Beta Tools UK and Hayley Group Collaborate to Create New 5S Workshop Solution for Rail Customer

The scope of the project was to replace and improve their existing equipment and create two modern 5S (sort, set in order, shine, standardise, sustain) workshops to support a total of sixteen engineers across their site. They required workbenches, additional storage, dedicated engineers tool kits and an are for shared tools. A key consideration was to reduce their annual tool spend.

The customer had accumulated a lot of tools with varying degrees of condition and quality and so they decided to invest in new tools. Using the core principles of 5S, the customer reviewed the tools they required for the most common tasks, they were able to reduce the number of tools and Beta were able to optimise the design of the workshop equipment and tool boxes.

Working in partnership with Hayley Rail, Beta Tools UK developed a 5S workshop solution for a rail customer. Beta were invited to site to an initial meeting to understand their goals, undertake a preliminary site survey and the space that’s available to use in the project. Beta proposed workshop equipment from the RSC55 range to meet their needs. This modular system allows us to create a workshop that can be customised to fit space and storage requirements. The RSC55 is a self-supporting structure that doesn’t require any additional fixings to the wall or the floor so it was ideal for the customer.

The team at Beta set to work on designing two identical workshops comprising of 4 metres of workbenches to create working areas. Underneath there would be one fixed tool cab which stored tools for equipment that had to be maintained in a controlled environment. There were three mobile cabs, each assigned to an engineer and then used to transport tools and equipment safely and securely around the site as well as larger equipment that couldn’t be moved. Beta also used both suspended cabinets and floor mounted cabinets to maximise storage space.

Beta suggested a wall tool system for shared tools; this has a lockable shutter for security purposes and advised the customer to use foam trays to store the tools in the boxes and the tools to be laser etched to provide a method of traceability.

Over two days, Beta assembled both workshops at the customers’ premises to create a professional modern working environment that is optimised to make the most of the space.
Their engineers have the tools they use for the most common tasks, reducing the amount of overall time taken going back to the workshop to collect additional tools and therefore increasing their engineers’ overall efficiency and reduced the downtime of equipment.

Standard designs of the foam trays were used in the design to ensure that drawers could hold the maximum number of tools possible. The customer had seen a reduction in tool spend due to less damage and losses. Foam trays store the tools neatly but also reduce the risk of damage from rummaging and transportation.

With the tools mounted in the trays they are able to do a visual check for missing tools, with procedures employed for their engineers to carry out a check at the start and finish of tasks to ensure all tools are present and accounted for. Periodic audits on tool boxes inspect the condition of tools, with them being etched they can ensure tools are in the correct box.

Beta Tools UK and Hayley both ensured that the project met the customers’ goals of reducing space, minimising tool damage, reducing spend and improving all round efficiency through the RSC55 workspace.