Method for managing tools in a power plant service environment

摘要

A method in a data processing system of tracking tools in a power plant service environment is disclosed where a plurality of power plant facilities (14) are interconnected in a Web-based environment (22) over a communications medium (10) with a tool depot 16 and wherein the tool depot (16) houses a tool inventory (17) used for providing a plurality of service activities to the plurality of power plant facilities (14). The method may include providing (30) a database (20) containing information associated with respective tools in the tool inventory (17) and including in the database (20) information uniquely associated with at least a first tool in the tool inventory (17). The first tool may be assigned (42) to a person at a power plant facility (14) and data may be recorded at the power plant facility that associates the person with the first tool. The method may also include providing (30) a database (20) containing information describing the inventory of tools and providing access to the database to respective end users at each of the multiple power plants via a communications medium. An order for a set of tools may be communicated over the communications medium (36) to a tool depot (16) and a shipping document may then be populated (40) with information relating to shipping the set of tools from the tool depot (16) to a power plant (14). One aspect allows for accessing the database (20) from the power plant (14) so that an end user at the power plant may search the database via in interactive Web page for selecting at least one tool (36) for inclusion in the set of tools. The at least one tool may be selected from the Web page to create the tool order.