As engineering managers cope with relentless pressure to deliver improved productivity, often with fewer skilled hands and tighter budgets, the benefits of Snap-on Level 5 tool storage and management become stronger than ever.
Snap-on Level 5™ automated total asset management system brings order to any workplace, enabling engineers and technician to track tools from one central point. It provides complete reports on everything managers or supervisors need to keep an eye on, even advising when a tool needs to be refilled or re-ordered.
The threat of foreign object damage is a real and present danger but Snap-on Level 5 minimises the risk of human error, ensuring greater protection against FOD.
Engineered to track individual tools by user, without bar codes, scanners, RFID tags or other add-ons, the system works at the speed its users demand. Other systems require additional steps to scan or log activity but the Snap-on system does this automatically.
Level 5™ ATC boxes are network ready, using either Ethernet or wireless connection.
That enables users to review activity at all Level 5 boxes in your location from one central computer, avoiding the time consuming need to inspect each box.
Major benefits include:
- No individual tool scanning required
- No RFID tags to install or replace
- No limitations on tool size: from ¼” screwdriver bit to just less than the size of the drawer
- Intuitive interface, with an easy to use a touchscreen
- Audible voice confirmation of tool removal and replacement
- Automatic locking for maximum security
- Errors announced and displayed to indicate incorrect tool position or advise when a drawer is not closed
The administrator can identify active users, view all boxes on the network, whether they are on or off-line, and see the status of each box including the number of tools issued. System alerts, for example sending e-mails to supervisors, can be customized for lost or broken tools or to meet calibration requirements. Reports can be created on each tool’s frequency of use, inspection and calibration dates as well as specific location requirements.
Finding the right tool for the job in hand can take up even more time if the tool is difficult to spot. Snap-on solutions for better visibility include coloured, oil resistant foam inserts in profiled drawers, along with easily identified tool handles.
The more organised the workplace the easier and quicker it is to meet schedules. Snap-on offers complete tool audits to determine what level of tool control each customer needs. Special tool sets can be designed to meet specific requirements.
Cabinet security is essential to efficient tool management. Snap-on’s solution to the problem of using keys, which can be lost of shared with others, is simple: don’t use keys at all.
Snap-on Level 5 boxes are equipped with Keyless Access Control, giving users the ease of access they need with security built in. The control system can be configured with magnetic cards, barcodes, PIN numbers and proximity cards. Snap-on’s proprietary software enables managers to control access from a system or network.
Says Richard Packham, Director UK & Europe for Snap-on Industrial: “Snap-on’s automated system takes tool management to an entirely new level, giving workshop managers and other authorised users easy access to the tools they need for the job in hand while protecting against foreign object damage. The ability to monitor several boxes from one central computer offers managers a huge time saving advantage.”
This article originally appeared in EMS Magazine Aug/Sept 2021