “forward” locations reduces transportation costs and boosts efficiency.

For many of our 24x7x4 customers, parts warehouses are within four hours of their location, ensuring that we can have the parts you need delivered to your location with incredible speed. This also confirms that we’re able to meet the strict terms of our SLAs. On-site spares, coupled with locally-sourced parts, guarantee that no problem is significant enough to cause major disruptions in your business.

What Do Forward Stocking Locations Store?

Each forward stocking location contains a range of components and even entire systems. Parts warehouses include the parts that fail most frequently. These include:

• RAM
• Hard drives
• CPUs
• Motherboards
• Power supplies
• Fans

In addition to spare parts, forward stocking locations may include entire systems. This ensures that whatever the hardware need might be, we can meet it quickly and easily.

Where Are Forward Stocking Locations Found?

At Park Place Technologies, we’ve carefully planned our global network of forward stocking locations. We currently maintain over 900 spare parts locations. Each location is strategically chosen based on its ability to deliver parts to new and existing clients in accordance with the terms in our service level agreements. We maintain FSLs throughout North America, EMEA, APAC, and Latin America to serve 21,500+ customers worldwide. Our global network ensures that no matter where you’re located or what problem your equipment encounters, we’ve got you covered.

Beyond Our Parts Depots

While parts depots are a major part of our ability to serve clients with incredible speed, they’re just one element. Other aspects also play significant roles here.

OUR ENGINEERS

Sure, our forward stocking locations offer rapid delivery of necessary parts. But our engineers ensure that those components can be installed quickly and professionally! We employ thousands of certified engineers, all sourced from the very same talent pools that major manufacturers use. Our engineers are more than capable of working on any system, regardless of the manufacturer. Combined with our global spare parts network, we guarantee our clients receive some of the fastest support in the industry.

OUR SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS

With our flexible SLAs and the ability to customize those levels to meet any specific needs, there’s something available for every budget, system, and requirement. Our SLAs range from 24/7/4hr support to Next Day support, with the ability to customize support with add-ons. Don’t access to 24/7 hardware monitoring, access to a 24/7 technical help desk, locally dispatched engineers…you get the idea. By and large, our service level agreements ensure that we’re able to deliver the support experience you deserve.

Get in touch with a Park Place Technologies rep today to learn how we can support your IT operations!