June 2026 – Coplan / KIT

Product Update – June 2026

June 18, 2026/in News/by Wayne Stant

Introduction of Roles-based Permissions, Linked Resources & Notifications Improvements

Roles-Based Permissions

A new role-based configuration feature has been introduced to simplify the management of user permissions and notification settings across KIT. Instead of configuring each user individually, administrators can now define specific roles. Under each role, the administrator then allocates a set of permissions and notification preferences. Once the role has been created, the administrator can assign users to the role as required, automatically assigning those permissions to the user.

This method of assigning permissions ensures consistency of rights to users in similar positions and reduces the time required to manage access across the system. Roles can be assigned to multiple users, and users can hold multiple roles, with their effective permissions automatically combined. Changes to the permissions set and preferences of a role are applied instantly to all assigned users, making it easier to maintain and update access at scale.

Individual user overrides are still supported where additional flexibility is required.

Linked Resources improvements

We’ve made several useful improvements to the Linked Resources feature to help you stay on top of important documentation as it relates to either Tools or Calibration Policies.

Expiry Dates

You can now add an optional expiry date to any Linked Resource, making it easier to track resources that need reviewing or updating regularly, such as manuals, risk assessments, or data sheets. This helps ensure that any time-limited documentation is flagged as about to expire when it is within 30 days of its expiry date, so that it can be reviewed, revised or replaced before it expires, so that key information is always up to date.

This feature includes the ability to receive a report on Expired Linked Resources and a similar report covering Expiring Linked Resources that are due to expire shortly. If there are Linked Resources which have expiry dates applied to them, summaries of these two reports also appear as tiles on the Dashboard to give you a quick overview of the validity of your resources.

Resource Audit History

Linked Resources records now include a full audit history, so you can see exactly what has changed, when and by whom.

URL Resource Type

In addition to being able to store documents against a Tool or Calibration Policy, users can now choose to add a “Web address (URL)” instead. This is ideal for content that’s hosted or updated elsewhere, such as internal Sharepoint sites, other corporate intranet resources or even related product pages on supplier websites.

Notifications Improvements

A new “Missing items alert” email notification is now available for Items marked as missing during an audit. While there is already a daily notification report for these, this alert is sent immediately when the audit is completed, helping you take action straight away.

As a refinement to the existing “Weekly Dashboard Summary” and “Weekly Calibration Summary” report notifications, users can now opt for them to “Filter to My Items” only, so they see only the summaries of Items pertinent to them.

Minor Enhancements

This release allows Loan Areas of Use to be deleted from the system if they no longer have any active Loans linked to them.
There have also been several updates to KIT’s system components to assure the ongoing stability and security of the platform.

How KIT helps manufacturers take back time and stay in control of tooling

June 16, 2026/in Blog/by Wayne Stant

A recent article in Manufacturing Management highlighted findings from research published in the report “Same factory, different reality – the growing divide between manufacturing leadership and operators” by OFS that details an all too familiar problem in UK manufacturing: too much time is still being lost to manual reporting, disconnected systems and a lack of real-time visibility or control.

When operators spend valuable minutes logging information, chasing updates or waiting for someone else to surface an issue, productivity suffers. The real cost is not only admin time. It is slower response, more downtime, missed deadlines and less confidence in the data being used on the shop floor. KIT is built to solve exactly these problems by giving manufacturers a simpler, faster way to manage tooling, audits and calibration in one place.

1. KIT reduces manual reporting and admin-heavy workflows

One of the biggest issues raised in the report is the amount of time operators lose to manual reporting. KIT helps remove that burden by replacing scattered spreadsheets, paper-based checks and disconnected records with one intelligent tool control system. Instead of spending time updating multiple logs or preparing information for audits, teams can complete visual tool audits in seconds, access centralised records instantly and keep tooling data current without the usual back-and-forth. That means less time feeding systems and more time focused on production.

2. KIT gives instant visibility of tooling status

The report makes it clear that limited access to real-time information slows down decision-making. KIT changes that by giving manufacturers immediate visibility of their tooling inventory, calibration status and audit position. Using KIT’s dashboard, teams can see what tools they have, where they are, what condition they are in and what needs attention without relying on someone to pull reports manually. This instant visibility helps issues get spotted earlier, reduces the risk of tooling gaps and supports quicker, better-informed decisions on the shop floor.

3. KIT improves control and accountability across operations

Disconnected systems often create uncertainty around ownership, responsibility and next actions. KIT brings control back by creating a single source of truth for tooling records, audit activity and calibration requirements. With everything managed centrally, manufacturers can standardise processes, reduce tool creep, improve traceability and make it easier for teams to work consistently across departments or sites. Better control does not just support compliance; it also reduces the operational noise that distracts teams from value-adding work.

4. KIT helps manufacturers free up time where it matters most

Manufacturers do not win by asking skilled people to spend more of their shift on admin. They win when those people can focus on production, quality and solving problems early. By simplifying audits, streamlining calibration management and centralising tooling information, KIT helps free up time across the business. Time that would otherwise be lost to searching, checking, logging and chasing can be reinvested in higher-value activity. The result is a more efficient operation, with less friction and fewer delays.

