ToolWatch: Elm’s New Tool Management Software

Have you ever been frustrated trying to track down the tools you need? Have you ever had a tool delivered to you and it wasn’t what you were expecting to receive, or worse, it wasn’t working properly when you received it?

Sure you have, we all have, but it’s not acceptable. In the field there are a lot of things we can control and a lot of things out of our control that we need to be flexible with and be able to adapt to in order to get our jobs done. Getting the equipment you need when you need it should be as easy as creating a list, providing the date/duration you need this equipment and telling us where you want it delivered. Well that’s what we have been working towards over the last few months and we have been working to put the right pieces in place to get this off the ground.

The key to success with anything is having the right people in place, the right tools for them to succeed and having clear goals for them to achieve. We can say with confidence that we definitely have found the right person for the job! Rich Diaz has been with Elm for 15 years and started out as an apprentice, achieved his journeyman electrical license and most recently has been supporting key customers as an account manager. If you know Rich you know he is hard working, reliable, solutions oriented and overall just a great guy. It just so happens as we started down the road to find an Assets Manager that Rich was looking for a change as well. Rich is currently working to track down all Elm’s tools, get them inventoried, track their condition and finally — and most importantly — track their location. He will be reaching out in the near future to our foremen to get everyone trained in these new processes.

In order for Rich and the rest of us to be successful, we need the right tool to help us keep all this information organized. After reviewing several platforms, it was clear that ToolWatch stood out from the others. Toolwatch’s platform is cloud based and will allow all employees to access a digital catalog of Elm’s tools, their current location and the tool maintenance and operation manuals from your phone, tablet, or PC.

As with any software, it is only as good as the information we provide it. It will be vital that everyone requesting tools are disciplined in using the software or notifying Rich on the movement of tools between the field and office or between jobs. We have heard the concerns, we have made the investments, now it’s up to all of us to use this tool so we can succeed. How will we know if we are succeeding? When field crews are no longer driving all over the place to get tools, worrying if the tools they are getting are broken/missing parts, or worst case scenario, not working safely because we don’t have what we need.

Our goal back at the shop/warehouse is to fill your equipment checklist, in full, on time, whether that means buying new tools, renting the equipment you need, or tracking that tool down from another site that no longer needs this equipment.

If you have any questions or want to learn more about what’s to come feel free to reach out to Rich (rdiaz@elmelec.com) or Tim (trzeszutek@elmelec.com). If we are not succeeding we want to know!