On some units, lean is also being used to remove equipment and c stores along with manpower reductions, bays that used to be able to service more than one item have had manpower reduced, therefore they cannot service all the kit so why have the spares and test equipment, so lets get rid of that as well.
Pulse line: The aircraft have input meetings that agree the standard of the aircraft at input and the work required by the MOD/customer (Sqd robs outstanding, ADFs, Lims, husbandry entries, mods, EIs etc). This is agreed with due regards to the availability of the spares to carry out all the tasks. What actually happens is the input standard/work to be done is agreed but when the aircraft arrives in the slot the goal posts are moved. At the end of the inspection phase it is obvious that emerging work is an unknown, if this work cannot be carried out within time or through lack of spares a meeting is conducted as an update with the MOD/customer as to the way forward. The first aircraft through any line of servicing sets the standard guidelines for the rest, if this aircarft cannot have holes filled through inability to repair/source parts then the only option is to rob the last one into the pulse line, eventually you could end up with the last couple of aircraft being in bits untill spares become available.
Finally, I thought that the F3 spares recovery programme was releasing lots of spares into the system at the moment, allthough as the F3 fleet is drawn down these spares will dissapear it still means for some time there will be items more available than they have been.