NAO right on the button here and the building up of Inventory sucks money out of everybodys budgets because its got to be paid for immediately and then stored until used, if ever.
Pit winding wheel is a great example BUT not such a good one if every single Pit held one rather than having a central holding stock which equated to average replacements in a year. 400 pits having a single winding wheel at £120k each V 50 held centrally makes a huge difference.
Potentially a better way if to ensure suppliers responsible for all inventory in its holding and availability. Yup they may get a premium above normal but adding 20% to the base cost of something you need in 3 years seems a lot better than holding it for 3 years and paying for it 3 years ago and then paying to store for 3 years.
It would be unsurprising if 30% of Inventory was obsolete but political will never be there to admit that.