How To Find The Best Tool Control Solution For Your Requirements

Regardless if you are working in the aerospace, construction, field service, automotive or mining industry, leaving your tools in an open area or in an area where multiple people have access to them throughout the day, can lead to misplaced or lost tools on the job site.

Not being able to find tools when you need them is more than just an inconvenience. The time spent looking for them eats into the productivity of your organisation.

What is Visual Tool Control?

The simplest solution suitable for every kind of company is Visual Tool Control with two-coloured foam inlays. Every tool has it's cut-out in the tray. The bright bottom layer makes it easy to spot at a glance when a tool is missing. The shape of the cut-out or additional laser marking on the dark top layer identify which tool it is.

For Aerospace companies (including rotary and fixed wing), CASR Part 145 requires suitable accountability of tools/equipment, suitable procedures to avoid FOD and correct calibration management of tools/test equipment within specified date requirements. Meeting these requirements can be seen as creating a whole lot of extra work, red tape and delays when time is so precious. Is this how your company feels?

Why do you need some sort of Tool Control?

With the introduction of good tool control procedures, the efficiency levels and user experience is considerably enhanced. It is proven that working from standardised company-owned toolkits with Visual Tool Control inlays does reduce FOD potential and saves a considerable amount of time. No longer does it take an hour or more to do an inventory-check on a toolbox. Actually it takes as long as a glance on each layer. Previously these inventory checks may have been required to be performed say once a week by every mechanic on their personal-owned toolkit. Consider the cost in time!

Manual systems can be put in place to manage toolkits, hand tools and equipment. If done suitably, full accountability at any time can be proven, it certainly meets compliance requirements and can go a long way to meeting the need.

However, toolkits, tools and equipment have to be stored securely, issued as complete and returned as complete requiring much human resource to accurately do so with manual methods. This could include signing in and and out, a storeman checking every kit or piece of equipment in and out of the toolcrib. The question is: Do you believe your system will provide 100% accountability for all your tooling at a moments notice?

Why do you need Electronic Tool Control?

Electronic Tool Control systems electronically and automatically record which tools have been removed from a toolkit or have been returned. Many systems also offer access control, requiring the user to login and therefore recording who is using the contents and on which aircraft/job they are used.

This can be achieved through various systems like barcode scanning, RFID tagging, weight measurement or digital scanning.

Electronic Tool Control reduces tool shrinkage, replacement cost and downtime due to lost tools. It offers centralized control of your essential hand and power tools. And it allows for customized badge access to storage units, provides an audit trail, and helps minimize the risk of FOD.

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Should you use RFID tags for your Tool Control?

There are less than a handful of companies who produce anything along the lines of Automated Tool Control, and even from this handful most are unable to manage small items like 1/4 inch Drive Sockets, Screwdriver Bits, Cutting Tools, etc.

When the discussion of electronic tool control comes up many think RFID is the state-of-the-art solution, where in fact it is almost impossible to successfully tag all the required small tools. Successfully reading all tags when a kit may comprise of 1,000 plus tools in a cabinet is highly unlikely.

Tagging of tools can work successfully on larger tools, but even so it is expensive both initially and ongoing, it can obstruct safe tool usage and be a FOD issue in itself, when a tag comes off.

Why choose the kabTRAK storage cabinet by henchmanTRAK?

Moving away from RFID, there is a solution which does not require any tool modification (ie: no tagging), covering exactly what is needed for aircraft tools and is the fastest system available -?the henchmanTRAK system.?

Being the most?comprehensive solution in the industry, you receive full accountability and will be able to know in real-time

• which tools are in use
• who is using them and when
• on which aircraft they are used
• if they are broken and need to be replaced
• if and when they need to be calibrated

Tools that are due for calibration or have been marked unserviceable can not be removed from the toolkit and used on an aircraft, reducing the risk of damage to equipment, personal injury and FOD due to tool debris.?

New Automated Tool Control Solution Brochure

How is the henchmanTRAK Electronic Tool Control system different from other technologies and why is it the better choice?

This brochure shows you

• 9 distinct benefits of the kabTRAK system
• comparison of kabTRAK with other known tracking technologies
• possible cabinet sizes and drawer configurations

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CONTACT US?to discuss your requirements and which solution could be right for you.

Or ASK US for a personal Zoom Demonstration of henchmanTRAK.