SHOP NAME: Check Engine Light Specialists LOCATION: Baltimore INNOVATOR: Steve Cabral SIZE: 1,400 square feet
STAFF SIZE: 3 AVERAGE MONTHLY CAR COUNT: 100 ANNUAL REVENUE: $250,000
What It Is
Socket organizer
Inspiration
Steve Cabral, a technician at Check Engine Light Specialists, was tired of his sockets moving around in the standard socket rail that he was using. He wanted a way to be more organized. Cabral had seen socket organizers on the market, but felt the prices were too steep and decided to make one himself.
What It Does
The socket organizer holds all of Cabral’s sockets in place, even when he’s on the move.
“I work as a mobile technician part of the time,” Cabral says. “Even when I’m on the go and throw it in the back of my truck, the sockets stay in place.”
By organizing his sockets this way, Cabral is able to immediately see if one is missing and locate the one that he needs.
How It's Made
Cabral started with plywood, a few packages of small dowel pins in various sizes and some glue. He started by laying down all of his sockets on the plywood where he wanted them. He put the deeper sockets in the back and grouped all of the sizes
together. For example, all of the half-inch sockets are in the same place. To streamline his organization even further, he put his standard sockets on the left and the metric sockets on the right.
Once everything was placed where he wanted, he traced each of the sockets and then used a hole saw to drill the appropriate size. A small dowel was then glued into the hole and left to dry. Once all of the dowels were put in place, he let it set and then spray-painted it black. The sockets were then placed on the corresponding dowel.
The Cost
Cabral estimates the whole project cost him less than $20 and took close to eight hours to put together.
The ROI
Cabral has used it for a few months, and he says the time savings is amazing. With the organizer, he’s able to immediately see if a socket is missing and needs to be replaced. He’s also able to locate exactly what he needs right away, rather than having to dig through the socket rail. The few minutes he saves every day quickly add up and allow him to be more efficient with his work.
