W hen Krisha Plauché, owner of Onboard Interiors & Hood Canvas, purchased the latter company in March 2023, some redesigning of her shop was required to accommodate the extra 1,000 square feet and expanded tool inventory that came with the Hood Canvas acquisition. Headquartered in Marblehead, Mass., the full-service design firm specializes in providing marine interiors and exterior canvas for private and commercial power vessels and sailboats ranging from 30 feet up to 200 feet. " We added two locations for custom shelving units, one located by a layout table with some basic tools and the other at the back of the shop with tools for installation, " she explains. " Both have easy access and shallow shelves to grab things easily. " Not only does an organized tool inventory improve productivity and make projects go more smoothly, having implements readily at hand minimizes the frustration of having to frantically search for a necessary tool. But considering the vast array of tools typically found in a marine fabrication shop- especially those tiny tools that are easily misplaced-creating an efficient tool-management system can take a bit of strategizing. marinefabricatormag.com | 15http://www.marinefabricatormag.com