RTLS for Tooling and Equipment Tracking
In busy shops, misplacing gauges, test equipment, jigs, dies, and other fixtures and tooling is a constant struggle. WISER’s Real-Time Tooling and Equipment Tracking System makes finding these assets fast and simple.
Leading aerospace, biomedical, electronics, and defense manufacturers rely on WISER’s RTLS for tool tracking across thousands of assets in large facilities—with consistent, precise accuracy and automatic audit trails to support compliance and quality control requirements.
Cut Search Time to Seconds with Real-Time Asset Visibility
Unplanned downtime often starts with something small: the oscilloscope that no one can locate, a test fixture left at another workstation, or a gauge which needs to be found for its annual calibration. WISER’s RTLS eliminates those delays by showing the exact position of tagged assets on a live facility map. Technicians can search by asset name, serial number, tool type, or calibration status. Then, they can view the exact location of each asset within seconds.
In large facilities, once an item is tagged, teams track all these items without manual check-in or barcode scans:
Assets tracked:
- Production tooling
- Dies and molds
- Jigs and fixtures
- Calibrated gauges
- Test and inspection equipment
- Production carts
- Mobile manufacturing equipment
Across:
- Production floors
- Maintenance areas
- Loading areas
- Warehouses
- Outdoor storage locations
Case Study: Electronics Manufacturer Tracking Tools and Carts
Crystal Group, a manufacturer of ruggedized electronics for aerospace and defense, implemented WISER’s RTLS to gain visibility over 900 assets including production tools, inventory carts, and government-furnished equipment. By eliminating manual searches and a paper check-in/checkout process for tools, Crystal saved an estimated 100 hours per month in search time, equating to about $45,000 in labor savings monthly. Workflow also improved since people weren’t interrupted to help find things.
Jacob Grover, an Industrial Engineer at Crystal, described the impact: “With over 700 tools and 200 carts that need to be located, [the WISER system] has made us more efficient and allowed us to focus on value-adding operations instead of searching for assets.”.
Generate ROI by Cutting Search Times and Increasing Downstream Productivity
Reducing search times saves labor costs and allows skilled workers to get back to testing and production. But the impact goes beyond saving time for one workstation. When critical tools or equipment go missing, workstations can sit idle while employees search across the facility. These interruptions create bottlenecks that slow down production.
Reducing search time keeps operations flowing, improving efficiency across the entire facility.
Maintain Visibility of Calibrated Assets and Equipment
Many manufacturers rely on spreadsheets, ERP records, or manual processes to manage calibration schedules and asset accountability. While these systems identify which assets require service, they often do not provide real-time visibility into where those assets are located.
WISER complements existing quality and maintenance processes by providing continuous visibility into tagged assets and a complete location history. Quality and compliance teams can use these records to verify asset movement, support audits, and quickly locate equipment requiring calibration, inspection, or maintenance.
For calibration compliance, teams can sort assets by due date within the system, confirm their physical location before recall, and maintain a time-stamped record of service cycles to support AS9100, IATF 16949, ISO 13485, and FDA requirements.
Case Study: Metal Manufacturer Tracking Gauges Requiring Calibration
Danville Metal Stamping relies on hundreds of calibrated gauges to ensure the metal parts it manufactures meet precise specifications. In a busy facility those gauges frequently ended up in the wrong location and skilled employees had to track them down.
Danville deployed WISER’s ultra-wideband RTLS giving technicians visibility of gauge locations across the company’s multi-building manufacturing campus.
“When a gauge has an assigned tracker tag, I can go right to where it is and get a general location within a couple of feet,” says Jeremy Turner, Gauge Inspector at Danville Metal Stamping.
Danville has significantly reduced time spent searching for tools while improving control over calibrated equipment used in production.
Request a Demo of WISER’s Tool & Equipment Tracking System
Stop managing tools with static reports and outdated inventory methods. See how WISER’s manufacturer-focused real-time tool tracking system gives your team measurable control over asset movement, utilization, and accountability.
Schedule a consultation with WISER and evaluate how a tool tracking system can strengthen your operation with data you can act on immediately.
Real-Time Tool & Equipment Tracking FAQs
How long does it take to deploy RTLS for tool tracking in a manufacturing facility?
Deployment timelines depend on facility size and asset count, but many tool tracking system installations begin delivering usable location data within weeks.
Can real-time tool tracking systems scale across multiple buildings or outdoor yards?
Yes. WISER’s RTLS for tool tracking can extend coverage across connected buildings, storage areas, and exterior yards, allowing asset tracking in both indoor and outdoor environments within the same platform.
Does a tool tracking RTLS require constant manual updates?
No. Once assets are tagged, real-time tool tracking runs automatically – location data updates continuously without requiring employees to scan barcodes or log movements into a system.
What types of assets can you track beyond standard hand tools?
Organizations use Tool Tracking RTLS for tracking equipment, mobile carts, dies, fixtures, molds, instrument trays, and serialized components that require location accountability.
