tool sharing

[Ratchet.]

Only know of two ways to supply tools:
1) Each person has own personal tools and box; no or little loaning
2) Company supplies each individual with box and tools needed; employee accountable for all tools.

Any other organizing is fraught with problems. Note that the real expensive tools should be company supplied.....but for common hand tools the above applies.

iawt


they don't have a 'system in my work so i go for the first one, 2nd only works if employes are accountable for the tools, at my work the ones supplied with tools aren't.. hence their stuff gets broken or goes missing and they end up constantly borrowing stuff from others.....


Then again this is a garage that won't even supply essentials like copper grease, release agent, electrical tape and zip ties (we need the last two of those for a recall atm, as there not included in the kit you get)

even getting a new air line for my ramp was like pulling teeth (did i mention i was looking for a new job )

 

[Ratchet.]

And, I am sorry, it is class warfare. Idiots behind a desk thinking they will save money versus the guy with the dirt on his hands actually saving the company real money. And usually the idiots are too pompous to ask a maintenace tech his opinion.

yeah sounds about right , they know better, what would a stupid mechanic know anyway

(don't get me started on why desk jockeys get paid more then REAL workers when they often work less hours and do.. well idk what they do half the time)

 

[0.511MeV]

All this class warfare talk really makes me appreciate just how lucky I am to work where I work with the people I work with.

 

[shoturtle]

Guys just want their only shinny toys. But if the company provide the tools. At the end of the day it is still the companies. You will not be leavings the company with that 10k dollar tools. So while there are all the reasons not to. The reality is it does happen and work with the tech sector and major construction sites because it is cost prohibited to buy major tools for every person. If they had to do it, allot more people would be out of jobs, and allot of construction site would not be under construction. Just automotive and and some service mechanics just don't have the mentality to shear company tools, as most buy their own. They are yours, so no reason to share. But if the company provide the tool, if every one gets out of the mind set it is their tool, but the teams tool. It does work.

 

[Stogies]

I remember the guy that said he hated fancy tools boxes. His employees would cry a river if it got a scratch, but thought it was funny when they tore the ****** out of a service truck. I have had employees that would throw a fit when their check was wrong (even thought it was corrected the next week) but would damage a $1200 credit card machine because it did not read a card on the first swipe. If murderous thoughts were a crime, I would be on Death Row.

 

[Frank The Plumber]

Yeah like the guy who drove to the shop to pitch one at the secretary over a wrong check amount. Claimed the boss was screwing him out of $7. While he was yelling at the boss over this three $30 rolls of solder fall out of his pocket and roll across the floor.

Guess who's $90 in solder it was?

 

[fivespdcat]

And, I am sorry, it is class warfare. Idiots behind a desk thinking they will save money versus the guy with the dirt on his hands actually saving the company real money. And usually the idiots are too pompous to ask a maintenace tech his opinion.

This is a completely baseless comment. In case you didn't know both sides need each other and you have to work together. If I was in charge of your workplace, you would be on my short list to be "cost managed" out. These types of ideas are cancerous on both sides for a productive work environment. I value our techs and the first time I got an attitude like that, they would not be getting any more work from me...

 

[wreckercologist]

This is a completely baseless comment. In case you didn't know both sides need each other and you have to work together. If I was in charge of your workplace, you would be on my short list to be "cost managed" out. These types of ideas are cancerous on both sides for a productive work environment. I value our techs and the first time I got an attitude like that, they would not be getting any more work from me...

So, if you don't mind my asking, what is your stance on this issue? Are you for or against tool sharing?

 

[fivespdcat]

So, if you don't mind my asking, what is your stance on this issue? Are you for or against tool sharing?

Against in most cases. Even in a white collar environment, tools get lost, stolen, stored away in someone's drawer when they "only needed it for a minute." with guys that use them everyday it's just a recipe for disaster. Now large items, diagnostic tools etc would make sense hand tools should be personal. I even keep a small set at my desk. Plus I think that people choosing what tools to carry and which are the best for them in a particular job are part of the expertise that is brought to a job. It's not my responsibility to tell you how to get everything done, however I should have confidence in the team that it is done right. I've never been the type to degrade others for the type of work they do or watch over their shoulders to make sure it's done right. If I have to do that, then you probably shouldn't be doing that job...

One more thing, some of the best ways to reduce costs or do things better is by listening to the guys that do it everyday. But that doesn't always mean , they're right, but everyone is valuable and can bring a lot of great knowledge and experience to the table. Everyone should work together towards the goal as opposed to fighting it everyday. Maybe the ultimate solution here is for the guys on the floor to suggest a mix of shared and personal tools?

 

[Ratchet.]

Against in most cases. Even in a white collar environment, tools get lost, stolen, stored away in someone's drawer when they "only needed it for a minute." with guys that use them everyday it's just a recipe for disaster. Now large items, diagnostic tools etc would make sense hand tools should be personal. I even keep a small set at my desk. Plus I think that people choosing what tools to carry and which are the best for them in a particular job are part of the expertise that is brought to a job. It's not my responsibility to tell you how to get everything done, however I should have confidence in the team that it is done right. I've never been the type to degrade others for the type of work they do or watch over their shoulders to make sure it's done right. If I have to do that, then you probably shouldn't be doing that job...

One more thing, some of the best ways to reduce costs or do things better is by listening to the guys that do it everyday. But that doesn't always mean , they're right, but everyone is valuable and can bring a lot of great knowledge and experience to the table. Everyone should work together towards the goal as opposed to fighting it everyday. Maybe the ultimate solution here is for the guys on the floor to suggest a mix of shared and personal tools?

