Losing a tool or piece of equipment is frustrating, but it can also be expensive. Between the cost of replacing a tool if it isn’t found and the time lost looking for a misplaced tool, a company’s bottom line can be significantly affected. In fact, it is estimated that a single lost tool on a jobsite can increase the time spent completing a task by over 30%. And, according to Milwaukee Tool Senior Product Manager, Steve Matson, over the length of a large project this increased time spent completing a task can add up to tens of thousands of dollars in wasted labor.
That’s where the Tick comes in, a Bluetooth tool and equipment tracker that can easily be attached and hidden on any tool or piece of equipment. The Tick pairs with Milwaukee’s One-Key app and, once paired, tool records and locations are updated when any device with the One-Key app comes within 100 feet. Regardless of whether the device with One-Key has the app open or not, the location updates are transmitted, allowing users to pinpoint the missing tool.
The Tick has a low profile and flat back that, Milwaukee claims, allows it to be attached to anything via glue, screw, rivet, or strap. Its round shape allows it to be easily hidden out of sight on, for example, the underside of a ladder or a miter saw stand.
Because jobsites are not always the most hospitable of places, the Tick has a water and dust-tight enclosure to protect internal components and UV rated plastics to keep the device from becoming brittle when exposed to extended periods of direct sunlight. The tracker also uses a rugged electronics housing that can stand up to high vibration and impact.
The Tick will be available in February of this year in a 1-pack for $29, a 4-pack for $99, a 10-pack for $219, and a 50-pack from $999.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Earthquake engineering keeps airport grounded
Istanbul, Turkey's new 2.15 million-sf Sabiha Gökçen International Airport opened on October 31, 2009, becoming the world's largest seismically isolated building. Arup's global airport planning and engineering team, in collaboration with architects Dogan Tekeli Sami Sisa Mimarlik Ofisi and contractor LIMAK-GMR JV, working within an 18-month timeline, designed and built the facility wi...
| Aug 11, 2010
New Ways to Improve Water Efficiency
In the U.S. and most of the industrialized world, building occupants take for granted the simple convenience of filling a glass with clean, drinkable water at the kitchen sink. Yet worldwide, nearly a billion people globally have no access to safe drinking water, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council.
| Aug 11, 2010
Healthcare construction weathers the recession
Healthcare construction spending grew at a compound rate of more than 10% for seven years through mid-2008, but has stalled since then. The stall, however, still represents better growth than almost any other construction market during the recession, which deepened as a result of the fall 2008 credit freeze.
| Aug 11, 2010
Embassy's dual façades add security and beauty
The British government's new 46,285-sf embassy building in Warsaw, Poland's diplomatic quarter houses the ambassador's offices, the consulate, and visa services on three floors. The $20 million Modernist design by London-based Tony Fretton Architects features a double façade—an inner concrete super structure and an outer curtain wall.
| Aug 11, 2010
Cost of HVAC equipment to remain flat in 2009, says Turner
While some manufacturers have announced slight increases in facilities equipment pricing for 2009, the average cost of equipment is expected to remain flat in 2009, according to the 2009 Turner Logistics Equipment Cost Index. However, equipment pricing could face increased pressure if there is a further decline in market demand.
| Aug 11, 2010
Citizenship building in Texas targets LEED Silver
The Department of Homeland Security's new U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services facility in Irving, Texas, was designed by 4240 Architecture and developed by JDL Castle Corporation. The focal point of the two-story, 56,000-sf building is the double-height, glass-walled Ceremony Room where new citizens take the oath.
| Aug 11, 2010
Toronto mandates green roofs
The city of Toronto late last month passed a new green roof by-law that consists of a green roof construction standard and a mandatory requirement for green roofs on all classes of new buildings. The by-law requires up to 50% green roof coverage on multi-unit residential dwellings over six stories, schools, nonprofit housing, and commercial and industrial buildings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Modest recession for education construction
Construction spending for education expanded modestly but steadily through March, while at the same time growth for other institutional construction had stalled earlier in 2009. Education spending is now at or near the peak for this building cycle. The value of education starts is off 9% year-to-date compared to 2008.
| Aug 11, 2010
'Feebate' program to reward green buildings in Portland, Ore.
Officials in Portland, Ore., have proposed a green building incentive program that would be the first of its kind in the U.S. Under the program, new commercial buildings, 20,000 sf or larger, that meet Oregon's state building code would be assessed a fee by the city of up to $3.46/sf. The fee would be waived for buildings that achieve LEED Silver certification from the U.
