Inventory-related inefficiencies, snafus, and resulting downtime can account for 80 minutes a day/or 310 hours a year wasted, we’ve previously reported.
Then, how do you keep track of tool inventory? A streamlined inventory management system begins at the tool room. In this article, we’ll provide some tool inventory ideas and explain how to organize a tool crib for better success, whether you’re a small operation or a large-scale enterprise looking to refactor a network of tool cribs.
A tool crib is typically a designated room where tool and equipment inventory is stored. A tool crib may also be referred to as a tool room, a large storage area in an industrial space where wire cages are often employed as a security measure; inventory is organized and surrounded by industrial security cage panels or tool cages that are secured under lock and key.
Industrial tool cribs are often manned by tool crib attendants, who manage the organization and flow of inventory from job to job, including scheduling, check-in/out processes, safety stock procurement, etc. Large operations may have full networks of several tool cribs (e.g., some jobsites may have their own onsite tool crib), while selected foreman may have keys to the tool crib to grant them access during the off shift.
Here are some 2022 tool inventory ideas:
Being able to quickly find what you’re looking for in the tool crib is paramount. We often use the layout of a Home Depot as a prime exemplar of clear inventory organization and categorization on display (e.g., “Electrical,” “Plumbing,” “Appliances,” etc.), but you could substitute in practically any hardware store.
Categorizing/grouping inventory on shelves by product category, and furnishing these shelves with large, legible descriptors (e.g., “Saws,” “Drills,” etc.), can help new tool crib attendants easily locate items; furthermore, we recommend adding subcategories (e.g., corded Sawzall, cordless Sawzall, bandsaws, circ saws, etc.) for an added layer of sensible organization.
Once you’ve got your categories and subcategories assembled, you’ll want to lay out your room to optimize space. There are online tools available for free to layout a floorplan (e.g., Floorplanner, Room Sketcher®).
Additional Tool crib supplies to consider:
A Procore®/IDC joint study reported that paper-based, manual procedures create process and workflow inefficiencies, poor visibility and accountability, and ineffective controls, reporting, and analytics. Yet, 39% of construction projects still relied on manual or mostly manual processes.
Further, 62% reported human error from manual process management as the #1 root cause of inventory fulfillment issues.
A cloud-based inventory app like ONE-KEY™ can help construction companies, general contractors, and tradespeople alike manage and streamline their inventory processes.
One-Key offers a wide range of useful features that are continuously improved/maintained, while new features and updates are added on a biweekly basis:
There are logistical symphonies at work to perfectly harmonize large-scale fulfillment operations; ecommerce behemoth Amazon has made “micro-fulfillment investments” to solve the “last-mile delivery” dilemma and transform an already miraculous two-day delivery shipping model to same-day delivery. At Milwaukee® Tool, we’ve taken a similar path to help tool managers troubleshoot on-premises equipment finding by introducing what we call the last-100-ft experience.
One-Key is a free tool inventory app. It’s a fully comprehensive system allowing contactors to manage inventory of tools and equipment from all manufacturers. Learn how to get started using One-Key.
One-Key is free-to-use and can be piloted; our team can help get large contractors in the system!
How do you categorize tools? It’s important to create and maintain consistency when importing new inventory. This will save you a lot of headaches in the long run. For example, when entering “M18 FUEL 1/2 Hammer Drill,” ensure each additional item of this kind is named the same way, rather than “Hammer Drill,” “1/2 Hammer Drill,” etc.
This can help prevent unassigned and misnamed inventory items from becoming lost in a crowded inventory. Remember, each new shorthand you create will make it that much harder to shore up every distinct variation. If you find “1/2 Hammer Drill” easier to type in, make sure you stick with it each time. Furthermore, you can avoid import errors like these by adding many items of the same kind via our bulk uploader tool; then, when adding items of the same kind later, do so by using an existing entry in your inventory to add additional items.
So, now, how do you keep track of tool inventory? You can optimize your inflight equipment tracking experience with both tracking hardware and software to facilitate a bird’s-eye-view of your inventory as it’s checked out and shipped off to the job; that way, you’ll have eyes on it in case something happens warranting a reroute.
Here are some procedures and tool crib supplies to facilitate a positive tool tracking experience:
Construction job costing (Updated for 2023): an important process employed by large construction companies, particularly as part of construction project management, job costing helps managers stay on top of the budgets of multiple large-scale construction projects. We recently released a Job Costing App Feature to One-Key that allows users to assign daily and/or weekly rental rates to individual tools, as well as tool kits they’re sending to a given job in bulk, and calculate the cost accrued for each day those items are in the field.
A tool crib manager can help carefully plan and schedule the flow of inventory, ensuring tools are where they’re needed, before they’re needed, and preventing inventory-related downtime that could otherwise lead to costly project overruns. They can also prevent hoarding, order safety stock, and in general, optimize the construction equipment logistics chain.
The importance of inventory management should not be undersold. In an industry that’s starved for talent, having a well-oiled equipment logistics chain is of utmost importance to ensuring the skilled trades on the job have what they need to do their work on time, to-spec, and on-budget.
All this to say, streamlining inventory management and making a method out of the madness starts with optimizing, organizing, and occupying the tool room with teams empowered to work together in perfect harmony.