Tool Management

With the impending release of ToolHound 5, today we are going to provide you an inside view of some of the changes you will see.

An Identifier (ID) essentially means a barcode or some other way of identifying an item.  The term Serialized Inventory equates to Individually Barcoded Inventory.  However, there are some fundamental differences.  In the current ToolHound versions, the only way to uniquely identify an item is by its barcode or serial number.

In ToolHound 5 you will be able to uniquely identify the item as many ways as you wish.  For each item you will have a Primary ID, and then as many Alternate IDs as you wish.  You could have a barcode as the Primary ID, a serial number, an etched number, a painted number, and a stamped number all as Alternate IDs identifying the same item.  You can therefore perform a transaction using any of the IDs assigned to the item and the transaction will be credited against the item.

In this same manner, you will also be able to use multiple identifiers for non-serialized (Bulk/Consummable) inventory.  This will allow you to identify different vendor barcodes against a particular item.  For instance, if you source Large Leather Gloves from several vendors, all with different barcodes, you will be able to enter each of the barcodes as an ID for the same item in ToolHound 5, instead of having to standardize all the different barcodes under a single barcode.

President's Message

Welcome back to the TooHound eUpdate.

What an exciting year 2012 is shaping up to be. In February we held our ToolHound User conference in Savannah Georgia. The conference was like a family reunion. We saw some faces we had not seen in awhile and everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. There was lots of opportunity for discussion and everyone was very open and willing to share their experiences with each other. Thank you to everyone who made this year’s conference a great event.

We also had the opportunity to launch ToolHound 5 at our user conference and it was well received with a few oohs and aahs. The team at ToolHound is very excited about the release of ToolHound 5 which has new functionality to enhance the user experience and it incorporates many of the features our customers have been asking for. We have included additional detail about ToolHound 5 below in the newsletter and welcome any questions you may have.

As always, if you have any tips, tricks or feedback for our newsletter or about our newsletter please don’t hesitate to contact us.

All the best,

Dean Perry
President, ToolHound

To view full newsletter please click here.

Discrepancies are caused when either a Bulk, Consumable, or Part type Inventory item is returned by someone who does not have the item issued to them.

Because these items are all stored under one barcode, ToolHound does not know which employee to credit the return transaction against.

To Reconcile the Discrepancy, perform the following:

ToolHound Desktop

- Scanner - Reconcile Discrepancies

- Select an Employee from the list at the bottom of the screen and click the Reconcile button at the bottom of the screen

- If there are no Employees listed at the bottom of the page you can remove the Discrepancy by clicking File - Delete

ToolHound Onsite

- Utilities - Reconcile Discrepancies

- There are 2 ways to Reconcile a Discrepancy

Process as a Return

-           Select an Employee, Enter the Quantity, and click the Process Return button

Process as an Adjustment

-           Enter the Quantity and Reason and click the Process Adjustment button

President's Message

Have you been hearing about ‘the cloud’ lately? What is it, really?

To break it into its simplest terms, Cloud Computing is technology that uses the internet and remote servers to maintain data and applications. Cloud computing allows users to access applications and personal files, at any computer (with internet access), without installation. This technology allows for much more efficient computing by leveraging centralized storage, memory, processing and bandwidth.

While the term ‘Cloud Computing’ is new, the technology is not. ToolHound perfected the cloud computing platform with the release of ToolHound Online and has been offering this type of service since 2001.

Offered on a subscription basis, ToolHound Online includes access to our software via a physically secure data center, automatic data backups and our maintenance and support services. You receive all the benefits of a robust, browser-based system with none of the internal IT infrastructure requirements.

ToolHound Online removes the ongoing cost and maintenance of your own web and database server so you can get back to business.

If you are interested in learning more about ToolHound Online, do not hesitate to give us a call.

Until next time… Keep your head out of the clouds… But not your software.

Dean Perry

To read the full newsletter please click here...

A Quick Transaction is unique in that it always uses a quantity for the Transaction of 1.

However, when using the Quick Transaction function during the Issue process you cannot enter a Due Date, and during the Return process you cannot change the Status of the inventory item to be returned.  If you do need either of these features you will have to switch to the Check Out/Return process.

“I put it down and when I turned around it was gone.”  We’ve all heard that and many other excuses as to how/why tools go missing on jobsites.

When a tool is returned as Lost in ToolHound, the QOH is set to 0 and the status is set to Lost.

However…at some later date, that tool is sometimes magically found and returned to the Tool Crib.  Now we need to be able to put the tool back into the system where it will be ready to use again.

To accomplish this, perform the following:

ToolHound Desktop

o    Return the item with a status of OK

ToolHound Onsite

o    Inventory à Disposed Individual Asset

- Select the Issue Location, Barcode, and enter a Reason, then click the Process button

The same process can be used to put a repaired written-off asset back into stock.

On many screens within the ToolHound software products you will find Userfields.  These fields can be used to record data in the system where there is no pre-defined field.

Where you record your data should be done consistently for each record in the system that you are storing it (ie. always use Userfield 1 in the Employee screen to store security level).

