More tools do not equal greater productivity
Productivity is the rate of output per unit of input, and it can be extremely difficult to measure and figure out how to improve this on site. The default measure tends to be of labour productivity, however, there are many other factors contributing to overall productivity, such as the number of tools bought, used on site or held in storage.
A construction company usually puts substantial investment into buying tools that are used to complete work and therefore make a profit. However, if you have a significant amount of capital invested in a surplus of tools that aren’t being used to their full potential, these tools therefore aren’t making you any money and this could lead to a decrease in overall productivity - especially when storage can be costly and tools have to be maintained and recorded.
One of the examples of how too many tools can reduce productivity is having an abundance of spare tools.
When a tool breaks, a spare tool will be used in order to get the job finished. While this may seem productive because you are not preventing workers from completing a job, constantly relying on spare tools in case of damage is not the best way to use your toolpark.
Often these spare tools are stockpiled in warehouses, in the back of workers’ vans and even left on site. While having spare tools is generally a good idea, keeping them in excess is bad for productivity because while they are in storage, they aren’t contributing to the work and therefore aren’t making you any profit.
Productivity grows when the output begins to increase faster than the input. Therefore, by reducing the amount of investment you put into a large toolpark (for example, an excessive amount of spare tools) and instead focusing on optimising tools you already have, you can directly increase productivity.