Tool Management

Don't Lose Your Stylus

If you are using a Workabout Pro scanner and find that the stylus is no longer staying secure in the slot on the right side of the device, store the stylus in the hole in the grip at the bottom of the scanner.  The soft material of the scanner keeps hold of the stylus so it doesn't fall out and you won't risk losing the stylus.

Presidents Message

Is your tool room attendant on-site 24hrs a day? Probably not. Do you have contractors and workers onsite at all times of the day. How do you track your tools and equipment after hours? Do tools and equipment go missing? Does this stall productivity? When tools and equipment cannot be easily accessed, or are not in working order, significant delays can result that can impact timelines and the bottom line.

Self-service and after hours support.

Sometimes it is not cost effective to have your tool room manned 24 / 7. ToolHound’s  SecureCrib offers two solutions to handle this situation.

SecureCrib Kiosk uses RFID (radio frequency identification) and a simple-to-use touch screen computer to allow workers to check out and return their own tools.The worker simply scans their badge to start the process and then chooses whether they are checking out or returning inventory. The RFID reader then scans all items the worker possesses and displays them on the computer screen. The worker confirms that the list matches their inventory and proceeds to their workspace or to the crib to return their tools.

SecureCrib Portal features the kiosk plus magnetic doors locks to secure your tool room. Worker’s access the tool room using their badge to unlock the door.

Could it be more simple?

RFID tracking combined with ToolHound tool and equipment tracking software allows you to maintain productivity levels, minimize theft and hoarding and as a result, saves you time and money. I think it is time to consider RFID technology.

Warmest regards,

Dean Perry

President, ToolHound

p.s. Start planning now for our ToolHound User Conference planned for November in San Antonio, TX. Watch for more details as they become available.

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ToolHound 5 – Individually Barcoded Inventory/Serialized Inventory

In ToolHound 5, Individually Barcoded Inventory (which is now called Serialized Inventory) has undergone several changes as well as the addition of several new fields.  Below is a listing of most of the new fields and their intended uses.

Condition – new field used to describe the condition of the tool (new, used, etc.).

Department/Owner – new field used to designate the owner of the inventory item.

Manufacturer – new field, previously only available on Part Number.

Model - new field, previously only available on Part Number.

Alternate IDs – new field, used to provide multiple IDs to an item.

Country of Origin - new field, previously only available on Part Number.

Kit ID – new field, used to identify a kit if the item has been included in a kit.

Last Coordinate – new field, used with RFID tags.

Presidents Message

Knowing what our customers and potential customers think of us, positive or not, is a vital component of our ongoing commitment to improve our ability to assist your needs and continually grow our business. ToolHound recently concluded our Satisfaction Survey, and would like to thank everyone that participated. This information will allow us to rate our performance and to set new goals and initiatives.

The survey results indicated that the majority of respondents are very satisfied overall with ToolHound and our products.  Over 81% of respondents stated they use our tools for achieving loss prevention with inventory counts close behind.  Many of you were interested in our new product offerings, with emphasis on ToolHound 5.  When we asked how and what we could improve upon here are some key points:

• - Webinars for on-going skills improvement
• - Online manuals and guides
• - Continued follow up from Sales Staff
• - New user online training

These suggestions have been taken into consideration and in the coming months please watch for changes in how we service and support you.

Once again we appreciate your business and we understand how important it is to continue to find new ways in assisting your company to succeed.  Your willingness to provide feedback is key to this process.  I sincerely hope when we update our survey you will be willing to participate with your feedback.

Warmest regards,

Dean Perry

President, ToolHound

To view full newsletter click here.

Tech Tips

-          Use the Recent Items to quickly return to a record you just added or changed without having to open the appropriate screen and search for it.

-          Use the Quick Links to access common web sites such as your tool vendors. You can also use it to quickly access a ToolHound screen that you use frequently. Simply copy the URL of that screen from the browser address bar and use it when adding a quick link.

-          Before applying bar code labels to your tools, make sure to use a solvent to clean the tool surface of dirt and grime to ensure the label stays attached longer.

-          Requisitions are an ideal tool for remote job sites to request new inventory. Keep it electronic instead of faxing or using the telephone.

Presidents Message

Tis the season for charity...

 

There are millions of people in the world who are living in conditions that many of us can’t imagine. I think most of us in North America would agree that we are very fortunate to live where we live and with the standard of life that we enjoy every day.

That said, we need to recognize that the most important way for us to show our appreciation for all that we have is by helping those who are less fortunate, by helping those who are unable to help themselves.

One of our core corporate values at ToolHound is charity, not just over the holidays but year round. We feel that supporting a charitable organization is the perfect opportunity to make a difference in the world. By making a difference to someone’s life, we are leaving behind a legacy and contributing to society that gives so much to us.

