What are other dealers doing with their special service tools? What are my options?
Pivoting Panel System: This system focuses on simplicity, placing the tools in numerical sequence and keeping them visible. It uses space well and works logically. The pivoting panel system can be located in the service department, out in the shop, or even in the parts department. The standard pivoting panel is 48” x 84” and provides 56 square feet of organization space (approximately 100 tools per panel). This is an affordable way to actually organize tools.
Storage Crates: Always an option when budget and concern for tools is low. This is the “old stand-by” method of dumping tools into plastic storage bins or crates. Technicians love to rummage through looking and hoping for the needed tool. New tools are simply put into bins for possible future use (if they can be found). No inventory system is in place and tools are very difficult to locate. This is raw “storage.”
Shelving: Typically found in the back room and sometimes even homemade. Technicians are required to look for tools on shelves by category or by size. This system gets the tools up off of the floor and visible on a shelf without having to rummage through a bin. Unfortunately, utilization of space is pre-determined by “fixed” shelf height. Tools are usually sorted by size. It’s not an efficient use of space or resources, and tools are still difficult to find.
Cases: More and more tools are being shipped in plastic cases. These work great for shipping purposes, but not for organization. Some dealers leave the tools in these cases-and the tools are never used because they can’t be found. Or they purchase shelves to put the cases on-and the tools are still very difficult to find. After all, the cases all look the same. Cases mandate a detailed index.
Drawers/Tool Boxes: Sometimes tools are found or “placed” in sliding drawers. Drawer systems are usually of very high quality. The ability to lock the drawers is considered a positive. However, the tools are hidden, someone has to have the key available, and an index is required to find each tool. Drawers can be difficult to maintain, as new tools must be placed in a drawer where they will fit, and the index must be updated to reflect any changes. They look nice and clean but this is an expensive option for storing special service tools.
Pegboard on walls: In an attempt to “organize” tools, shops look for an open area on a wall and mount pegboard all over the wall. It’s an inexpensive way to get started but takes an enormous amount of wall space to accommodate all of the tools. So usually another method is combined with this one, which creates an even more complex process to find a tool. Where is it, on the wall or someplace else?
