Parts Technicians manage and dispense parts inventories, which may include automotive, heavy duty, farm implement, industrial, recreational vehicle, jobber, plumbing, electrical and many other sectors and fields.
Parts Technicians may be responsible for stock handling, identifying and cataloguing parts and assemblies as well as ordering, operating lift truck equipment, receiving, inspecting, sorting, pricing and selling, depending on business areas.

 

The specific duties a parts person technician performs depend upon the size of the wholesale, retail or warehouse distribution business and the types of parts involved.  Some businesses specialize in one line of equipment such as a particular line of automotive parts. Others, stock parts for several makes of machinery as well as a wide variety of hardware supplies. Parts technicians must be knowledgeable in the use of all in-house equipment, including computers, calculators, fax and materials handling equipment, and be able to contribute to the operation and principles of operation of the business.

 

Experienced parts technicians who have business and technical experience may advance to supervisory positions such as parts department manager, store manager or even store owner.  With some sales experience, parts technicians can move into sales representative positions.

​

Industry Changes

The global warehousing concept has gained popularity over the last decade as stock pre-positioning becomes one of the strategies for ensuring a timely response to emergencies. For such operations, experience and knowledge of organizations use, information systems that are computer based, with sophisticated software to help in the planning and management of the warehouse.

 

New technologies have greatly improved the tools used to manage inventories. Powerful computer systems that are linked into networks are now able to receive information from handheld devises. The wireless handheld devices scan bar codes on inventory items and send data to a tracking database in real time. The popular just-in-time manufacturing system is an excellent tool to know.

 

Newer systems of inventory control and management are vendor-managed inventory (VMI) systems and agreements. In a VMI system distributors and/or manufacturers agree to take over the inventory management for their customers. Based on daily reports sent automatically from the customer to the distributor, the distributor replenishes the customers stocks as needed. The distributor or manufacturer sees what is selling and makes all necessary arrangements to send the customer new products or parts automatically. No phone calls or paperwork are necessary allowing the supply chain process to remain uninterrupted.

​

Safety

Safe working practices and accident prevention are the primary importance to the health and safety of all person(s) at any or all work place environments. All person(s) including employee, employer and government, share this responsibility in order to keep everyone free of any dangers or accidents that may cause an individual(s) serious bodily harm or death.

 

The Occupational Health and Safety Acts and Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS) Regulations, should be consistently reviewed and enforced in every work place environment. Educating and understanding these regulations is everyone’s responsibility in order to keep a safe work place environment.

 

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) has contributed to a safer work place environment. Health and safety has become a high priority in the workplace due to increased awareness of dangers and the identifications of hazardous materials.

 

Practicing health and safety is a tremendous contribution to a safe and accident free work place environment.

 

Job Tasks

• Ability to deal effectively and courteously with the public even in difficult situations

• Ability to pay careful attention to details such as parts catalogues and electronic inventory systems

• Estimating Required materials and costs

• Keeps records

• Keeps price lists and catalogues updated

• Orders parts and keeps inventories

• Organizes and ships exchange parts and returns

• Prepares statements

• Read and interpret drawings and specifications to determine the materials required and fram location.

• Receives payments

• Receives supplies and stores them according to a prearranged system

• Sells supplies and parts

• Submits bills

• …and much more

 

Tools

• Adjustable wrench

• Allen Keys

• Ball peen hammer

• Brooms, dust pans, brushes, shovels, sieves, refuse bins for cleaning and disposing of collected waste

• Chalk Line

• Dead Blow Hammer

• Drills

• First aid kits, flashlights, fire extinguishers and other fire-fighting equipment both inside and outside the warehouse

• Forklift where pallets are to be loaded and offloaded from trucks

• Glue

• Grinders

• Hack saw

• Hammer

• Ladders

• Measuring tape

• Mini pipe cutters

• Needle nose pliers

• Pallet-jack to move pallets

• Pencil

• Rulers

• Sampling spear for inspecting foodstuffs

• Scales for weighing goods

• Screw driver set

• Small tools for opening cases, such as hammers, pliers, crowbars, steel cutters

• Sufficient quantities of standard forms, calculators and stationery to keep proper storage records

• Supplies for reconditioning damaged packaging, such as bags, needles, twine, oil containers, stitching machine, strapping machine, adhesive tape and small containers or cartons

• Standardization organization’s “Euro” type (120 × 80cm)

• Standard wooden pallets in sufficient numbers – ideally international

• Tools and materials for store repair and simple maintenance

• Two-wheel hand trolleys for moving supplies within the warehouse

• Weighing scales

• …and much more

 

Skills

• Ability to work at heights

• Analytical Thinking

• Critical Thinking

• Co-ordination

• Creativity

• Decision Making

• Lifting and hoisting

• Mechanical aptitude

• Manual dexterity

• Numerical

• Oral Communication

• Patience

• Problem Solving

• Reading Blueprints and schematics

• Writing

• Use of hand signals

• Computer Knowledge

• …and much more

 

General Wages

• Average -   $22.65

• Minimum -  $13.00

• Maximum - $31.00

​

Sample Q&A

1. Which of the following is the correct method to choose hydraulic tubing?

a. OD, ID, Wall thickness

b. Material, OD, wall thickness

c. ID, Wall thickness, flexibility

d. Surface finish, OD, material

Ans. B

 

2. With regards to a hydraulic system, which of the following is a quick disconnect?

a. Union

b. Hose

c. Pull piece

d. Coupling

Ans. A

 

3. Which of the following is a turnbuckle correctly used for?

a. levelling the load

b. lifting where a shackle is not possible

c. attaching the block to the wire rope

d. securing a snatch block to the roofline

Ans. A

 

4. All valves cause some degree of flow loss due to friction even in the full-open position. Which type of valve causes the greatest reduction in flow even when the valve is open?

a. gate

b. globe

c. plug valve

d. swing check valve

Ans. B

 

5. Which of the following should be used to lubricate and seal thread piping?

a. Silicone

b. Plumbers putty

c. Pipe dope

d. Teflon thread

Ans. C

 

6. Which of the following tools is used to measure the proper coolant freeze protection?

a. Pressure tester

b. Hydrometer

c. Thermometer

d. Micrometer

Ans. B

 

7. Which of the following is the correct method when recharging a lift truck?

a. batteries give off hydrogen gas so perform in a well ventilated area

b. turn off engine and lights

c. wear protective safety equipment

d. keep tools and other metal objects away from truck while charging due to electrical arching

e. all of the above

Ans. E