Playbook · MRO Distribution
How to improve inventory accuracy and balance across branches in MRO Distribution (2026)
Last updated September 2026
Right part, right branch, right time — one view across every DC. 4 steps, in order, for a mro distribution operation.
What you are working against in MRO
- 15–25% of MRO stock excess or obsolete
- Most POs are low-value, off-contract tail spend
- Criticality and consumption buried in spreadsheets
Before you start: where MRO usually sits
| Metric | Typical for MRO | What good looks like |
|---|---|---|
| Fill Rate | 90–97% | Critical-spare fill rates run higher by design |
| Inventory Turnover Ratio | 2–4 turns | Criticality buffers lower turns; target the dead tail |
| Days Sales of Inventory | 90–180+ days | Service buffers inflate DSI; watch the slow-mover tail |
Published ranges, not targets. Take your own baseline before step one.
The steps
- 1One live view of stock and value across every branch and DC
- 2Reconcile book-to-physical to kill phantom stockouts
- 3Rebalance to the branch that needs it before buying
- 4Protect the counter sale and the fill rate
Why it pays off
Frequently asked questions
How do you tell whether this is working in mro distribution?
Recompute the same way each period. Fill Rate: Fill Rate = Units Shipped from Stock ÷ Units Ordered. Inventory Turnover Ratio: Inventory Turns = Cost of Goods Sold ÷ Average Inventory. Days Sales of Inventory: DSI = (Average Inventory ÷ Cost of Goods Sold) × 365.
What does MRO start from?
Fill Rate of 90–97% is the published band for mro distribution — critical-spare fill rates run higher by design. The 4 steps above are the same in any sector; the band you start from is not.
See what your inventory is really costing you.
Tell us where the cash is trapped — excess stock, idle surplus, slow RFQs — and we'll show you the outcome Maintained can unlock.