Spare parts management plays an important role in achieving the desired plant availability at an optimum cost. It has been observed in many industries that the non-availability of spare parts, as and when required for repairs, contribute to as much as 50% of the total down time and also cost more than 50% of the total maintenance cost. Therefore, the first objective of this paper is to identify the control characteristics of spare parts such as criticality and specificity. The second objective is to propose a multi-criteria decision making model to quantify the criticality of spare parts. The third objective is to propose a multi-criteria decision making model to develop a manufacturing strategy of spare parts. The proposed models are based on the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) using the Expert Choice software. Finally, a case study will be conducted at general water desalination establishment to validate the proposed models. These models will help the decision maker to select the right strategy which will lead to reduce the total down time and total maintenance cost.