Whether it’s fieldwork or internal maintenance, equipment keeps your organization moving. Your business invests a lot of resources into this equipment, and the effective tracking and management of your organization’s assets is critical to its success.
Equipment tracking is a best practice for any business, regardless of size or the type of equipment it relies upon. Consult this guide to learn how equipment tracking works, plus tips for improving the quality of your equipment tracking efforts.
Equipment tracking is the process businesses use to monitor and manage their physical assets. This includes:
This can be as simple as keeping a written log of equipment check-outs and returns, or as complex as using state-of-the-art RFID and GPS tracking systems. The primary goal of equipment tracking is to account for all equipment, maintain equipment, and ensure maximum efficiency.
Investing in proper equipment tracking helps businesses:
Equipment tracking has many benefits, but only if implemented correctly. Follow these best practices to improve your organization’s equipment tracking efforts.
Manual or handwritten equipment tracking logs are too prone to error and fraud. This outdated system can’t provide real-time insights or track equipment, which leads to a greater incidence of equipment loss.
Instead, use equipment tracking software to automate check-in/check-out, maintenance logs, and much more. The software is a central repository for all equipment data, preventing miscommunications, lost data, and redundancies.
Labels and tags work with your equipment tracking software to intelligently and efficiently track all equipment at scale. However, choosing low-quality labels will lead to lost data, inefficiencies, and higher costs.
Always choose durable labels that will last—and even outlast—the lifetime of the equipment. MPC manufactures quality labels and tags in various substrates that withstand even the harshest environments. Our custom labels also work well with equipment tracking software to bolster tracking efforts and save time and money.
Embracing equipment tracking software and labels is just the beginning. While software should shepherd employees through a standard equipment tracking process, the team still needs training on the ins and outs of the process itself.
Train staff on how to use the software, why you’re tracking equipment, and the overall tracking process. This will ensure fidelity of implementation and consistent practices across your organization.
If your organization manages a lot of equipment, it isn’t easy to know which assets need your attention the most. Set up notifications within your equipment tracking software to receive alerts about:
The more data you have on your equipment, the easier it is to make informed decisions about your assets. Use equipment tracking software and scannable labels to gather information on your equipment quickly. This includes data such as:
This helps you make better decisions regarding replacements and repairs, which preserves more of your budget over time.
Equipment tracking is a must-have for both large and small businesses. It can have a profound impact not only on your company’s bottom line, but also on operational efficiency. Implement robust equipment tracking systems and software for greater visibility into your assets.
MPC’s durable tags and labels are the perfect addition to a streamlined equipment tracking process. See the MPC difference firsthand: request a free label sample kit today.
Real-time tracking with RFID tags gives an organization instant information about equipment status, location, and owner. This is better than manual logs because it:
Equipment tracking software will have upfront costs, but it’s important to view this as a long-term investment. Equipment tracking leads to substantial cost savings in the long run by:
Training: Train all staff members on the importance of equipment tracking and on the software itself
Incentives: Recognize departments or employees who consistently use the system effectively
Monitoring: Look at the usage of your equipment tracking tools. Do regular reviews to ensure the team uses the system correctly and consistently
Our sales engineers are experts in automatic asset tracking, tagging and identification,a nd can answer all your questions. Get in touch now.
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