Tools are some of the biggest investments shops make.
Small and large tools are necessary for many jobs and although most shops have a tool crib and most have a checkout system in place, few are as effective as they could be.
Lost tools mean expense in replacing them and the most effective answer to tool inventory control problem could be tool management software.
Tool inventory software can help keep track of these vital elements of business.
How effectively they are accounted for depends upon the system in use at the time.
When a drill or sander or any other item is checked out, without a tool management system in place it can easily be lost in the void where no one knows who borrowed the tool or what happened to it.
Some businesses are still depending upon the old style checkout systems for their inventory.
Some forward looking shops are moving toward tool tracking software.
Although knowing how many sanders and drills or planes that a shop has on hand is important, it is also important to know how many saw blades, tacks, or widgets are on hand.
Inventory management software can help prevent a shop running out of any consumable item as well as the high investment hardware items.
Software for inventory management may rely on each asset being assigned a bar-code.
When new items arrive they are given a code, scanned and then placed in the crib.
Each time an item is checked out, it should be scanned and the individual's name who took it should be recorded.
Shrinkage of small and large assets can be avoided with a tight system that relies upon scanning assets in as well as out.
Knowing when any asset should be returned as well as who has it can enable companies to assign responsibility for their loss and possibly recoup the cost if damaged.
In many current systems when a tool is damaged no one is accountable.
The inventory control software will usually integrate best in shops where tool access is controlled.
If assets are missing and access is uncontrolled then it could be difficult to discover who failed to scan the item before removing it.
Asset reports are an excellent way to avoid ordering more of an item than is needed because the tool or consumable was hidden under a motor or a box of nails and was not counted.
Most shops have computer tracking for invoices, printouts for orders or even blue prints, and inventory software is just one more step to help improve the bottom line.
Integrating a scanning system into any shop or even off site construction will require some initial labor.
However any new system requires an investment this one however may pay off quicker than the normal.
Shops where asset loss, consumable shrinkage or just inconvenience, are an issue will see results from a coordinated tracking system quickly if all protocols are followed.
On job site contractors may find that checking out hardware before leaving the shop means they know what they brought with them and what they should take back.
Ordering new hardware can be a breeze with a printout showing exactly where all assets are and when they will be returned.