Is there regular chaos in your company? Are your employees more concerned with running around in panic to find the right articles and tools for their tasks than with actually accomplishing them? No, that’s probably not the case, otherwise you wouldn’t have the time to read this article about tool organization in the manufacturing industry. At least it’s not unlikely that there’s some room in your company for optimization in the area of inventory management and tool identification, is there? For this reason, today’s blog post deals with the topics of tool organization and storage systems.
The round doesn’t always have to be in the rectangle
First, let’s talk about waste. Of course, every company has its own problems, regardless of whether it works with metal, plastic or cake bottoms. However, the typical types of waste are usually quite similar, because they always involve an inefficient use of time and money. Areas where such inefficiencies are often observed are warehousing and tool organisation. Conventional systems with shelves, cabinets and drawers, which are still used in many businesses, often contribute to this waste. This leads to slower processes where time is wasted mainly on localizing and removing parts.
Unnecessary ways mean unnecessary costs
The transport of articles costs money. Often production and storage areas are not optimized and a lot of space is wasted. A functional layout promotes the efficient use of available space. At the same time, you avoid the high costs associated with product transport that does not create any added value. Businesses can save valuable floor space and concentrate their operations in a smaller space, eliminating wasted movement and transport.
What does the ideal tool organization look like?
At MySolutions we are known to be more active in the software sector. However, we have noticed that the warehouse management has amazing parallels to the construction of a computer. After all, a computer equipped with the best hardware is useless if there is no software that exploits its strengths. The same applies to warehouse management. Even an optimally dimensioned warehouse system is inefficient if it is not supplemented by the appropriate centrally superordinate “software”. The keyword is 2D.ID. But how do you find the best solution for your tool organization? Who can look through the technical language of the salespeople and separate the chaff from the wheat? Well, your ALL-IN-ONE supplier for the manufacturing industry, the MySolutions of course.
2D codes: A breakthrough in warehouse management technology
Since their launch in the early 1970s, 1D codes, or colloquially better known as barcodes, have come a long way. Probably the greatest breakthrough in barcode technology was the invention of 2D codes, which represent a significant improvement over the one-dimensional barcodes used up to now. Two-dimensional or 2D codes are used to systematically characterize data using two-dimensional symbols and shapes. Well, what is so new and unique about 2D codes? 2D codes have the advantage that they contain more data per unit area and can therefore contribute to better business decisions. They are already widely used in industry, including tool measurement. However, the strengths of the 2D.ID method only really become apparent in warehouse management because they enable fast, uncomplicated access to an article. This is exactly why we at MySolutions have dealt with it so extensively.
Hänel Lean-Lift, Kardex & Co – The winner is…?
So, what is the best method of tool organization for your business? There is no uniform approach, but there are some general guidelines that can contribute significantly to an optimal solution. It will depend on many variables, including the size, shape, weight, type and safety requirements of the inventory, as well as ergonomic and environmental aspects such as temperature, humidity and static electricity. Last but not least, there are budget restrictions. Each approach has different advantages and disadvantages and each decision involves compromises. Let MySolutions help you to avoid making the wrong compromises! We look forward to your call.