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Playbook · MRO Distribution

How to free up working capital tied in inventory in MRO Distribution (2026)

Last updated September 2026

The short answer

Release the cash frozen in stock without hurting service. 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

MetricTypical for MROWhat good looks like
Days Sales of Inventory 90–180+ days Service buffers inflate DSI; watch the slow-mover tail
Inventory Turnover Ratio 2–4 turns Criticality buffers lower turns; target the dead tail
Inventory Carrying Cost 25–35% / yr Obsolescence risk pushes MRO higher
GMROI 1.5–2.5 Service buffers weigh on GMROI

Published ranges, not targets. Take your own baseline before step one.

The steps

  1. 1Raise inventory turns / cut DSI on the SKUs holding the most cash
  2. 2Remove excess and obsolete stock that never sells
  3. 3Right-size safety stock without dropping fill rate
  4. 4Give finance one trustworthy view of inventory value and risk

Why it pays off

20–30% / year
Inventory carrying cost typically runs 20–30% of inventory value per year (often 25–40% for wholesale distributors).
Institute for Supply Management (via NetSuite)
20–30%
AI-driven optimization can cut inventory 20–30% while holding service levels, and reduce forecasting error up to 50%.
Epicor / MDM
~25% / year
Excess and obsolete inventory costs the typical distributor about 25% of its value every year in storage, shrinkage, and cost of capital.
Industrial Supply Magazine

Frequently asked questions

How do you tell whether this is working in mro distribution?

Recompute the same way each period. Days Sales of Inventory: DSI = (Average Inventory ÷ Cost of Goods Sold) × 365. Inventory Turnover Ratio: Inventory Turns = Cost of Goods Sold ÷ Average Inventory. Inventory Carrying Cost: Carrying Cost % = (Capital + Storage + Service + Risk costs) ÷ Average Inventory Value. GMROI: GMROI = Gross Margin $ ÷ Average Inventory Cost.

What does MRO start from?

Days Sales of Inventory of 90–180+ days is the published band for mro distribution — service buffers inflate DSI; watch the slow-mover tail. 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.

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