There is a guy in our workplace that is notorious for doing that with special tools :/ they vanish never to be seen again, when everyone seems to know there stashed in his box....

Sound a good idea, sadly not all places have management that listen (or care) about what those at the sharp end think things would work so much smoother that way (im speaking from experience sadly)

Many seem more worried about figures at the end of the month than whether corners are having to be cut etc (until it comes and bites them on the ***, then its the techs fault)

 

[fivespdcat]

There is a guy in our workplace that is notorious for doing that with special tools :/ they vanish never to be seen again, when everyone seems to know there stashed in his box....

Sound a good idea, sadly not all places have management that listen (or care) about what those at the sharp end think things would work so much smoother that way (im speaking from experience sadly)

Many seem more worried about figures at the end of the month than whether corners are having to be cut etc (until it comes and bites them on the ***, then its the techs fault)

Seems like there are two issues at your workplace, that "guy" should be walked out and the management should be replaced. There is no excuse for not doing things right or stealing.

 

[joemh22]

Sounds like an idea thought up by people who have never had dirt on their hands before.

The Air Force has been doing this for a long time...they can just enforce the rules much better than a civilian company.

 

[shoturtle]

so has the army, marines, navy and cost guard. They work as a team, not individual techs.

 

[2fat2fly]

The Air Force has been doing this for a long time...they can just enforce the rules much better than a civilian company.

so has the army, marines, navy and cost guard. They work as a team, not individual techs.

You're both right, but the rest of American Society is a different animal. In the military the objective is returning aircraft/ships/weaponry to full service in a battle ready condition.This is done for the good of everybody and in this context it works great. You also have to factor in the fact that nobody in the military gets paid anywhere near what they're worth. ( so they won't be running out to buy tools for work).In the civilian/capitalistic society it's about making money. If you work in a shop where you're on commission then you'll want all the specialty tools at your fingertips all the time. That way you can get your jobs done quicker and make more money by getting more jobs done per workday. This leads to a mentality of "screw that guy" when it's time to share tooling/equipment because it affects your personal bottom line.

 

[otis66]

The company I work for wants the maintenace mechanics to consider sharing tools and tool boxes. They want to create 'common use' tool boxes to leave out on the factory floor. Comments?? Stupid?? Cool??

I'd start looking for a new job. This company sounds like it's having problems.

 

[otis66]

I worked a job once were there was a "community chest". Evey time tools were added they would vanish...Never to be seen again.

 

[Davefr]

Tool sharing might be a bad idea in an auto repair facility but in a factory production environment it's done all the time. Production equipment can require some pretty specialized tools.

There's a way this can work pretty efficiently.

1. Have toolboxes dedicated to the specific factory production equipment or area of the factory floor.
2. Provide foam cutouts and labeling for every tool so it's easy to find and identify.
3. During shift change, part of the passdown from shift to shift is to audit that all tools are in their place and ready for the next shift.
4. Any discrepancy is reported to the shift manager.

 

[shoturtle]

You're both right, but the rest of American Society is a different animal. In the military the objective is returning aircraft/ships/weaponry to full service in a battle ready condition.This is done for the good of everybody and in this context it works great. You also have to factor in the fact that nobody in the military gets paid anywhere near what they're worth. ( so they won't be running out to buy tools for work).In the civilian/capitalistic society it's about making money. If you work in a shop where you're on commission then you'll want all the specialty tools at your fingertips all the time. That way you can get your jobs done quicker and make more money by getting more jobs done per workday. This leads to a mentality of "screw that guy" when it's time to share tooling/equipment because it affects your personal bottom line.

It is all about accountablity, I have worked at companies that people took accountablity. And all tools got return cob and it was the private sector as well. People forget those are company tools. And the really expensive ones the company keep tracks of and will want them back.

The reason most private sector do have issues. No one is will to take accountability as most tech think it is their tools or no one is doing their job properly to check things back in.

But no one can dispute that major construction and allot of technologies field do shear tools, and it works. As it is the only way for those operations to get a cost effective work model.

 

[Alchymist]

It is all about accountablity, I have worked at companies that people took accountablity. And all tools got return cob and it was the private sector as well. People forget those are company tools. And the really expensive ones the company keep tracks of and will want them back.

The reason most private sector do have issues. No one is will to take accountability as most tech think it is their tools or no one is doing their job properly to check things back in.

But no one can dispute that major construction and allot of technologies field do shear tools, and it works. As it is the only way for those operations to get a cost effective work model.

A sheared tool does no one any good!

 

[shoturtle]

But it works, and it is a necessarily in some cases. And properly manage, it gets the job done.

 

[otis66]

This is a completely baseless comment. In case you didn't know both sides need each other and you have to work together. If I was in charge of your workplace, you would be on my short list to be "cost managed" out. These types of ideas are cancerous on both sides for a productive work environment. I value our techs and the first time I got an attitude like that, they would not be getting any more work from me...

What if this guy had most of the tools that were to be "shared"?

 

[otis66]

This is a completely baseless comment. In case you didn't know both sides need each other and you have to work together. If I was in charge of your workplace, you would be on my short list to be "cost managed" out. These types of ideas are cancerous on both sides for a productive work environment. I value our techs and the first time I got an attitude like that, they would not be getting any more work from me...

WOW!!! From shareing my tools with everyone to being "cost managed out". I think I'll just take my tools someplace else. I have over $25,000 invested in tools. I don't belive I want every body using my investment. I can see loaning a few tools to the guy just starting out but if you have to borrow a tool more than twice you need to buy the tool. A least that is what I did when I first started out.