One more thought on using either EIS or IBP for inventory to manage service parts. These inventory optimization applications use forecast and forecast error as key input variables to calculate safety stock requirements at every item/location. Service parts are unique because of the market forces that drive the forecast compared to other industries like consumer goods or high tech. And EIS and IBP do not have the algorithms to calculate a service parts forecast that take those unique characteristics into account. But if you feed a quality forecast into the model that may be generated by your existing systems (like SAP Service Parts Planning), and can calculate forecast error by comparing that historical forecast to what was actually used, then EIS and IBP can calculate safety stock requirements for service parts.
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