Priya built a spreadsheet with seven critical columns. She explained each one as Rajiv watched over her shoulder.
"Where do you keep i20 brake pads?" Rajiv pointed: "Top shelf, third row, blue bin." Priya typed: A-12 / Blue Bin . No more rummaging.
She opened Microsoft Excel. "This," she said, "is your new brain."
If you were to build one today, your headers should look like this: automobile spare parts list in excel
Rajiv pulled an old box from the shelf. Printed on it was 58101-BYA11 . Priya entered it. "This is the manufacturer's code. Even if you forget the name, this number finds the part anywhere."
One rainy Tuesday, his niece, Priya, a business student, walked in. "Kaka," she said, holding a laptop. "Your garage is leaking money. Let me show you something."
Rajiv was skeptical. "This looks like homework. How does this help me?" Priya built a spreadsheet with seven critical columns
Finally: Supplier: Ganesh Auto Parts, Ph: 98765xxxxx . And a date: 15-May-2026 .
Now, when a customer walks in and asks, "Can you fix my car by Friday?" Rajiv doesn't run to the shelf. He opens Excel. He checks the list. He gives an answer in ten seconds.
She typed: BRK-i20-F for "Brake pad, i20, Front." "Every part needs a unique ID," she said. "No more confusion between Santro and i20 pads." No more rummaging
She entered: Buy: ₹1,200 | Sell: ₹1,800 . "Now you know your profit per part," she said. "That brake job you did yesterday? You actually made ₹600, not the ₹300 you thought."
Rajiv had run "City Auto Care" for twelve years. He could diagnose a faulty alternator by ear and rebuild a gearbox blindfolded. But his spare parts inventory was chaos.
And it all started with a blank Excel grid, a curious niece, and a simple list of spare parts. "The best inventory system isn't the most expensive one," Rajiv now tells young mechanics. "It's the one you actually use. For me, that's Excel."
Bolts were in biscuit tins. Brake pads sat next to spark plugs. When a customer needed a specific water pump for a 2018 Hyundai i20, Rajiv would spend twenty minutes rummaging through shelves, mumbling to himself. Often, he'd order a part he already had, or worse, promise a repair he couldn't complete.
His profits are up 22%. His stress is down by half.