Tool Tracking Tips

Tool hoarding costs a company time and money. Efficiently getting tools from where they are idle to where they are needed should be a simple task. Unfortunately, too many contractors try to use an accounting policy to solve an operation's problem.

Contracting is a team sport. Teams require trust to operate efficiently. Tool tracking systems can help build trust by making it clear who is responsible for each tool on each project. Clear lines of responsibility build trust.

Blinderman Construction put a system in place to save money. This case study interviews Jack Hobbs on his selection and implementation of a new tool system.

Tool tracking needed to be SIMPLE in order to help Gilbert Mechanical personnel take responsibility for tools in the field. That is exactly what they found with ShareMyToolbox.

Whether it is GPS, Bluetooth, a puck, a dongle, RFID an asset tag or whatever: the options are more than most contractors can sift through. So what is the difference? More importantly what is worth the time to put in place?

Whether technology works in a lab or whether it works in the rough and tumble field of construction is a big question for contractors. Time is limited and contractors don't have time to waste on solutions that "usually work".

Have you ever wondered how other contractors are solving the small tool inventory issue? Here are some the ways electrical, mechanical and other contractors are tracking their tools.

Pentoir construction is a painting, drywall and interior contractor. They found that employees often kept tools so long that they forgot that the tools belonged to the company. Slowly the tools were procured for personal use. This profile shows how Pentoir stopped slow tool theft.

White Electrical has been in business since 1910 and works over a very large geography. With lots of trucks, lots of jobs and lots of movement it was often hard to find tools fast. Searching for who had a needed tool could take an hour of phone calls. Learn how White Electrical solved their tool tracking problem.

J Becher and associates has wired over 10,000 homes and businesses. Staying organized with their high volume of business is obviously a high priority. Learn how they organized their tool inventory and started tracking who has every tool.

At Stansell Electric most tools stay in the field. Tracking these tools with Excel spreadsheets in the office simply was not working. Thus, field personnel helped research and select a new method of tool tracking. Learn more about how Stansell Electric's field personnel selected a tool tracking system.

Keeping field people efficient and productive is a key to MAC Contracting Group's success. To do this MAC invests in technology to help keep field people free to get work done. Having an efficient way to find and track tools was one way MAC is ensuring that field people can stop chasing tools and get the job done.

CornerStone Plumbing is a company built on trust. Giving field personnel a way to track small tools and equipment allows them to take charge of getting the tools they need. It also reduces the he-said-she-said accusations when a tool vanishes. Now everyone knows who is responsible for each tool.

We can always use new ideas for tracking profiles and articles. Contact us and let us know if your company would like to be profiled. Is your firm using GPS trackers, Bluetooth beacons or RFID scanners in a unique way? Let us know.

EC Electric company shares their approach to implementing a new tool inventory app to track their tools and small equipment. They found that it was easier than they thought to get the field to take responsibility for tools and the app.

I am looking for more contractor profiles! Contact us if your company would like to be profiled. Are you using GPS trackers, Bluetooth scanners or RFID tags in a cool way? Tell us about it and get profiled here.