Optimization of Spare Parts Warehouse Layout to Reduce Technician Waiting Time in Automobile Service Centers

S. Pavithra Vanshi1 Dr. R Pradeep 2 S. Shyam 3

1Assistant Professor, Department of Management Studies, Happy Valley Business School, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Email: pavithravanshi@gmail.com

2Assistant Professor, Department of Electrical & Electronics Engineering

SNS College of Technology, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Email: mail2pradeeprajan@gmail.com

3II Year MBA Student, Department of Management Studies, SNS College of Engineering, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. Email: shyam191523@gmail.com

Abstract— This study investigates how layout optimization of a spare parts warehouse in an automobile service center reduces technician waiting time and improves operational efficiency. Delays in automobile service delivery are frequently attributed to spare-part shortages, yet in practice they often stem from disorganized warehouse layout, ambiguous bin locations, and inefficient material handling. Primary data were collected from 70 technicians using a structured questionnaire and analyzed in IBM SPSS through normality testing, Spearman’s rank correlation, Chi-square, Mann–Whitney U, and Kruskal–Wallis tests. The data were found to be non-normally distributed (p < 0.05); Spearman’s correlation between time waste and waiting time was negligible (ρ = −0.009, p = 0.944), and the Chi-square test revealed no significant association between ease of locating spare parts and bin-misplacement complaints (χ2 = 2.237, p = 0.525). These results indicate that technician waiting time is driven primarily by structural layout factors rather than by isolated process-level time waste. The study recommends ABC classification, standardized bin coding, and a digital location-tracking system to reduce search time and improve service throughput, offering a transferable framework for after-sales warehouse redesign.

Key Words: Warehouse layout optimization, spare parts management, technician waiting time, ABC analysis, bin location system, non-parametric statistical testing.