Organization is crucial for contractors and, depending on the business you’re in, the way you store and organize your equipment can vary significantly. With all of the paperwork, appointments, and other aspects of your job, organizing your equipment is easy to put on the backburner. If you’ve been a contractor for any length of time, you know how tedious the organization process can be. While it can be hard to know what to do with all of the tools and materials you accumulate, organization as a necessity, not a luxury, for your business. Fortunately, there are
specially-designed racks and shelves to accommodate everything you need for your business to be successful.
Benefits of Organization Your business is built upon the foundation of your choosing, and an organized workspace is part of this foundation. If your equipment isn’t organized, your business suffers, costing you valuable time, money, and equipment. It may even undermine the safety of you and the people you work with. Here are a few ways that organizing your equipment can directly benefit you and your business.
Benefit #1: Safety We mentioned safety last, but it’s at the top of the list of reasons why contractors should organize their equipment. The more organized you are, the safer you are on a job site or in your shop. Rather than face unknown risk exposure, your equipment can be organized with partitions, racks, or drawers, keeping you, and your equipment, as safe as possible.
Benefit #2: Managing inventory Organization is also helpful for helping you keep track of your tools and equipment. You know right away when something needs to be replaced or restocked, and also allows you to avoid unnecessarily replacing expensive equipment. There are a few ways in particular that racks and shelves helps manage your inventory.
Component storage. For some jobs, it’s the small things that matter, and those small things often come in the form of parts. It can be frustrating to root around for an inordinate amount of time searching for a tiny part. Electrical contractors are often in this position, as many of the parts they work with are small and, if not put given a proper home.
Cable management. Storing cable and wire can be one of the most complicated parts of organizing your equipment. And it’s not something to take shortcuts with, as cable and wire can become easily damaged if not stored properly. There are many options for managing your spools of cable and accommodating your other products that can save you valuable space and equipment at the same time. Depending on your set-up, you can choose a
horizontal cable manager,
vertical cable manager, or a cable ladder if you require more versatility.
Junk box. A junk box may seem out of place in a discussion about organization. After all, it’s too easy to collect things you don’t need and muddle up valuable space that could be used for things that are useful. What we’re talking about here is not a storage space for everything that’s not nailed down, but rather an organized rack or shelf of controlled chaos. And it’s not a bad idea to go through this area periodically to get rid of things that you aren’t likely to use.
Benefit #3: Savings Perhaps the biggest advantage of using racks and shelves to organize your shop is what it saves you. We’ve discussed how it can save you time and money, but consider the amount of precious floor space that it saves. Wall-mounted racks are the best way to take back your floor, and there is enough variety to fulfill the needs of any contractor.
Benefit #4: Making Positive Impressions When you arrive at someone’s home or any other job site, the first thing that anyone sees is your vehicle. If your vehicle is clean and neat, the impression people get will be positive. Organization is a sign of professionalism and reliability, making those you work with confident that they’ve made the right choice. The vibe you give off with your organization can also increase your chances of being recommended to others.
Conclusion There are plenty of options available for organizing your equipment. Racks and shelves are ideal for the cargo area of your shop. Lockable drawers and cabinets are also available for keeping your paperwork and most valuable tools safe and secure. With the right storage in place, you can keep track of and make better use of all of the tools of your particular trade.
