Parts Leakage Prevention & Mechanic Workshop Billing (Nothing Leaves Unbilled)
Parts leakage prevention means every part used on a job is issued to that job on a job card and included on the customer invoice. No parts leave without a job issue; no job closes without those parts on the invoice. Mechanic workshop billing stays accurate with job-card-to-invoice automation.
In this article
- What parts leakage is and why it happens
- How to get technicians to record every part they use
- Mechanic workshop billing: never miss a part on the invoice
- Typical revenue impact and how to fix it
What is parts leakage and why does it happen?
Parts leakage is revenue lost because parts were used but never billed. It happens when technicians take parts without logging them, when office staff don't add every part to the invoice, or when there's no link between what was used (job card) and what was charged (invoice). The fix is one path: parts issued to job → job card → invoice.
How do I get technicians to record every part they use?
Make it part of the workflow: parts are only available by being issued to a job. No issue, no part. Technicians (or parts staff) add parts to the job card as they use them. The job card then becomes the definitive list for invoicing. In automotive and industrial equipment environments, this is enforced by using a single system for stock and job cards so there's no way to use parts "off the books."
| Cause | Fix |
|---|---|
| Technicians take parts without logging | Parts only available via job issue; no issue, no part |
| Office builds invoice from memory | Convert job to invoice; system pulls all parts and labor |
| Job card and invoice in different systems | Single system for stock, job cards, and invoicing |
| No link between what was used and what was billed | One job card = one invoice; same data, no re-entry |
Mechanic workshop billing: never miss a part on the invoice
Don't retype: pull parts from the job card onto the invoice automatically. When you "convert job to invoice," the system adds all parts (and labor) from the job. The office reviews and sends—they don't rebuild the invoice from memory. For a full flow, read preventing hidden stock loss in workshops.
Stopping parts leakage is about closing the loop between what's used and what's billed. Once that loop is closed, your revenue and your stock will match.