Why this matters now

Many manufacturers have invested in digital systems, but the report suggests that too many frontline processes still remain manual beneath the surface. That is exactly where KIT delivers value. It does not add more complexity. It removes it. By making tool control simpler, more visible and more actionable, KIT helps manufacturers move beyond the appearance of digital transformation and towards something more useful: time saved, better decisions and stronger operational control.

For manufacturers looking to cut wasted time and give teams the clarity they need to perform, intelligent tool control is not a nice to have. It is a practical way to reduce friction, improve responsiveness and create a more productive factory floor. That is where KIT makes the difference.

Calibration is broken: Why every industry is rethinking tool compliance

June 2, 2026/in Blog/by Wayne Stant

Most manufacturers pass their calibration audits. That doesn’t mean their calibration systems actually work.

Because passing an audit isn’t the same as being in control.

Across food production lines, aerospace MRO bays, automotive plants, and defence facilities, calibration is still treated as a periodic checkbox exercise. Tools are calibrated, certificates are stored, spreadsheets are updated, and when the auditor arrives, everything looks fine.
But step onto the shop floor, and a different picture often emerges:

Tools that are technically “in calibration”, but not verified in context
Records that exist, but aren’t trusted
Schedules that are followed, but don’t reflect real-world usage

The uncomfortable truth is this: calibration isn’t failing because of poor intent. It’s failing because the system it relies on hasn’t evolved.

The problem isn’t calibration. It’s how we manage it.

For decades, calibration has followed the same model:

Fixed intervals (every 3, 6, or 12 months)
Manual tracking via spreadsheets or disconnected systems
Reactive workflows driven by audits rather than operations

That worked when manufacturing was simpler, slower, and less connected. But today, production environments are fundamentally different:

Tools feed data directly into quality decisions
Systems are expected to be digitally traceable
Audits demand end-to-end visibility, not just documentation

And yet, many calibration processes are still running on legacy assumptions.

Compliance hasn’t got harder. It’s just more honest.

Regulations across industries are tightening, but not arbitrarily.

Food manufacturing audits increasingly expose documentation and traceability gaps, not just hygiene issues
Aerospace standards demand higher levels of traceability and calibration control across assets
ISO frameworks are shifting toward data integrity and digital traceability at system level

What’s changed is simple: auditors are no longer just checking if records exist; they’re checking if they can be trusted.
This is where traditional calibration systems start to break down.

The gap between “in calibration” and “in control”.

A tool marked as “in calibration” creates a false sense of certainty.
Because that label doesn’t tell you:

Whether the tool has drifted since its last check
Whether it’s being used outside its intended conditions
Whether the data it produces is still reliable

In high-precision environments, even small deviations have a measurable impact.

Minor calibration issues can delay aerospace operations and trigger rework
Slight inaccuracies in manufacturing can lead to scrap, yield loss, or compliance risk

The risk isn’t obvious failure. It’s silent inaccuracy.

Calibration was designed for a different era.

Traditional calibration models are built around time-based scheduling:

“Calibrate every 6 months”
“Check annually”

But this ignores how tools are actually used. Some tools operate continuously under heavy load. Others are rarely used. Treating them the same doesn’t improve compliance; it just creates unnecessary work in some areas, and risk in others.
That’s why leading organisations are moving toward:

Risk-based calibration
Usage-driven schedules
Drift detection and predictive alerts

Calibration is shifting from a calendar event to a continuous signal.

The rise of the connected tool.

At the same time, the tools themselves are changing. Across industries, we’re seeing rapid adoption of:

RFID and RTLS for real-time tool tracking
IoT-enabled instruments streaming performance data
Integrated systems connecting tools to quality and production workflows

This changes the role of calibration entirely. Tools are no longer static assets. They are live data sources.
And once tools start generating data that drives decisions, calibration becomes more than a compliance task.
It becomes a data integrity problem.

The real bottleneck: fragmentation.

Most calibration failures don’t come from bad engineering. They come from disconnected systems:

Calibration records stored in one place or multiple scattered locations
Tool tracking handled somewhere else or not at all
Audit evidence assembled manually under pressure

In many organisations, there’s no single view of what tools exist, where they are, their calibration status and their audit history.
Without that visibility, teams rely on manual processes, workarounds and frantic last-minute audit preparation. And that’s where things break.

What “Good” looks like now.

Forward-looking manufacturers aren’t abandoning calibration. They’re rebuilding it around visibility and control. That means:

Centralised systems where tools, calibration, and audits connect
Real-time tracking so tool status is always visible
Automated alerts instead of manual reminders
Digital audit trails that don’t need to be reconstructed

The goal isn’t just to pass audits. It’s to ensure that at any moment, you can answer three simple questions:

What tools do we have?
Are they fit for use right now?
Can we prove it instantly?

Calibration isn’t broken. But the way we think about it is.

Calibration was once a back-office function. Today, it sits at the intersection of Quality, Operations, Compliance and Data / Business Intelligence. And that changes the expectations entirely.

The companies that are getting ahead aren’t asking “Are we compliant?”, they’re asking “Do we have control?” Because in modern manufacturing, compliance is just the outcome. Control is the advantage.

Final thought.

If your calibration process still depends on static schedules, manual records and disconnected systems, it’s not future-proof. It’s fragile…and it will leave you exposed. And in an environment where precision, traceability, and auditability are non-negotiable, that fragility quickly becomes risk.