# Naming storage locations in the workshop: a system everyone understands

> Hall, cabinet, drawer, compartment: how to build a storage location system for tools that new colleagues understand on day one – and which mistakes to avoid.

## Why "in the red cabinet" is not enough

Every workshop has a storage location system – usually in the foreman's head. "Top left in the red cabinet, behind the pullers" works as long as the same person is there every day. It fails with the new apprentice, during holidays and at the latest when the red cabinet gets a successor.

A good storage location system is one that fits on a label, is read in two seconds and leads to the tool without explanation. It needs fewer rules for that than you might think.

## The hierarchy: hall › cabinet › drawer › compartment

Storage locations are built like a tree – from coarse to fine:

| Level | Example | When needed |
|---|---|---|
| Site / hall | Hall 2, test equipment room, bodyshop | from two buildings or halls upwards |
| Cabinet / trolley / rack | Cabinet 3, foreman's trolley, Rack B | always |
| Drawer / shelf | Drawer 2, Shelf 4 | always |
| Compartment | Compartment 7, left insert | for small parts and sets with inserts |

A location then reads as a path: **Hall 1 › Cabinet 3 › Drawer 2**. Hardly anyone needs more than four levels; going deeper makes the system harder than the search.

## Five rules for names

1. **Numbers instead of descriptions:** "Cabinet 3" instead of "the grey cabinet next to the lift". Numbers stay right even when the cabinet is moved.
2. **Number from left to right, from top to bottom** – in the direction you enter the room. Then even a stranger finds Cabinet 7 without a plan.
3. **Do not reserve gaps.** "Cabinet 3a" and "Cabinet 3b" come about when someone wanted to keep space free. Better to renumber when something is added.
4. **One abbreviation per level,** for example H1-C3-D2 (hall, cabinet, drawer) – short enough for a label, unambiguous enough for the search.
5. **Maintain the names in the system, not just on the cabinet.** The label on the tool and the lettering on the cabinet must match what the tool management system shows.

## Which tools belong where

The order of the locations follows the work, not the catalogue:

- **Frequently used tools close to the bays**, special tools for rare jobs centrally in one cabinet.
- **Test equipment in an area of its own** – dry, at a controlled temperature, with room for the calibration certificates. That also makes test equipment management easier.
- **Sets together with their vehicle make or assembly:** all timing belt locking sets in one drawer, sorted by engine.
- **High-voltage tools separate and marked**, so that they are not taken for everyday jobs by mistake.
- **One location for "not yet sorted"** at goods receipt, so that new arrivals do not sit in the box for weeks.

## Labelling: cabinet, drawer, tool

Every storage location gets a label with its name and a QR code – on the outside of the cabinet door, on the front of every drawer. That way the location can be scanned when tools are moved, and at the stocktake the work goes location by location. Inside the cabinet door belongs a contents list: "What goes in here?" with quantities – so everyone sees at a glance whether something is missing.

The location belongs on the tool label only if the inventory is settled; in workshops that move things around often, it is better for the system to show where the tool belongs at every return.

## Moving tools without chaos

A storage location is only as good as its upkeep. Three habits are enough:

- **Book first, then carry:** whoever moves a tool scans the new location and the tool – done. Anything else is wrong a week later.
- **The return shows the location:** "Put back in: Cabinet 3 › Drawer 2" right after booking saves the question and the wrong grab.
- **The stocktake confirms the locations:** a tool that was repeatedly in the "wrong" place has usually found a better one – then that location is applied.

## Frequently asked questions

### How deep should the storage location hierarchy be?

Three levels are enough for most workshops: hall or area, cabinet or trolley, drawer or shelf. A fourth level (compartment) is worthwhile for small parts and sets with foam inserts.

### Should the storage location be on the tool label?

If the inventory is rarely rearranged: yes, it saves every search. With frequent reorganisation it is more practical for the system to show the current location at the return and for the label to carry only the number and the code.

### How do you name the staff's tool trolleys?

As storage locations in their own right ("Trolley Müller" or "Trolley 4"), because a tool that is permanently kept there has a location – and at the stocktake the trolley is scanned through like a cabinet.


## How it works with Tulz

Tulz maps storage locations to any depth – hall › cabinet › drawer › compartment – and shows them everywhere as a path: in the tool list, on the pick list and after every return as "Put back in". Every location has a label with a QR code and a printable contents list for the cabinet door; moving is done by scan (location, then tools), the stocktake works location by location and applies the locations found if you like. With several sites, each site sees its own inventory and can look up the others.

Guides in the help centre: [Storage locations](https://tulz.work/en/help/article/storage-locations) · [Move by scan](https://tulz.work/en/help/article/move-by-scan) · [Content list](https://tulz.work/en/help/article/content-list) · [Print labels](https://tulz.work/en/help/article/print-labels) · [Sites](https://tulz.work/en/help/article/sites)

[See all features](https://tulz.work/en/features)

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Source: https://tulz.work/en/guides/naming-storage-locations · As of 2026-10-13 · Tulz