Metal Construction News, January 2021

BUSINESS FEATURE Bosch Blue Hound is a Bluetooth tracking system that allows you to attach tracking buttons to any tool or asset and track it through the website or app Preventing Job Site Tool Theft By Paul Deffenbaugh Editorial Director Preventing loss and theft requires good processes that are improved by new technologies I once had a circular saw stolen while on a job site An acquaintance of the painting contractor walked through grabbed it out of an unlocked toolbox and disappeared into the afternoon A couple of days later a friend saw it in the local pawnshop it was a small town but by the time I got there after work the tool had been sold or removed by the owner and he played dumb about ever having it Even though I replaced the saw I still miss it and am kind of ticked off to this day about its theft Thats the nature of tool theft Its costly Some experts rate the annual cost of job site theft which includes materials other than tools at about 400 million Tool theft eats away at a companys profi t margin and it strikes right at the core of a trade worker Using these tools is how skilled workers demonstrate their value and talent Losing one hurts The Basics Security experts identify lots of techniques workers should use to protect tools from theft or loss They include 1 Paint or engrave your tools 2 Keep them in a lock box 3 Install job site security cameras 4 Remove the batteries or chargers 5 Take them home 6 Install fences to limit access to the site All of those things are good but there are three things in particular that can signifi cantly cut down on tool theft and take advantage of modern technologies 1 Create a tool management process 2 Keep an inventory 3 Make individuals responsible Michael Stoller is director of product management for Stanley Black Decker New Britain Conn and he says Weve looked at tool loss a lot of different ways One of the conclusions is tool loss is less about theft and more about good processes that prevent things from walking away When we encounter some companies they have no visibility between the tool crib and the job site The warehouse manager will assign 200 tools and assets to sites Things will break Nobody will check them in at the end of the week That lack of process leads to lack of visibility At Robert Bosch Tool Corp Prospect Ill Tammy Bauer Pro User marketing manager agrees When tools are not managed or tracked effectively it can lead to a higher likelihood of assets walking off the job site Tools can be lost misplaced or stolen in transit One of the most common things we hear from our customers is that workers will leave the job site early to head home for the day realize they left their tools at the job site but decide not to turn around and drive back because theyre already close to home One of the most common mistakes says Dean Gagliano associate product manager One Key tool tracking services for Milwaukee Tool Brookfi eld Wis although I wouldnt call it a mistake is workers being careless with their items At the end of the day theyre doing things in a rush and they forget to lock up a tool Its more an opportunity situation when tools become stolen Tools getting misplaced or lost is a completely different thing Theyre not taking proper precautions not taking it back to the toolbox Theyre giving the opportunity to thieves Create a Process The surest way to protect the investment of your tools is to create a tracking process and assign responsibility The responsibility includes everyone from management who has to set up the process to the warehouse managers and site supervisors to the tradesperson using the tool Lost or stolen tools are the responsibility of all There are simple ways to do this Keep an inventory of all your tools that is managed by the warehouse manager That person checks out tools to the job site where the site supervisor then has responsibility He or she can then assign tools to specifi c trade people No matter if youre using technology or not you have to have a process for tracking your tools and keeping them inventoried Anything that goes to the job site needs to be tracked and on www metalconstruct ionnews com 28 METAL CONSTRUCTION NEWS January 2021