ToolHound
Tool Hunting Made Easy with Equipment Inventory System

The ability to locate the right tool in the right place at all times is critical for any organization maintaining an equipment inventory. “When workers can’t find the tools they need to perform their jobs, it means loss of productivity, profit, and even loss of customers due to missed deadlines,” conveys Dean Perry, the President of ToolHound. Perry’s notion to fix these glitches gave birth to ToolHound, a system that tracks tools, equipment and consumables across an unlimited number of locations for greater efficiency, resulting in a more profitable business. One of the technologies it utilizes is Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) involving the application of tags in tools and equipment that provides a number of benefits, such as the ability to fully automate tool check-in and check-out, over the use of bar codes. “RFID technology allows us to offer the self-serve SecureCrib feature, which reduces labor costs and helps companies address profitability concerns,” denotes Perry.

ToolHound provides multiple ways to save money on construction projects without impacting quality, and eliminating roadblocks in tracking; and the story of Bechtel, a global engineering and construction organization is worth mentioning. Bechtel Equipment Operations (BEO) supplies all the tools and equipment needed to keep their global construction projects operating efficiently. To maintain the massive tool inventory necessary for them to operate on such a large scale, the company needed an adaptable tool control system that could function on different levels. Since each site is responsible for their inventory losses, this accountability is another important factor in the system’s use. “As clients become more familiar with the system, its value becomes more and more apparent with each new project,” says Perry.

ToolHound solutions are capable of adding multiple identifiers (IDs) to items so that tracking can be done by bar code, RFID chips, serial number, or even an etched number. All codes in the system, such as transaction types, inventory types, and statuses are user-definable to add more flexibility and allow clients to better follow their internal processes.

The company automates the process for scheduling regular maintenance and tracking employee certification, leading to safer working practices and reduced company liability. Furthermore, the use of cloud computing allows remote management of equipment inventories across multiple locations, from anywhere at any time via a single software platform.

Overall, the cloud based, scalable ToolHound system delivers prompt return on investment through streamlined inventory visibility, reduced equipment losses, increased worker productivity, automated tool rental billing per project, and simplified resale of obsolete or excessive equipment inventory.

The ability to locate the right tool in the right place at all times is critical for any organization maintaining an equipment inventory

Worker safety is also a concern that ToolHound addresses by ensuring tools and equipment meet safety standards through scheduled maintenance and calibration. Implementing solutions like ToolHound 5 system provides investment protection by maximizing tool use, saving worker time, and reducing tool budgets for overall profitability. More specifically, increased staff accountability reduces tool hoarding and theft for significant cost savings.

ToolHound has shown the construction industry a path that only leads to progress and moving forward; the company aims to follow the market trends, implement the latest advancements and be a standard in the construction industry. The company’s cloud-based solution is scalable to maintain large operations, providing comprehensive visibility for total tool and equipment inventory management across multiple locations for construction, mining, energy, maintaining and engineering applications.