Organising your tools effectively is the best way to promote productivity and make life easier for your tradespeople. Here are our top tips to follow to ensure your tools are easily accessible and ready for your workers to get the job done. If you want to buy tools to help with organization, RS Components is where you should be looking to find them.
Tip #1: Invest in a purpose-made tool chest
A high-quality tool chest will keep your tools safe from the elements while organising them in an easily accessible fashion. A purpose-made tool chest is an even better choice, since it will have specialised compartments and sections specifically for your needs.
For example, some tool chests are made from durable materials like sheet steel, making them a great choice for heavy-duty environments. On the other hand, you could choose a plastic, wheeled storage chest for lightweight maneuverability.
You should also choose a tool chest with the proper size, shape, and number of drawers to suit your needs. If you need to store several small tools along with nails, screws, and fasteners, a 16-drawer plastic unit is a smart choice.
If you’re storing expensive power tools and want to keep them safe and secure, a solid steel tool chest is a better possibility. Many of these chests come with staple clasps and hasps making them pad-lockable, or hardboard lining for boosted protection.
Tip #2: Store similar items together
Organising your tools by function is a simple way to make finding the right tool easier. There are a few different ways to categorise them based on what suits your business best, so consult with your team for their suggestions.
For example, you could have one section for power tools, one for manual hand tools, and other for toolkits. Alternatively, you could create an area specifically for cleaning tools, one for woodwork, one for metalwork, and so on.
Tip #3: Colour coordinate
Colour coordinating tools is a useful choice, especially if your business has many tools that look similar but serve different functions. For example, if you have several screwdrivers with different heads, it can be difficult to tell which is which from afar—but using colour-coded tape or paint can make things much easier.
If you have multiple employees who use tools in the same area, you can also mark them with a certain colour for each employee, so everyone knows whose tools belong to whom.
Tip #4: Make the most of vertical space
If your employees spend most of their time in a workshop, shed, or garage, storing tools vertically is a fantastic space-saving choice. Storing tools in this way also makes them easily visible and accessible, so your workers can simply grab what they need and go.
Some options for storing tools vertically include pegboards, cubbies, shelves, and built-in storage units. You can even combine storage options, like placing tool chests and containers on top of wall shelving. This approach is a great way to open up more counter space.
Conclusion
By following these tips, you can devise an effective tool organisation strategy that will make life easier for your workers, improve productivity, and reduce the unexpected costs of replacing lost or stolen tools.
