Many years ago I was the service writer for a small three bay gas station/service center, back in the days when you actually could get repairs rather than slurpees where you bought your gas. We had a local parts supplier who would visit once a week, to check our hardware bins and automatically refill any nuts or bolts we were getting low on. One day, the (usually absentee)owners decided that this was costing too much, and that THEY would monitor the bins and order replacements as needed.

Most of you have already figured out where this is headed. Within weeks, I had mechanics standing around waiting for an $0.08 nut to show up so they could finish a car. We were billing about $40/hour back then, and had plenty of work, so the hardware situation very quickly began costing a LOT more than the money we had previously had "tied up" in hardware inventory.

What does this have to do with sanding supplies? Well, that would depend on how well you have your inventory under control. Are you, as you read this, truly aware of what sanding disks you do or do not have on hand? Are you sure you have the right sizes and hole patterns for all your sanders? Do you know how old your stock of sanding belts are? They do have a shelf life, we discussed this in this blog back in April of 2012. The tape used to hold them together only lasts so long, and this includes wide sanding belts.

Now, we are happy to point out that having an account at 2Sand.com can help with this. It can track your order history and help remind you on items you order regularly, but the point of this blog is more about being prepared. If you had a big job come into your shop today, would your team be waiting around for some simple, inexpensive tool, hardware or sanding supplies, or do you have everything to hand? Answering this question is just another small step toward efficiency you can take at little cost in time or money. The rewards could far outweigh the investment.

As ever, we want to hear from you! What small efficiencies do you employ in your space? Respond to the blog, on our Facebook Page, or via Twitter. -2Sand.com