Can things grow legs and walk away?

[i_got_ideas]

My installers are having a heck of a time with things dissapearing.

2 weeks ago, a vacuum pump went missing in action.

Yesterday they asked me, "did you order the heat pack for this heat pump?" Yes I said, look, you put the serial number right here in the folder. They lost the damn heat package.

I mean WTF? These aren't small things that just hide from you.

But....we bought a new vac pump, so the other will show up soon and the other heat package will be in on the truck tommorrow so the other "lost one" should show up next week somtime.

I'm beginning to wonder if there is a "Mole" in the company. Am I just nuts or does this stuff happen more than I think?

[tinman]

It's called a thief.I can tell when a thief is around,call it intuition.

[itsamine]

That sucks. Sounds like there is a mole or maybe it was just misplaced:rooleyes: Smells like someone is doing sidework.

[coolwhip]

Yep, those vac pumps are pretty nice when you can steal one for free. Keep an eye on your torch kits and meters.

[Steve Wiggins]

Engrave a number on every tool before you issue it. Each employee has a number. If an employee loses a tool then he can pay for it. Tools can get mixed up easily when more than one guy is on a job. This system will help everyone.

It seems like when something like this happens it is always someone else's fault. IGI you should shoulder some of the responsibility for not being organized. Not picking on you just trying to get you to see the entire picture.

[Green Mountain]

Right now I have 30 installation jobs in various degrees of completion.

After going nuts trying to figure out where stuff went after a alcholic service manager got everything screwed up I instituded PURCHASE ORDERS. None of my vendors get paid without a PO # on the invoice. Did I order that kit? Look in your PO book. Did those diffusers come in? Look in your PO book.

We have a special series of purchase order #'s for tools. If some one purchases a tool it is assigned to the tech. If someone purchases parts for a job it is assigned to a job.

If one of my techs goes to a supply house to pick up something. The computer at the supply house asks the counter guy for a purchase order #. On the way to the supply house the tech will radio in and ask for a PO.

I have a computer generated system now for purchase orders. My son made it for me. I print out 2 copies. One goes in the job folder so the foreman knows stuff has been ordered. The other goes in a bin so we know it hasn't come in yet. When it does arrive the box is marked with the job name and po#. The copy of the po# goes to the bookkeeper. When the invoice comes in she checks the price on the po with the price on the invoice. This has saved us thousands of $$ by catching overcharges.

This system doesn't solve all the problems but it sure has made life easier.

[mattm]

I can see somebody stealing a vac-pump but why a heat package?

[thehumid1]

Pretty simple--on your truck when you left and not on it later --you just bought the missing item and then charge'em back the cost of the new item to replace it no depreciation/fair market value. If it was a high ticket item maybe spread the payout to you over three week.

[Steve Wiggins]

The heat package is there. Someone just got confused and thought it was a filter base. Might consider drug testing.

[Green Mountain]

This is the computer generated form that we use. If I have a big list of material I type "see list below" where it reads 'material description'. Then you can cut and paste or type-in whatever.




[Edited by benncool on 05-28-2004 at 10:51 AM]

[Steve Wiggins]

That is a nice simple form, I like that. Do your employees hand write them in the field then office persons key it in the computer to create a searchable filtered database for easy retreival?

[thermosystems]

Go down the list of expensive tools not always provided by a company. You may issue some of these to your techs. try to keep track of what else comes up "Missing".I bet they fall on that list. You will probably have your answer shortly when someone gives you there 2 week notice.

[Green Mountain]

Originally posted by Steve Wiggins
That is a nice simple form, I like that. Do your employees hand write them in the field then office persons key it in the computer to create a searchable filtered database for easy retreival?

All a tech needs to do is call for a PO#. There are one of 4 people that can assign a number. All the tech has to say to the office is, "I need a po for Smith's residence"
The office instantly says it is "#1234". Then completes the above form. Nobody is held up fumbling for a po.

The success of this system is that the po#s are in a central location (The computer). Copies of them can go any where they are needed, eg. loading dock, job folder, bookkeeping. But anyone can go to the central location, get the number and backtrack.

Best thing since the Zip Code!

[Edited by benncool on 05-28-2004 at 11:04 AM]

[Steve Wiggins]

What about after hours, weekends, holidays etc... is there always someone available to give POs 24/7/365?

[Green Mountain]

Originally posted by Steve Wiggins
What about after hours, weekends, holidays etc... is there always someone available to give POs 24/7/365?

This is usually rare because the supply houses are open when we are open. So in an emergency situation the guy would bring in a reciept or packing list and it is entered on Monday morning or the next day. Just takes a phone call.

[i_got_ideas]

The tech that had the vac pump last, I trust. We are friends seperate from work and he is a great worker. The one thing about him is that he does live in a bad neiborhood and rarely locks his truck. To me this makes him responsible for the possibly stolen pump. Without proof I am not going to point fingers or throw around false accuasations.

The heat package though, that one baffles me. The damn thing just fell off the face of the earth.

There will just need to be some changes made. I have an idea of what to do. I am just trying to avoid having an overbearing administration in a small family business.

[midhvac]

Yes. It's called evolution, but it takes a few million years to happen, and I don't think you've had the items that long.

[The Penguin]

Originally posted by benncool
Right now I have 30 installation jobs in various degrees of completion.

After going nuts trying to figure out where stuff went after a alcholic service manager got everything screwed up I instituded PURCHASE ORDERS. None of my vendors get paid without a PO # on the invoice. Did I order that kit? Look in your PO book. Did those diffusers come in? Look in your PO book.

We have a special series of purchase order #'s for tools. If some one purchases a tool it is assigned to the tech. If someone purchases parts for a job it is assigned to a job.

If one of my techs goes to a supply house to pick up something. The computer at the supply house asks the counter guy for a purchase order #. On the way to the supply house the tech will radio in and ask for a PO.

I have a computer generated system now for purchase orders. My son made it for me. I print out 2 copies. One goes in the job folder so the foreman knows stuff has been ordered. The other goes in a bin so we know it hasn't come in yet. When it does arrive the box is marked with the job name and po#. The copy of the po# goes to the bookkeeper. When the invoice comes in she checks the price on the po with the price on the invoice. This has saved us thousands of $$ by catching overcharges.

This system doesn't solve all the problems but it sure has made life easier.

our co does the same but goes further and WILL NOT PAY IF THERE"S NO SIGNATURE on the packing slip period this has saved double bills mistaken bills etc

[i_got_ideas]

30 ongoing jobs . I get stressed at 10 in progress.

Really I think our problem is we have too many chiefs and not enough indians.

[tinman]

I've often wondered if a specialty equipment check out at the tool room would help keep track. I've been going to number the trucks and use the same number for the tools on it. The heat package could have went down like this. The end of the day comes and it's been a balls to the wall type day. A helper snatches the nearest box he sees. The heat package is in the bottom. He says to himself "I'll throw all the scrap and trash in here and clean it at the shop". This don't happen and the whole kit and kaboodle ends up in the dumpster. It has happened.