C03.03
Clean it, count it, put it back
The exact care routine, tool by tool — squeegees, spike shoes, rollers, knives, pucks, cords, the grinder, the vacs. Spelled out so nobody can say they did not know.
- Run the after-application care routine on every tool you touched
- Return everything to its one home — exact same spot, every time
- Count supplies before they run out, and report a break the same hour
It is not yours. It is yours to take care of.
Company tools are how we eat. We deliberately bought high-end, professional equipment so that when the trailer opens at a plant, the customer sees a professional outfit. When a grinder is left in the rain, when a squeegee goes back crusted, when a 100-foot cord walks off and we buy another one 'real quick' — that money does not appear out of thin air. It comes off the jobs, out of the bonus pool, and out of the hours Eric and sales should be spending winning the next plant instead of replacing barrels.
After every application — tool by tool, no exceptions
| Tool | The routine |
|---|---|
| Squeegees | Cleaned before the resin kicks — stripped and wiped while it is still soft. A clean squeegee is back in service tomorrow, and next month, and next year. A crusted one is garbage after one job. |
| Spike shoes | Cleaned as soon as you step off the wet film — not Friday. Paired. Back in their bin. Crusted spikes wreck the next application. |
| Roller frames — 9", 14", 18" | Frames stripped and wiped; frames are equipment, covers are consumables. Used covers out, fresh count confirmed for tomorrow. |
| Mud knives | Scraped and wiped while the material is soft. A knife with yesterday's floor on it is a chisel, not a tool. |
| Diamond pucks | Off the machine, counted, cased. Pucks are money, not gravel — they do not live loose in a truck bed. |
| Cords | Coiled, ends capped, hung or binned. A cord on the ground is not stored. Cuts get tagged, not stuffed. |
| Husqvarna PG 690P | Wiped down, attachments cased, loaded to its spot, strapped. This is showpiece equipment — it should look like we respect it, because the customer is judging us by it. |
| Propane vacs — S21, S26 | Emptied, filters checked, wiped down, barrel latched, wand and hose secured, strapped to a rated point. The last vac that skipped this list took a 10-inch dent. |
Count it before it costs you
- 01Supplies inventory
Roller covers, blades, pads, tape, mixing paddles — counted at close-out, shorts reported before 7:00, not discovered at the gate.
- 02Personal close-out
Every tool you touched is in your hand, on the cart, or reported. 'It's around somewhere' is a lost tool announcing itself early.
- 03Borrowed = written
Name, tool, time. Memory is how tools vanish.
- 04Weekly walk
Lead walks the truck against the layout. Anything out of its home gets a name attached to it.
- Not this
It was like that when I got it.
ThisThen you report it at pickup. Silence at pickup makes it yours at return.
- Not this
Cords are cheap.
ThisCords are cheap one at a time. A year of lost cords is a machine.
- Not this
I'll clean the squeegee back at the shop.
ThisThe resin does not wait for the drive. Clean it before it kicks or you just threw it away.
Takeaways
- A clean squeegee works hundreds of applications. A crusted one is trash after one.
- If it broke, you say so the same hour. Hiding a break is how the next crew gets hurt.
- Showpiece equipment gets showpiece care — that is why we bought it.