Give each tool an identity
Set up the individual tools, their approved tasks and the places they belong. Confirm who physically has each tool before starting. Existing tags can help find a record; an asset identity keeps similar tools separate.
Trials by invitation
The right tool for the job.
SHARED TOOLS, WITH A CLEAR HANDOVER
The right tool for the job.
A record of every handover.
ToolCustody gives each shared tool, fixture or gauge its own identity. Scan it, choose the borrower and task, and check whether it is ready for the planned use. Confirm the handover, record its return and keep damage, missing tools and overdue service visible. Start with a guided demonstration and an invited trial for one factory crib.
No payment or self-service sign-up. Start with a demonstration.
TOOLCUSTODY · ILLUSTRATION
Before the handover
Tool checkReady to confirm
Fixture J-014At the approved crib, with no open loan
AvailableFinishing taskThis fixture is approved for the selected task
MatchesHandoverThe operator must confirm the physical issue
Not issuedThe checks pass. Custody changes only when the actual handover is confirmed.
Fictional examples. This illustration records no custody, accepts no evidence and prints nothing.
A ready tool, a held tool and a due gauge.
BUILT AROUND YOUR KNOWLEDGE
For factory teams sharing individual tools, fixtures or gauges and keeping track through a rack, a paper sign-out book or a spreadsheet.
FROM KNOWLEDGE TO A WORKING PROCESS
A tool on the rack is not always ready to use.
Someone needs a tool. Is it the right one for the task, has it come back, and is its service or calibration still valid for the whole time it is needed? ToolCustody applies your approved checks before each handover and keeps the borrower, condition and next action together.
Check before handover
Scan the tool, choose the borrower, task and intended use period. The station checks current custody, condition, holds and required qualification. Passing the check prepares the handover; a person still confirms the actual issue.
Return, review and restow
Record what came back and where it arrived, including damage. Review its condition, resolve any hold and record when it is put away. A return is a return, not an automatic declaration that the tool is ready.
THE SERVICE
Find the tool. Check it. Know who has it.
One tool, one current borrower
Keep an individual identity and recorded custody for every asset. A second issue cannot create another open loan for a tool already handed over.
Checks for the approved task
Match the tool to the task and permitted alternatives your team has approved. Current holds, condition and required qualification still apply, even when the family looks right.
A truthful return
Record a damaged or overdue tool returning without forcing it into a ready state. Review and restow are separate actions, so a tool in the review area is not mistaken for one available in the crib.
Service records with human review
Keep supported PDF or image evidence privately with the tool. An authorised reviewer records its accepted scope and dates. Uploading a file never approves calibration or clears a hold by itself.
Due tools and exceptions in view
See open loans, held tools and due review work. Record physical spot checks and investigate a missing or disputed tool with a named supervisor and a retained history.
Labels and your own records
Prepare fixed asset labels and status PDFs. Agree and check attended printing through PrintStation during onboarding. Authorised people can export their organisation’s records, including retained service evidence.
APPROVED CHECKS, APPLIED AT EVERY HANDOVER
Teach the check once. Apply it each time.
Your team sets the approved tasks, permitted tools and policy conditions. ToolCustody applies those checks automatically to every proposed issue, so the operator does not have to remember each exception. The invited trial uses structured setup, expected examples and separate review. Live AI authoring is not enabled in the current trial.
How checks and authoring workPOLICY TO AGREE WITH YOUR TEAM
“Only issue this gauge when its approved calibration covers the task and the whole planned use period.”
Set the requirements→Approve→Check each issue
Automatic result: The check stops a proposed handover when the required qualification is missing or ends before the planned use ends. A person reviews the reason; the software does not invent a replacement qualification.
IS IT A FIT?
Start with one
clear workflow.
A good starting point
- You share individual tools, fixtures or gauges at one factory site.
- Your team can supply approved task requirements and confirm opening custody.
- People can record physical handovers and returns at a browser station.
The initial scope
- Start with one agreed, non-safety-critical crib and a bounded tool list.
- Individual asset custody, not consumable quantities, reservations or a full maintenance system.
- Online operation. No machine interlocks, automatic engineering equivalence or live RFID tracking.
BEFORE YOU START
A few useful answers.
Can we see it before using our own tools?
Yes. Request a demonstration of the actual application with fictional tools and borrowers. An invited organisation can practise in a separate sample workspace before agreeing its production opening. Sample actions do not print to a physical printer or change your real custody records.
Can anyone create an account?
Access is by invitation only. We agree the workflow and trial arrangements first, then enable your organisation and named users through SmartFACT Accounts. The enquiry form takes no payment and does not create a product account.
Does every borrower need a login?
A borrower is the person recorded as receiving a tool. That record does not grant access to the application. Anyone operating ToolCustody signs in with their own SmartFACT account and needs the appropriate product role.
What if a tool returns damaged?
Record the observed return and its condition. The tool stays out of ordinary issue until the required review and any hold clearance are complete. Putting it back on a rack or uploading a service document does not make it ready automatically.
Does it replace a calibration laboratory or a maintenance system?
No. ToolCustody records custody and the qualification decisions made by authorised people. Your provider and team remain responsible for methods, measurements, limits and approval. It does not perform calibration, certify engineering suitability or manage full maintenance work orders.
