Simple Tool Control Solutions
We all know searching for tools is a regular occurrence that is so unnecessary. More than likely, most of the same issues that occur at work occur in your own garage. Thankfully, there are many solutions available today for helping you improve your tool control. Some are costly and cumbersome, like electronic tracking systems while others are simple and easy to implement such as colored tape. Below, I’ve outlined some of the simpler solutions in no particular order of preference.
Pegboard – personally, I love pegboard. It’s so flexible. I prefer the polypropylene or steel boards manufactured by Triton Products rather than the pressboard you routinely get at hardware stores. The beauty of the Triton boards is the hooks stay in place. No more hooks falling off when you remove the tool. Moreover, there are dozens of different hook configurations so you can hang just about anything.
Tool Shadow Tape – a great addition to pegboards, you can add colored tool shadow tape to add visual controls to your tools. Simply trace the tool out on the back of the shadow tape, cut and place on the board. When the tool is removed, a shadow is left behind, making it obvious where the tool should be returned too. It helps keep the tools organized and easy to be found. Better yet, it’s super easy to use and visual.
Plasti-Dip Rubber Coating – dip tool handles into this rubbery liquid to add color to your tools. The rubber holds up very well with repeated use.
Colored Vinyl Tape – a super easy method of color coordinating your tools is simply wrapping a small piece of ½” colored vinyl tape around the handle. Cheap and easy.
Useful Tip - use different colors for each workstation. You can utilize all of these solutions together. For example, use blue shadow tape and either blue Plasti-Dip or blue vinyl tape for the tools specific forthat work station. This helps stop people from “borrowing” tools from other work benches. It also makes it easier for auditing. If you you’re in the midst of an audit and you see a green handled hammer in an orange work station you know there’s issues.
Tool Shadow Boards – this solution is growing in popularity. There are various types which usually depend on environment they’re used in. There’s foam for regular production areas and plastics for clean room applications. Foam - You trace out the tool on the foam piece, usually ½” depth, then cut out the tool shadow and place the cut sheet on an offsetting colored piece of ¼” foam. Typical colors are black on red or blue on yellow. Be aware however – there are several different types of foam available. Some are less costly but also not as durable and have more fod concerns whereas others are a closed cell polyfoam which is much more durable and holds up better to harsh environments. Clean Rooms – the acceptable material for clean rooms is high density polyethylene (HDPE ). This requires customized cutting and routing and due to the expense really shouldn’t be done yourself unless you really know what you’re doing.
Magnets – I’m a big fan of magnets. Again, flexibility is the key. Magnetic hooks, posts, file trays, clips, socket caddies and magnetic strips and mats can all be used to organize your tools and put them at point of use.
Tool Cards – to add some accountability to your tool control one idea I’ve seen is to provide each worker a tool user card. When they remove a tool, they place that card on the pegoboard hook. The card simply has the persons name, picture and contact information. When they return the tool, they take their card back. It’s a good idea to laminate these to make them durable enough to withstand constant use. This is useful for a few reasons: 1) it puts responsibility on the tool user to return the tool 2) it helps others know who is using the tool if they need it 3) helps during audits. No missing tool hook should be without a tool card.
It goes without saying all of these solutions will not work if the visual controls they support aren’t followed by the workforce. It’s imperative that the supervisors and managers hold everyone accountable to the solutions put in place. The majority of these solutions are easy to implement and control and are not costly.
If you have any questions about the solutions mentioned above please contact me, David Visco directly at Our company provides all of these tool control solutions plus more including creative custom solutions. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
David Visco
President/The 5S Store
Publisher/Effective Flow Magazine
(978)842-4610