by Paul V. Arnold

AFG Industries runs lean and mean.  A manufacturer of glass for the housing market, AFG aims for maximum production with a minimum number of employees. 

During the day shift, 16 workers handle the maintenance needs at the company's 200,000-square-foot plant in Victorville, Calif.  Two maintenance workers service the plant at night. 

"Every minute counts," says maintenance technician Ron Hardison.  "Every minute a machine is down, we're losing glass, material and money."

To save time on repair calls, Hardison coded the ends of his hand tools (wrenches, screwdrivers and nutdrivers).  Since the ends are the only piece sticking out of his tool belt, such coding ensures that the right tool is pulled every time. 

"For my wrenches, I put a little colored mark around the ends," he says.  "Red is the half-inch, blue is 7/16ths, black is 9/16ths, and so on."

Hardison expanded the idea for his screwdrivers and nutdrivers. 

"For nutdrivers, I use an engraver or sharp-pointed tool to mark the size on the end of each plastic handle. Then I use whiteout on the etching to make it more visible," he says.  "For screwdrivers, I do the same and cut a groove or the letter A to denote a flat-tip driver and an X to denote a Phillips head.  I always look for ways to be more efficient."

This article appeared in the August/September 1999 issue of MRO Today magazine.  Copyright, 1999.

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