Get alerted when tools are left behind

We spoke to ABAX Product Owner, Stig Fossum, about the benefits of using ABAX Smart Inventory and how they came up with this unique solution after talking to our customers. 

"To use the solution, you as a customer create an inventory list using your ABAX system where you can assign individual tools or equipment to a single vehicle. This gives the company a clear overview of what equipment they currently have in what vehicle. This overview can be used to optimise tool management across the company," says Product Owner Stig Fossum.

A solution with hidden benefits

Any industry or organisation that has multiple vehicles with valuable, critical tools, assets or equipment can benefit from the service. It's also a practical solution for businesses that want to be socially responsible by reducing their tool consumption. 

The new product has been developed to meet a customer need that many have been requesting for several years:  

"We know that our customers regularly waste time and money because their vehicles are not properly equipped or because they leave tools behind on work sites. By sending an alert if a tool is left behind or lost, it gives fleet and business owners extra peace of mind that their drivers have the equipment they need to get the job done at all times," says Fossum. 

Tools going astray is expensive

Fossum says that these features help solve significant and everyday challenges for customers: 

"ABAX Smart Inventory is designed to make everyday life easier, more productive and more profitable for tradespeople and service companies. We know that the direct and indirect costs are high when tools are forgotten or misplaced."   

In relation to the development of the solution, many customers have reported the following consequences: 

• Searching costs time and money: On average, companies spend one working week a year searching for equipment. 

• Not getting the job done: Forgetting equipment can quickly become a challenge on the next job with an incomplete equipment list. 

• Buying new equipment: When common tools are constantly forgotten, it leads to unnecessarily high costs. 

• Having too much equipment: Some choose to double and triple up on tools to prevent downtime when things go astray. 

• Uses more fuel: When you have to drive between previous job sites to look for tools - or drive to the store to buy new ones - you use more fuel. 

• Environmental and climate footprint: The production of metal and plastic tools involves greenhouse gas emissions and the use of raw materials that need to be extracted. 

How does ABAX Smart Inventory work? 

Fossum says the solution has been developed specifically for tradesmen and service companies where employees use the van to store tools. "It's simple and efficient," he says: 

"An ABAX Mini tag on the tool is linked to the tracking device in the vehicle. This is the same one used for the ABAX triplog, which many tradesmen and service companies have already adopted to streamline and simplify routine work. 

If a van leaves one of the allocated pieces of equipment behind, the driver and fleet manager are notified via SMS or email."  

The tracking chip is only a couple of centimetres long, can be attached to most types of equipment, and has a battery life of about six years.