We’re a heavy-duty workshop supplier, so it’s natural for us to talk about the big-ticket equipment.
But there’s a lot more to running a workshop than just the heaviest tools.
Some of the smallest bits of kit can turn out to be the biggest money-savers you buy. And with a suitably small price tag to go with them, they could be one of the wisest investments you make for your business.
Here are the unassuming tools you need to start saving money:
Oil Management
We all know that oil is pricey. And if you’re pouring it down the drain, you’re doing the same thing with your money.
That’s why smart workshops take every care to be efficient with the oil they use — whether they’re transporting it, storing it, using it, or draining it.
Through every stage of the journey through your workshop, you need to have the tools in place that are built specifically for handling oil and reducing waste.
That means making sure you’ve got:
- Mobile Oil Dispensers — for safe transportation and accurate delivery
- Dedicated Grease Pumps — to move a lot of oil without the waste
- And safe and efficient Fluid Drainers — to save every drop for recycling and reuse.
But like most things in the workshop, there’s more to the cost-savings than just the product itself.
You’ve got the safety of your workers and your environmental impact to worry about.
Without the right oil management tools to help you minimise those risks, your workshop could end up facing government fines, or liability claims from your workers — and avoiding those means saving huge sums of money.
Stands and Jacks
For most workshops, a vehicle lift can be one of the biggest investments in equipment they make. And if you’re a smaller workshop with a modest budget, you don’t want to have to buy more lifts than you need.
Different types of lift give you different types of access to the chassis when the vehicle’s raised. Some lift at the wheel, and some lift near the centre of the undercarriage.
So when your vehicles are raised, you won’t always be able to complete every piece of work — and you could be tempted to invest in a different type of lift.
But with the right supporting equipment to complement your lift, you’ll have a low-cost option to help you get the job done (without dropping thousands of pounds on a new installation).
Our Totalkare Axle Stands are designed to replace a single column of our Mobile Column Lifts — attaching at the axle of the vehicle to give you full access to the wheelbase while the vehicle is raised.
When your lift is in use and you need to work on a second vehicle, our Heavy Duty Bottle Jacks can give you a portable and low-cost way of lifting up to 50,000kg — so you can change tyres or adjust the wheels without waiting for the lift.
With an affordable set of bottle jacks — or our High Capacity Trolley Jacks — you’ll be able to increase your throughput and your workshop’s productivity. You’ll be able to work on multiple smaller jobs side by side, at a fraction of the cost of buying a second vehicle lift.
Emission Testers
No matter what size fleet you’re running, your fuel costs are always going to be painful.
With fuel prices skyrocketing this year, you need to do everything you can to squeeze the most value out of every drop of fuel you buy.
It’s not just about driving efficiently or paying a lower price for your fuel. It’s about making your vehicles as efficient as possible. And one of the easiest ways to measure that efficiency is with an in-house emissions tester.
With a Diesel Smoke Meter or a Petrol & Diesel Emissions Analyser, you’ll be able to accurately measure the combustion efficiency of your engines. You’ll be able to see which of your vehicles are using more fuel than they need to, and get an early warning to help you stay on top of your maintenance and repairs.
And the bigger your fleet, the more crucial that becomes. Every small improvement in fuel efficiency gets multiplied across the number of vehicles you have — which means the biggest fleets have the most to gain from a relatively modest investment in an in-house emission tester.
But it’s not just the fuel itself that’s a worry.
Our Totalkare emission testers are MOT-approved and accredited to the latest Euro 6 standards. And if your vehicles aren’t up to scratch, you could be looking at hefty fines and charges for a vehicle that fails to meet those standards — especially if you travel through Clean Air Zones and Ultra-low Emission Zones.
Looking for Big Savings on a Small Investment?
There’s a lot more to a workshop than the biggest bits of kit. And there’s a lot more to Totalkare than the heavy-duty equipment we specialise in.
So if you’re looking to save money in your workshop (without the big investment of the big-ticket items), check out webshop to see our full range of equipment in all shapes and sizes — or chat with one of the team to get the answers you need.
This article was originally published by Totalkare Ltd.
