From Toy Boxes to Toolboxes

I have learned recently from personal experience that toddlers like to hide objects in places where they do not belong. Socks clogging the toilet, toy trains placed strategically under couch cushions, or rejected food hidden under little legs at dinner. I was also informed that I, too, was a master of concealment and was famous for hiding a slice of bread in a VCR player.

Losing things around the house can be an inconvenience and a mess and even sometimes cause permanent damage — sorry for the VCR mom. But when toys — I mean tools — are misplaced in a maintenance hangar, they can have serious repercussions, such as the safety of hundreds of passengers onboard an airliner.

Not only do lost tools mean that you no longer have that tool to use, which could cause maintenance delays, but where did it go? If left inside the aircraft, and even more worrisome, inside the engine, a tool clamoring around during flight could cause foreign object debris damage and could be very dangerous while in flight.

AMT sheds some light on this issue in its asset management story “A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place” starting on page 10. We talk with Sonic Tools about its foam tool storage system and why it is important to stay organized when it comes to a mechanic’s toolbox.

And, when you’re done reading about toolbox tidiness, be sure to flip to page 28 for our Product Focus story “Precision Tool for Precise Jobs,” which just so happens to feature tools and toolboxes. We spoke to Pan American Tool Company about it’s Nova Pneumatic Tool line and feature product listings for tools and toolboxes from a number of other suppliers. This is our tool issue — unofficially speaking.

Jennifer