Find a spare part using its supplier reference, even if you don't know its name in the CMMS

A storeroom manager takes in a delivery. The only marking on the box is an eight-digit code — say, "50412229." No description, no part name. They open their CMMS, type that code into the spare parts search… and get nothing. Yet the part exists: it was created under an internal label — "NBR O-ring 50x3mm" — that bears no resemblance to the code printed on the box.

This scenario plays out every day in maintenance storerooms. The code the field team is looking at is almost never the one the part was recorded under. So to bridge the gap, the storeroom manager switches over to the ERP — usually SAP — finds the match, then comes back to the CMMS. A few minutes lost on every delivery, multiplied by dozens of lines a week.

Why searching by name isn't enough

A spare part record holds far more than its name: an external reference linking it to the ERP, a GTIN for scanning, a technical description, and above all custom fields that each organization configures to fit its needs — supplier reference, manufacturer reference, asset code, drawing number.

The trouble is that these fields used to document the part, not help find it. If the supplier reference was correctly filled into a custom field but the search only covered the name and description, anyone typing "50412229" walked away empty-handed. The data existed in the record, but it stayed invisible to search.

This dead end has a direct and costly consequence: duplicates. Unable to find the part, the user concludes it doesn't exist and re-creates it. Two records for one reference, two stock levels that contradict each other, an inventory that slowly drifts away from what's actually on the shelves.

Search now covers the value of custom fields

Mobility Work's spare parts and equipment search now extends to the value of custom fields, not just the name, description, or item code. In practice: if the supplier reference "50412229" is stored in a custom field on the part, the storeroom manager types it into the search bar and the record comes straight up.

Better still: the result shows which field triggered the match. The storeroom manager doesn't just see the part appear; they see that it was the supplier reference that matched, not a near-namesake or an approximate value. They know right away they have the right part in front of them.

Here's the concrete case. A delivery arrives on site. The storeroom manager enters the supplier code read off the delivery note into the spare parts search. The "NBR O-ring 50x3mm" record appears, flagged with the matching "supplier reference" custom field. They open the record, log the receipt — quantity received and unit price — and stock is updated. No round trip to the ERP, no record re-created by mistake.

What you gain

The most tangible benefit is fewer duplicates. When any reference the field knows — supplier, manufacturer, internal — can locate a part, users stop re-creating parts they simply couldn't find. One reference, one record, one stock level.

The second benefit is inventory reliability. Reliable stock rests on unique records: as soon as withdrawals and receipts always post against the same part, the displayed level reflects the real storeroom. Minimum thresholds trigger their alerts at the right moment, stock valuation is accurate, and spare part requirements on maintenance plans rest on real quantities.

Three actions to make the most of it

1. List the references your field teams actually use. Supplier reference, manufacturer reference, internal code: those are what your storeroom managers see on receipt, not the label entered in the CMMS.
2. Store them in dedicated custom fields on your spare part records, rather than burying them in the description. A clearly named field is easier to maintain and more readable in search results.
3. Complete existing records starting with high-turnover parts. That's where searches happen most often — so that's where the time savings and the drop in duplicates show up fastest.

The value of well-filled custom fields doesn't reveal itself when you enter them, but when you search. By making them searchable, the search turns passive documentation into a genuine entry point to your parts.