The danger may remain hidden for years, or it may be immediate, particularly around:

• Engines
• Flight controls
• electrical systems
• Hydraulic systems

Aircraft are environments of constant movement and vibration, and a forgotten object can migrate or gradually damage wiring, lines and other critical components.

That is why airlines, MROs, manufacturers and other aerospace operations need rigorous processes to ensure every tool is accounted for before work is completed.

How to build accountability into the workflow

The objective is to build accountability into the normal maintenance workflow rather than layer another administrative process on top of it.

Effective tool control starts with asking questions like:

• What tools are being used?
• Who has them?
• Where are they being used?
• Have they all been returned?

When a missing tool becomes a problem

Consider a technician who removes a socket early in a shift and discovers hours later that it is missing. A relatively small missing item can result in numerous people searching across a broad area.

With a conventional process, the search can quickly expand to queries like:

• Which aircraft did the technician work on?
• Which part of the aircraft?
• Was the socket placed on a cart?
• Did someone else pick it up?
• Could it still be inside the aircraft?

Automated tool control can dramatically narrow that window. A digital history can identify key events, such as:

• When a tool was removed
• Who removed a tool
• Which aircraft, job or work order is associated with the transaction

Instead of discovering an exception at the end of a shift, an organization can potentially identify it when the maintenance task is completed, while the technician still remembers where the tool was used.

How technology helps automate tool control

Modern systems make that possible without asking technicians to dramatically change the way they work.

There are many technological solutions in aviation that can help manage tools and assets, including:

• Computers
• Machine vision
• Digital imaging
• RFID technology
• Badge access
• Electronic locking

Machine vision and digital imaging are particularly well suited to densely populated hand-tool drawers because the intelligence can reside in the toolbox rather than requiring tags or other devices to be attached to every tool. 

RFID, on the other hand, can be effective for larger or unusually shaped assets such as harnesses, ladders and fixtures.

Individually controlled compartments can manage access to specialized or high-value equipment, while automated carousel systems can provide rapid access to large inventories within a relatively compact footprint.

Why no single solution is the answer

Automation is not the only answer. Good tool control exists on a spectrum. The appropriate solution depends on the operation.

In fact, a large aviation organization may benefit from combining several approaches rather than attempting to automate everything. The important considerations are:

• Where technicians need tools
• What assets they need most frequently
• What degree of accountability each application requires

Precisely cut foam remains a simple and effective method because every tool has a defined location and a missing item is immediately visible. Visual-control cabinets can provide straightforward organization and accountability without full automation.

Rugged, foam-organized kits can provide the same benefits for aircraft-on-ground work and other situations in which technicians need to take controlled tool inventories into the field.

How effective tool control increases productivity

Tool-control data can create additional value. Transaction histories can show stats about tools like:

• Which are used frequently
• Which are rarely used
• Which are being replaced more often than expected
• Which are generating recurring maintenance or quality concerns

If a technician drops a torque wrench, for example, the tool can be identified for calibration through the tool-control process rather than relying on someone to remember to report the issue later. Over time, accountability becomes traceability.

That history can also provide valuable forensic information if a problem is discovered later.

Instead of beginning an investigation with little more than the knowledge that a particular tool may be involved, an organization can potentially reconstruct:

• Who used it
• When it was used
• What work it was associated with
• What other jobs may require review

What challenges come with tool control?

Technology alone does not create a successful tool-control program; the process must be designed around the operation.

As enterprise tool control can represent a significant change for aviation maintenance organizations, implementation requires thoughtful planning.

Technicians have established preferences and working practices, and some organizations have long relied on personally owned tools. Due to this, maintenance providers should consider the following when developing tool control practices:

• Cost
• Infrastructure
• Culture

What the future of tool control in aviation looks like

Ultimately, effective aviation tool control brings together people, processes, technology and data around a common objective. The best systems make accountability almost invisible to the technician while strengthening: 

• Safety
• FOD prevention
• Auditability
• Traceability

In an industry where one misplaced tool can have consequences far beyond its replacement cost, tool control goes beyond managing inventory. It is about building accountability directly into the way maintenance gets done.