What scanners and printers can we use?
Start with a barcode scanner that types into a browser like a keyboard, and test it at the intended station. Asset labels are fixed 100 x 150 mm PDFs, with A4 status reports. Attended printing uses PrintStation and is checked on your actual printer and media before live use. Mobile camera scanning and unattended printing are not part of this trial offer.
Can we start with a spreadsheet?
Bring a small, reviewed list of tools, their tags, tasks and current whereabouts to onboarding. The current trial uses guided setup. Bulk migration and external system connections need separate agreement; do not upload production files or personal borrower lists to the enquiry form.
What does the trial cost?
Trial scope, duration, support and any charges are agreed before you begin. There is no payment on this website, and no public plans or prices are offered here.
A PRACTICAL STARTING POINT
Explore your use case.
01
Barcode tool check-in and check-out for a factory crib
Replace the uncertain sign-out book with a checked handover and a clear record of who has each individual tool.
02Keep shared fixtures ready for their approved tasks
Find which fixture is available, check it against the task and keep its borrower, condition and return history together.
03Gauge custody with qualification checks before issue
Keep a gauge’s whereabouts and reviewed service evidence together, and check required qualification against the intended use.
INVITED TRIAL
Which tools are hardest to keep track of?
Tell us what your team shares and how issue and return work today. We arrange a demonstration and discuss whether an invited trial for one crib fits your process.
Request a trial
By invitation. No payment or self-service sign-up.
THE SMARTFACT SUITE
Useful on their own.
Better around the same floor.
Automate factory decisions with rules you describe in plain English. Explore focused SmartFACT services, plus free tools for everyday checks.
Free tool
ScannerBench
See the text and key events your keyboard scanner sends. Compare them with the value you expected.
Test a scanner
Free tool
PrintBench
Print a known PDF, measure its reference marks and compare scans from the printed codes.
Check a print
Free tool
CardBench
Create 100 × 50 mm bin and rack cards with Code 128 or QR, from one record or a CSV.
Make bin cards
Free tool
CountBench
Count stock by location with a barcode scanner, compare it with a stock file and export the results. No account needed.
Start a free count
Free tool
BarcodeBench
See exactly what a scanned barcode contains, with hidden characters shown and GS1 fields, check digits and dates explained. No account needed.
Inspect a barcode
Free tool
MatchBench
Scan a reference and each label, see an exact match or the first difference, and download the results. No account needed.
Start a free comparison
Free tool
TagBench
Scan an item or location, note what needs attention, print a review tag and keep a review list. No account needed.
Make a free tag
Free tool
FindBench
Load your own parts and locations CSV, scan a code and see every location it lists. No account needed.
Start a free lookup
Free tool
ManifestBench
Check cartons, pallets or serial numbers against a list with a phone or scanner and see what is missing. No account needed.
Start a free check
Free tool
FeedBench
Check CSV and JSON files exactly as written, preview a column mapping and compare two versions by key. No account needed.
Check a file free
Free tool
CycleBench
Time work cycles and changeovers on a phone, record interruptions with reasons and download the results. No account needed.
Start a free study
Early access
LabelRules
Describe label rules in plain English. Automatically select layouts, resolve customer codes and check each job before printing.
Explore LabelRules
Early access
KitProof
Turn plain English component rules into automatic kit checklists, then check scans against the expected parts and quantities.
Explore KitProof
Early access
WorkSteps
Turn plain English rules into automatic step selection for each unit, with required evidence and a record of completed work.
Explore WorkSteps
Early access
FactorySpec
Apply approved product rules and calculations automatically to turn dimensions and options into manufacturing requirements.
Explore FactorySpec
Early access
ConfigSheets
Maintain checked reference tables and saved versions, then prepare reviewed files for LabelRules and KitProof.
Explore ConfigSheets
Early access
OrderRun
Turn plain English rules into automatic order checks and destination selection, with controlled production release.
Explore OrderRun
Early access
ParcelOffice
Scan the work order and the parcel choice to book the courier and print the labels. Approved plain English rules recommend or choose the parcel.
Explore ParcelOffice
Early access
RefillFlow
Scan an empty container to send the right refill request to stores. Approved plain English rules set the stores queue, priority, ticket printer and escalation.
Explore RefillFlow
Early access
RemnantRack
Label each offcut, find a suitable length before cutting new stock and record what you used. Approved plain English rules decide what to keep and where it goes.
Explore RemnantRack
Invited trial
ToolCustody
Check a shared tool before handover, record who has it and keep damaged or overdue tools out of the next issue. Explore an invited trial for one factory crib.
Request a trial
Invited trial
StoresFlow
Receive, put away, reserve and issue stores material with barcode checks, keeping held, reserved and available stock apart. Explore an invited trial for one stockroom.
Explore StoresFlow
Invited trial
LotTrail
Follow a lot or serial number through the records your factory already keeps, with the source of each link and the gaps shown. Explore an invited trial with two declared sources.
Explore LotTrail
Help
SmartFACT Help
Step-by-step guides and interactive demonstrations for the SmartFACT suite. Read the instructions, watch a task or practise with real product screens and sample data.
Open SmartFACT Help