Most manufacturers have the same challenge of tracking their equipment. In a facility with hundreds of workers, it’s almost impossible to know where a tool is and with whom at any given time. As a result, many tools are lost or unaccounted for and must be replaced. The cycle of replacing lost tools can quickly become expensive for the business in the long run. It also encourages a bad culture of employees losing items since they know lost tools will be replaced anyway. In this post, we discuss four cost-effective ways to minimize manufacturing equipment loss.
Design an Equipment Sign Out Form
An equipment sign-out form lets you know the inventory taken out of storage every day. Each employee signs out any equipment they take from the inventory at the end of the day on the sheet, though it doesn’t have to be all manual.
Along with the manual sign-out form, you can create a mobile app with fulfillment logs that your employees can use to sign out and return any equipment they obtain from storage. The app may also be useful in tracking employees with unreturned tools outside the work premises.
Use Simple Holstering Equipment
Workers misplacing (leaving somewhere and forgetting) tools are among the biggest reasons manufacturing equipment ends up lost. Offering your workers holstering equipment can solve the problem.
In addition, mobile and tablet holsters allow workers to store gadgets of various types inside as needed for different tasks throughout the day. Plus, the fact that the holsters are strapped onto your workers even while working guarantees maximum protection of equipment. Rest assured that holsters reduce equipment lost by significant margins.
Keep a Daily Checklist
Create a checklist of work tools using spreadsheets and review them at the end of your day to ensure all are present. You can do this within the last 15 to 30 minutes of ending your work day so that you won’t be in any particular rush. During your check:
- Walk through the working compound to make sure no tools have been left behind
- Carry a toolbox to store any tools left behind
- Place all tools in their correct position
- Write down any tools that are missing from the inventory
In the end, you can compare your daily checklist with your sign-out form to know the employees responsible for the missing tools. This way, you can hold the right workers accountable for any lost equipment.
Use Equipment Tracking Software
Tracking equipment through paper and spreadsheets leaves much room for error in mitigating equipment loss. You often can’t confirm that the information is true, and the process limits to one person at a time.
Using equipment tracking software gives you access to numerous features that simplify the process of minimizing equipment loss. The software reports data on equipment usage trends to know which tools are used more. It also integrates with job scheduling, maintenance planning, and other asset management tools for easier tracking. With all these things, you won’t have to worry about the negative financial impact of losing manufacturing equipment.
Protect What You Lose the Most
You don’t have to protect all tools if only a specific type gets lost most of the time. To save money, focus on protecting items that get lost often. For example, if it’s small metallic objects like drill bits, you can invest in magnetic wristbands that help you hold on to them as you need.
Contact E-Holster for the Best Manufacturing Equipment Protection
Ultimately, you don’t want to spend your money replacing tools. Prevention is always better when it comes to equipment loss. Our scanner holsters can help prevent manufacturing equipment loss.
They’re designed to hold several items in different pockets, meaning you can carry multiple tools simultaneously. More importantly, they’re comfortable to wear, so there is no need to take them off even when working. Contact us today for more information on our excellent loss-preventing merchandise.
