Next Lifecycle Management — TLCM Services
Tooling Life-Cycle Compliance Management

Every OEM tool,
tagged, located,
and accounted for.

A comprehensive package of services, tools, and support that mitigates and manages the ongoing risk associated with OEM-supplied tooling at supplier facilities.

NLM · ASSET RECORD TAG NO. 0417-A OEM: ———————— PROGRAM: ————— LOCATION: T1-SUP-088 VALUE: $184,220.00 VERIFIED
5,000+
Total tool audits completed
16,000+
Remote tool audits completed globally
$24B+
Total value of tools audited
$100M+
Risk mitigation and cost avoidance delivered
The Challenge

Billions in tooling. Scattered records.

$300B+
In tooling assets sitting at Tier 1 and sub-tier supplier facilities across North America — with billions more added every year.

Those tools are a key line item on the OEM's balance sheet. Knowing where they are, and confirming suppliers are managing them properly, carries real financial and operational risk.

As a result, OEMs need to routinely audit tooling assets located at supplier facilities to minimize operational and financial exposure — a task most supplier organizations aren't resourced to do well on their own.

Key Questions for OEMs

What most tool-record systems can't answer.

Are your tools tagged, cataloged, and properly stored while at supplier facilities — with photo evidence?

Is supplier tooling inventory feedback readily available to you?

Can suppliers provide accurate, precise inventory location when needed?

In a distressed supplier situation, can tools be readily found and identified?

When suppliers dispose of tools, is it documented and approved per the OEM's Terms & Conditions?

Is tool records management and compliance part of the supplier scorecard?

Are you debiting suppliers for tools that can't be confirmed?

Inside the OEM

Four departments, one shared exposure.

Tooling risk doesn't sit with a single owner — it touches finance, quality, service, and risk management differently.

Purchasing / Finance

Balance sheet accuracy

Tools listed as assets must be confirmed through recurring audits, or the balance sheet can't be substantiated. Unconfirmed tools can trigger a supplier debit or rebuild requirement.

Quality

Tooling condition

Suppliers must maintain OEM tools through preventive maintenance and timely repair to keep them production-ready.

Service

Storage & availability

When service parts are needed, the supplier must be able to locate and use the correct tooling to fill warranty demand.

Risk Management

Location & identification

If a supplier faces financial distress, tooling needs clear ID numbers and "Property of" labeling to prove ownership and resource assets elsewhere.

NLM Services

We run the audit. You keep your team on their day job.

A focused, cost-effective service — a team of NLM subject matter experts backed by proven tools and analytics — that manages this complex, time-consuming task with defined deliverables and metrics.

Physical Audit

Complete, site-by-site inventory

We conduct a full physical inventory of all tooling on a site-by-site basis, capturing and cataloging every OEM-owned tool to determine your current state of compliance.

Records System

One repository for all tooling data

We build a complete tooling records database — a single, detailed source of truth in place of scattered, facility-by-facility spreadsheets.

Gap Analysis

Baseline and action plan

NLM Services provides the baseline for a comprehensive gap analysis and action plan to mitigate exposure and bring suppliers into full compliance.

Life-Cycle Tracking

Deployment through disposal

We track each tool from initial deployment through end of production life and service life, optimizing disposal timing and recovered value.

Why OEMs Choose NLM

Built to pay for itself.

SOX-aligned by design

Supports your 3rd-party asset audit requirements under Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, with the data to back it up.

Accurate balance sheet

We work to ensure your asset inventory is reflected accurately, audit after audit.

Scales with you

A scalable service that supports incremental activity too — individual tool moves or disposals included.

Frees your team

NLM Services takes the audit burden off your team so they can stay focused on their primary responsibilities.

Self-funding

Pays for itself through supplier debits, lost-tool rebuild avoidance, scrap value recovery, and resolved untagged-tool disputes.

Ongoing compliance

We keep suppliers compliant and provide continuity across every OEM stakeholder group — an obligation that only continues to grow.

Next Lifecycle Management

Let's find out what your tooling records are missing.

Set up a pilot audit at one location and see the gap analysis for yourself — no long-term commitment required to start.