The Anatomy of a Tool Box

Tool boxes come in many different shapes and sizes. Some are small with handles, while others are huge with wheels. Some have nothing but open slots, while others have lots of shelves. A quick search for tool box images online illustrates that there are thousands of different types available. Tool box designs differ so greatly, because there are so many different jobs that require different assortments of tools.

 

 

There’s only one constant to tool box design: they must be able to hold tools. No matter what one looks like, a well thought out tool box design will keep tools well organized and easily accessible. The structure is secondary to the effectiveness. As long as the tools needed are able to be placed in an organized manner, a tool box has achieved its purpose.

 

Work Area Connection

 

Work areas that need power tools also come in many different shapes and sizes. Small production floors and wide open construction sites can hardly be more dissimilar, but both spaces need tools to complete jobs. And just like tool boxes, workspaces can be constructed in many different ways; as long as tools are well organized and easily accessible.

 

One thing that makes work areas different from tool boxes is the extra space needed for permanent objects and worker movement. That’s a big difference, but otherwise the comparisons are spot on. An inefficient tool box would have negative effects on work, just like an inefficient work area would.

 

There’s a reason behind making a link between tool boxes and workspaces. Thinking of a work area as a giant tool box can help one realize how to organize tools. The overall goal for both is good organization, since being organized makes any endeavor more successful.

 

Many options are available to keep tools organized in a work area, but all good options will have three key elements. Further down, each aspect will be discussed in more detail:

      1) A tool’s location must be easily identified

     2) That location should be close to where it’s needed

     3) It should be easily accessible

 

A Need-to-Know Basis

 

Any worker who needs to use a power tool should know where it’s located. The only way to achieve this is to have a specific place for each tool. Having a designated place helps minimize the search for a tool and makes it more likely it is returned after use. People spend way too much time searching for things that are lost, so cutting down on that time at work can greatly improve productivity. Also, if things become permanently lost, then you would need to replace power tools.

 

A tool’s designated location can be marked in a number of ways. Labeling or otherwise marking a place is about as foolproof as it gets; which is important for new employees or for tools that are less often needed. Keeping guesswork out of work is generally a good idea, and the same is true with workplace organization.

 

On Location

 

In real estate, location is the three most important elements (location, location, location). It’s essential in tool organization as well. If a tool is located far from where it’s needed, too much time could be spent simply retrieving it. There are differing degrees of wasted time in this regard. Grabbing a tool that’s located two minutes from a work area does not significantly hurt production time, but if it needs to be retrieved multiple times a shift, time adds up real quick.

 

This wasted time can be cut down easily. If you can’t use this method, don’t worry—lots of options are available. In work areas that change, mobile tool organization is important; whether it’s via wheeled cart or an actual tool box to be carried. In a production environment space for tool organization might be limited, but that’s where innovative techniques can be implemented: peg boards or some other form of vertical storage.

 

Keep it Handy

 

Anything that’s cluttered is annoying. Closets and desks that have stuff all over the place makes people cringe (unless it’s their mess). Many people claim they know exactly where things are in a cluttered environment, but it’s still unproductive. Even if those claims are true, it still takes more time for someone to dig through piles of “stuff” to get to what they want.

 

Tool boxes and work areas are the same here, too. Having a tool close by and knowing its location could still waste time if you need to move other stuff to get to it. Rearranging things to grab something or put it back can take quite a while, which hurts worker productivity.

 

A Structured Environment

 

Organization is important to get tools quickly and effectively, but there are other aspects of organization that need to be addressed. Worker morale is important if you’re interested in productivity (and who isn’t?), and workers are effected by their environment, just like everyone else. Therefore, it’s easy to reason that a disorganized workplace negatively affects worker morale, leading to decreased productivity.

 

Disorganization is bad for morale, so that means a structured environment can help improve morale. For workers who deal with tools during their day, keeping those tools organized can help them feel better about where they are and what they are doing.

 

Having a well-organized workplace also decreases the likelihood of accidents due to trips and falls. If tools are properly put away after use, they can’t be a potential tripping point for workers. And, as stated earlier, a great way to get tools put away is to have an organized workplace.

 

Utilize Your Tools

 

Many good workers will say they’re only as good as their tools, even though the concept has holes in it. If there’s any truth to the saying, then if you maintain power tools, they will run better longer and assist workers to continue performing at a high level. A tool that’s put away is less likely to be damaged when not in use, and nobody likes broken tools.

 

Organization doesn’t just involve objects, but also plans. If you get your thoughts organized and think of your work area as a giant tool box, then you will be utilizing your most precious tool, and that will make your work environment a safer, happier and more productive place. Now isn’t that a great way to think outside the box?