Why stocktaking is more than counting
Stocktaking answers three questions that nobody asks in everyday work: what do we really have? Where is it? And in what condition? In many workshops, after two years every third line of the list is wrong – tools have been replaced, moved, lent out or have been lying in the boot of a demonstrator for months. For the accounts, what counts is the inventory on the cut-off date; for the workshop, what counts is that tomorrow morning everyone finds what they need.
With the right preparation, the tool stocktake of a medium-sized business is done in a day – without paper lists and without a weekend shift.
Preparation: a week before
- Set the cut-off date and announce it – ideally a quiet day when few tools are out.
- Bring loans back: anything that has been out for more than a few days comes back by the day before or is noted as "stays with the employee".
- Check labels: replace missing or illegible identification beforehand, otherwise scanning stalls at every third item.
- Tidy up storage locations: anything without a fixed place gets one beforehand. Every cabinet and every drawer should carry a name.
- Assign responsibilities: for each area (hall, tool trolleys, test equipment room) one person who counts and one who notes anything unusual.
Counting by scan: location by location
The fastest method is scanning along the storage locations: open the cabinet, scan the location label, then scan every tool in it. The system knows what should be at this location and shows immediately:
- found – the tool is where it belongs;
- wrong location – it is here but belongs somewhere else;
- missing – expected at this location but not scanned.
Tool trolleys and the staff's permanent loans are scanned through in the same way; anyone recording their own tools needs less than ten minutes for it. Only once all locations are done is it worth looking at the list of shortfalls – before that, half of them are simply "not done yet".
What to do about discrepancies
| Finding | What lies behind it | Sensible decision |
|---|---|---|
| Missing, last on loan | return never booked | ask the last borrower, then book it |
| Missing, not moved for a long time | mislaid, lent out, disposed of | 14-day search period, then book as a loss |
| Wrong location | no fixed place or place unknown | apply the new location or put it back |
| Not in the system | new purchase never recorded, private tool | record and label it – or remove it |
| Defective / incomplete | not reported on return | record the damage, check the set, order a replacement |
What matters is to decide every discrepancy once instead of postponing it to the next stocktake. A tool booked as a loss is more honest than an inventory nobody trusts any more – and it can turn up again at the next count.
After the stocktake
- Record the result: number of tools counted, shortfalls with value, misplaced items, damage. That is the basis for replacement purchases and for the conversation with the team.
- Apply storage locations: anything that was repeatedly in the "wrong" place has often simply found a more practical one – then the location is changed in the system rather than the tool carried back.
- Look at the causes: if parts of the same type keep going missing, what is usually lacking is a spare or a clear issue rule, not honesty.
- Plan the next date: once a year in full, plus small partial stocktakes – say the test equipment room before the inspection date, or one cabinet a month on the side.
Checklist for stocktaking day
- Cut-off date, areas and responsibilities are set.
- All open loans are back or noted.
- Labels and storage location identification are complete.
- Scanners or phones are charged, the stocktaking module is started.
- Scan location by location, note anything unusual straight away with a photo.
- Decide shortfalls only at the end: ask, search, book as a loss.
- Apply storage locations, record damage and replacement needs.
- File the result and enter the next date.
Frequently asked questions
How often should a workshop take stock of its tools?
Once a year in full is usual. In between, rolling partial stocktakes help – one area every month – so that the annual date brings no more surprises.
What is included in a tool stocktake?
Everything that has a value and is reused: special tools, test equipment, power tools, sets and cases, tool trolleys including their contents. Consumables such as abrasive paper or bits are left out or recorded only as a quantity.
What should you do if a tool is missing at the stocktake?
First check the history to see who had it last and ask them. If it stays missing, set a short search period and then book it as a loss – so that it no longer counts as available and a replacement can be ordered.
How it works with Tulz
Stocktaking in Tulz runs by scan: scan the storage location, scan the tools, done – with the phone camera, a scanner or at the tablet, even without a connection in the hall (the scans are booked afterwards). The evaluation shows found, missing and misplaced tools; on completion, the locations found can be applied. Losses are recorded with value and last holder, and the "Shrinkage" report shows where things keep going wrong.
Guides in the help centre: Stocktaking · Storage locations · Move by scan · Report loss or theft · Offline in the workshop · Shrinkage: losses, value and tracking – step by step