As many of you know we are strong supporters of Habitat for Humanity. This year we have donated our ToolHound software to several Habitat Chapters across North America. The construction industry has allowed us to become the leading tool and equipment tracking software that we are today so it is only fitting that we give back to the industry by helping an organization committed to building safe and affordable homes for families Worldwide.

So during this holiday season, whatever you celebrate, please take a moment… collect the change on your dresser, put aside an hour or two and get out there, donate your time, your spare change, your gently used clothes, your expertise and help a charity that is close to your heart.

Warmest regards,

Dean Perry

President, ToolHound

P.S. As we move toward the new year we are looking for feedback from you regarding content for our newsletter, if you have tips, tricks or a specific request please forward them along.

To view full newsletter click here.

The Status of an Individually Barcoded item allows the User to know the disposition of any piece of inventory.

To perform keyboard shortcuts in ToolHound Desktop you hold down either the CTRL key or the ALT key and press another key on the keyboard, for ToolHound OnSite/OnLine, hold down the ALT key.

One of the most frequently used keyboard shortcuts is the Find function within ToolHound which allows you to Find records which match criteria you enter.  Below are the instructions to use the Find in both versions of ToolHound.

ToolHound Desktop	ToolHound OnSite/OnLine
1.  Place cursor in field to search 2.  Press CTRL+F 3. In the Find in Field box enter your criteria 4. Press ALT+F to find the first matching record	1.  On any clear screen (no data) 2.  Enter criteria for find 3.  Press ALT+F to find matching records, if only 1 record matches criteria, it will automatically populate screen with matching record

President's Message

We live and work in an ever changing world. New ideas and approaches are constantly emerging. New problems arise and new solutions are needed. What this means is, if we are not constantly learning as we go about our everyday business, then each day we are getting further and further out of touch with the demands of the modern working world and, specifically, available technologies.

This does not mean constantly going on training courses. It is much broader than this; it is leveraging all the information that is available to us to continue to learn. It involves being clear about what is required of us in our job to ensure best practices are followed. It also involves making sure that we have the knowledge and skills required to manage our jobs appropriately and filling any gaps in our knowledge base and skills repertoire as they become apparent.

This does not diminish the value of training. Training in a user conference setting, not only allows us to brush up on our skills, it also allows us networking opportunities with others. By interacting with others using the same technologies, we can exchange ideas and best practises that we can take back to our own place of work and integrate into our business. In addition, training gives us access to our technology and service providers giving us the opportunity to ask the tough questions that only they can address.

To support your ongoing job growth and to continue to add value to our customers, in addition to our User Conference, ToolHound provides both online and onsite training. If you need a refresher or want to start from the beginning, we can tailor a program for your users that will ensure they have the skills they need to move forward efficiently and productively. Give us a call for more information about the training we have available.

All the best,

Dean Perry
President, ToolHound

President's Message

RFID continues to be a hot topic in our industry. While many of our customers are adopting the technology, there are still questions around the reliability of RFID, specifically around its effectiveness when tags are placed on metal objects like tools.

In the past, tagging metal tools was a challenge because it either reflected or absorbed the RFID signal. In certain circumstances, the presence of metal actually improved the performance of an RFID tag by turning the item into an antenna.  Now these issues have all but been eliminated with the introduction of specialty RFID tags for metal. The RFID-on-metal tags are designed to compensate for the effects of metal on the signal.

We have been working most recently with Xerafy, a global supplier of industrial RFID tags. Xerafy has developed a complete line of on-metals RFID tags that are ruggedized, small and lightweight. Some are even flexible enough to fit curved surfaces. Though still not as inexpensive as bar code labels, the costs of the tags have come down quite a bit in recent years and they do offer many cost-saving advantages over bar code labels.

Making the move to RFID can substantially improve both the accuracy and effectiveness of tool tracking, reducing the significant costs of tool replacement, lost productivity and inventory management.

If you are ready to make the switch to RFID, ToolHound can help. Give us a call and we can review your options with you to determine which tags would be most appropriate for your business and your pocketbook.

As always, if you have any suggestions for content for our newsletter please feel free to pass along your suggestions and if there is anything we can do to better serve you, our customers, please get in touch.

All the best,

Dean Perry
President, ToolHound

To view full newsletter please click here.

ToolHound’s visibility property provides location-based security to enable or prevent users from viewing or modifying ToolHound data. The visibility of a user can be any location in the location hierarchy tree except bin location types. Every ToolHound user has a visibility associated with it and based on the visibility of an object or the location that a transaction takes place at, the user may or may not have access to that object or transaction. How visibility works is linked below.

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