To facilitate storage of the same data in the same userfield, on both our Desktop and OnSite product, you can modify the caption to left of the userfield by following the steps listed below.  Modifying the caption is not available for ToolHound OnLine.

ToolHound Desktop

-                      Double-click on the caption, enter the new caption, hit Enter

ToolHound Onsite

-                      Utilities System Setup Userfields Tab

o   Scroll down until you find the correct caption to modify and modify the caption in the right-hand box.  Click the Save button at the top right.

Traditional tool and equipment tracking solutions typically manage tool inventory with bar codes and require a tool crib attendant to handle tool issues and returns. With the introduction of technologies like radio frequency identification (RFID), new efficiencies in tool tracking solutions have been developed. These solutions, like ToolHound’s RFID SecureCrib^TM, are fully automated, enabling workers to quickly get and return the tools they require without a tool crib attendant while still keeping the employee accountable for them.

SecureCrib^TM Kiosk allows workers to check out and return their own tools using a simple-to-use touch screen computer and RFID reader. 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 work space or to the crib to return their tools.

SecureCrib^TM Portal provides all the capabilities of the kiosk plus the added benefit of restricting access to the tool crib only to authorized workers.

ToolHound’s RFID tool tracking solution will:

• Reduced tool crib labor costs
• Increase visibility of tools and equipment status and location
• Improved productivity and employee efficiency by allowing tool crib attendants to focus on more important tasks
• Enforce maintenance schedules
• Read multiple tool tags simultaneously resulting in faster transactions

By using ToolHound’s SecureCrib^TM, site managers will have accurate, up-to-date inventories of their tools and equipment, which could significantly reduce the volume of tools and equipment that get lost, hoarded or removed from the work site.

In addition, by combining tool information with employee IDs, site managers would record which employee used which tool, and when, increasing the accountability of staff. ToolHound’s SecureCrib^TM also automates tool and equipment inventory counts, providing a complete, accurate snapshot of asset status in a fraction of the time it would take to complete a manual inventory.

It really is that easy…

President's Message

Spring at last...

As many of us get down to spring cleaning, both on a personal and professional level, we often take stock of areas of improvement. Perhaps the living room could use a new coat of paint, maybe the old printer is on its last legs, or maybe it is time to take some refresher training on some of your software and hardware to ensure you are getting the biggest return on your investment.... how was that for a segue?

We all know the value of training and support. As a member of the ToolHound family you know how important the quality of our training and support services are to us because we know how important they are to you. Continued training can provide many returns to an organization, such as:

• Productivity Improvements - Training helps in increasing the productivity of the employees which, in turn, helps the organization further to achieve its long-term goals.
• Team spirit - Training improves the sense of team work and inter-team collaboration.
• Quality - Training helps in improving upon the quality of work and employee accountability.
• Profitability - Ongoing training leads to improved profitability by ensuring you and your staff are using the tools provided in the most efficient and effective way possible.
• Training aids in organizational development i.e. Organization gets more effective decision making and problem solving.
• Training demonstrates a commitment to keeping employees on the cutting edge of knowledge and practice.

If you have any tips or tricks you would like to share with the user community, send them in and we will include them in future eUpdates.

Until next time,

Dean Perry

To read the full newsletter please click here...

President's Message

2011 – Wow, who would have thought….

Now is the time of year when most people are focused on keeping their resolutions. Gym memberships skyrocket (although who needs the gym with all this snow), restaurants empty and yoga teachers get hundreds of inquiries as people resolve to better themselves.

At ToolHound we are no different. 2010 was an exciting year for the ToolHound team. We have welcomed many new clients to our ever-growing family, including installations with Speedy Hire in Dubai, Propak, Edmonton Exchanger, Thermal Energy, BP and a global agreement with Shell. As well we are developing a unique, automated tool crib project in the mining industry. In 2010, we also announced the launch of our new Self-Service Kiosk with optional RFID reader and ToolHound On-Site Express.

As per our mandate when we established the new ToolHound in 2008, we are proud supporters of Habitat for Humanity in Canada and the United States. We provided numerous free ToolHound licenses to H4H branches throughout North America in 2010 and hope to do the same in 2011.

2011 promises to be an even bigger year for the ToolHound family. Our New Year resolution is to continue to lead the industry with innovative Tool and Equipment Management Solutions.

How are we going to do that? Good question.

·          We are actively participating in industry associations in order to develop a better understanding of our customers’ experiences.

·     We are hosting a user conference to provide affordable training opportunities. This year’s event should be an especially exciting one with the planned launch of ToolHound 5.

·          We are participating in the RFID Journal Live! where I will have the opportunity to speak about RFID technology in the construction industry.

·          We will continue to develop our products and solutions in order to meet your specific requirements.

And this is just the tip of the iceberg! So stay tuned for more from ToolHound in 2011 and, as always, I invite you and your team to provide feedback regarding our newsletter and our user conference. If you have any tips or tricks you would like to share with the user community, send them in and we will include them in future eUpdates.

All the best in 2011,

Dean Perry

To read the full newsletter please click here.