Thanks . . .
First, thanks to you both for your help.
For Cockney Steve I want to say “blimey! Surely can be done, Mate” <grin>. Go to this Cribmaster website for the whole story <RFID Tool Control | CribMaster>. To save you time, you can go to this video off the same website to see RFID in action <CribMaster PROTOid™>.
And for Glum, thanks for the tip-off. I went to the Tracker Point site this morning and will contact them today by email to see exactly how that RFID system works. I've already seen they have an impressive customer list.
To an extent I agree with Cockney Steve that “shadow-boards /foam cutouts/ clip-rails are the way to go”. But we’ve got 100 mechanics with about 150 tools each (many tools different from each other) and no way to neatly make tool box cutouts. But, if we can’t make RFID work at a reasonable price, we’ll have to do the cutout thing. That means new tool boxes but not rollaways. Some of these guys work in remote locations on helicopter contracts. Shadow boards I see good only for company tools in tool rooms.
Finally, let me say again that if anyone has further ideas, I’d really like to hear them.