Rant: The Before and After of Our Shop's Tool Inventory System

I swear, I walked into our hangar at Midway Airport last month and it was like a whole DIFFERENT place. The tool crib used to be a total disaster zone with wrenches and sockets scattered everywhere. But after our lead mechanic, Dave, spent 3 weekends organizing it with a shadow board setup, the difference is NIGHT and day. He color coded everything by size and even added a sign out sheet for the torque wrenches. Now I can grab a 3/8 ratchet in under 30 seconds instead of digging through a bin for 5 minutes. It's saved me SO much time during the morning rush before we start inspections. Has anyone else's shop made a big change like that recently? How long did it take for your crew to get used to it?

2 comments

2 Comments

rodriguez.jordan1mo ago

Wow that sounds way too organized for a real shop! I bet Dave also laminated the sign out sheet and alphabetized the screwdrivers by brand. Next thing you know he'll install a barcode scanner and make everyone clock in before touching a wrench.

sean_park81mo ago

Read somewhere that shops with enforced tool checkout systems actually have less theft, but @rodriguez.jordan probably still has three of Dave's 10mm sockets in his toolbox right now.