Valentine’s Day is all about appreciating who you love. However, regardless if a engineer is single, married, or partnered, they share the same love for something – tool control.
It might not be romantic, however, a well-organised, reliable tool control system earns genuine affection. This is because it supports safety, efficiency, and pride in workmanship.
Why All Engineers “Love” Tool Control
For engineers and technicians, for example, those in high-stakes aviation and MRO environments, tool control isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a system that they rely on every single day.
Proper tool control can easily be “loved” because it means accountability, safety, and efficiency. Therefore, it not only improves the workflow of the engineers. It also supports teams, reduces risk, and keeps crucial projects running smoothly.
1. Tool Control Supports Safety and FOD Prevention
In aviation maintenance, a single forgotten tool can become dangerous foreign object debris (FOD). Because of this, maintenance crews enforce strict tool inventories and shadow boarding procedures to ensure no tool is left inside an aircraft.
The scale of FOD problems is larger than many think. They actually cost the aviation industry up to $22.7 billion per year in damage and delays. Damage and delays can be caused by the smallest of tools as well, even a tiny screwdriver tip.
When you implement tool control strategies, though, you’re able to ensure all tools are accounted for. This makes it easy to visually identify whether or not all your tools have been removed from the aircraft after maintenance.
2. Organisation That Holds Up in Real Environments
Proper tool control often uses custom foam inserts or shadow boards. This ensures that each tool has its own defined place.
Foam inserts and shadow boards are the perfect solution as they hold up in real environments. They are durable, regardless of how many times you pull or push a tool in or out of place.
Time and time again, we’ve seen workshops following the 5S tool control system. Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardise, and Sustain. The problem with this, though, poorly made tool control systems’ labels fade, tear, break, or end up left half empty.
Those who “love” tool control don’t want to suffer this problem. That’s why we offer rugged and chemical-resistant tool control systems like Skydrol-resistance foam. This can withstand an engineers einvorment and provide organisation for years to come.
3. Saves Time, Protects Tools, and Reduces Downtime
Something that all engineers love is saving time, protecting tools, and reducing downtime.
In fact, 47% of work time is spent on searching for tools instead of actually using them. Not only this, but sometimes engineering tools cost a lot. Protecting them could save an organisation thousands per year.
With a tool control system, you get faster tool retrieval and better storage for your equipment. All in all, this saves money, reduces downtime, and makes engineers’ projects much easier.
4. Can Be Used for Existing Tools
Another reason professional value tool control systems like foam inserts or shadow boards is that they’re adaptable to existing tools.
You don’t need to scrap your gear or buy a new storage box. Instead, you can just use your current tools and customise the tool control system to suit them.
Improve Your Tool Control Today
Engineers, we know you probably have a different Valentine’s date. We’re sure it’s not tool control. Still, it’s something you love dearly, and we know it. If you’d like to improve your tool control today, feel free to contact a representative at Red Box Tools.
