A production line goes down at 2 a.m. Maintenance identifies the failed part within twenty minutes—a communication module on a PLC rack that's been running since the line was installed. The fix itself is simple. The problem is that the part isn't in the storeroom, the OEM quotes eight weeks, and nobody knows if the aftermarket equivalent someone found online will actually talk to the rest of the control system. This is where MRO procurement stops being a purchasing function a
