The question ‘What is asset tracking?’ resonates with significance for business owners and managers.
Knowing how to track and manage your company’s physical assets can make a huge difference. It can make your operations smoother, cut down on unnecessary costs, and keep your customers happy.
But what exactly does asset tracking involve? Let’s dive into the essentials of this key business strategy.
What is Asset Tracking?
Simply put, asset tracking is keeping an eye on your company’s physical assets to ensure they are efficiently utilised and maintained. These assets can range from fleet vehicles, shipping containers, returnable assets, to any tangible item that adds value to your day-to-day operations.
Asset tracking is about knowing where your assets are, how they’re doing, and if they’re being used right. Tracking helps you make smart choices about using, fixing, or investing in your assets.
Understanding the condition and whereabouts of each asset is pivotal in streamlining operations and optimising resource allocation.
How Do You Track Assets?
Tracking assets can be done through various technologies, including barcodes, RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification), GPS, and IoT (Internet of Things) devices. Each method has its unique advantages, depending on the type of asset and the specific needs of the business.
For example, barcode scanning might be sufficient for tools in a warehouse, while an end-to-end system could be essential for monitoring a fleet of assets.
End-to-end systems like AssetInsight allow businesses to harness the Internet of Things (IoT) for insights into their assets’ locations and conditions. By combining devices or sensors, connectivity, data analytics platforms, and enterprise integration, these systems provide a detailed view of asset performance.
Such technology facilitates a simpler, more cost-effective approach to asset management, providing extensive tracking data for various assets.
Key Technologies in Asset Tracking
- Barcode Scanners: Barcode scanning involves affixing a unique barcode to each asset. Scanning these barcodes updates and retrieves information about the asset, facilitating easy tracking and management.
- RFID Tracking: Utilising electromagnetic fields, Radio-Frequency Identification (RFID) tags automatically track and identify objects.
- GPS Tracking: Essential for mobile assets like fleet vehicles, GPS tracking offers accurate real-time location data. This technology is invaluable for managing assets across extensive distances and ensuring their precise locations at all times.
- End-to-end IoT solutions: IoT devices take things up a notch by not just tracking location but also checking on an asset’s condition. IoT devices employ various technologies, including GPS tracking, to alert managers about temperature changes, tampering, and other critical conditions affecting asset safety or performance.
What Assets Need to Be Tracked?
Virtually any physical asset that contributes value to your business operations should be tracked. This can range from high-value equipment and vehicles to critical items like returnable assets such as glass racks, shipping containers or parcel cages.
Monitoring these assets ensures their efficient use, proper maintenance, and availability when needed. The key is to prioritise assets based on their importance to your business operations and their potential to impact productivity and costs if lost or underutilised.
Inventory vs. Asset Tracking: Understanding the Difference
It’s essential to differentiate between inventory and asset tracking, as they serve distinct purposes within a business. Inventory tracking focuses on monitoring items that are intended for sale or consumption, aiming to maintain optimal stock levels and fulfil customer orders efficiently.
Asset tracking, on the other hand, is about managing the company’s physical assets that are used in your business’s operations. While inventory deals with what you sell, asset tracking deals with what you use to run your business efficiently.
Asset Tracking Examples
- Fleet Management: Monitoring location, usage, and maintenance needs of vehicles to optimise routes and reduce downtime.
- Equipment and Machinery: Keeping tabs on the condition and location of machinery to ensure timely maintenance and prevent production delays.
- Managing Returnable Assets: Tracking returnable assets like glass racks and shipping containers ensures their efficient circulation, reducing losses and improving supply chain visibility.
Benefits of Asset Tracking
Embracing a robust asset tracking system like AssetInsight doesn’t just keep you informed about your assets’ whereabouts and condition — it also drives significant improvements across your operations. Here’s how asset tracking can transform your business for the better:
Boosting Efficiency and Cutting Costs
One of the standout advantages of asset tracking is its ability to ramp up your operational efficiency while trimming down costs. With asset tracking, reallocating equipment across departments becomes a breeze, allowing for accurate updates in company records.
Enhanced Asset Utilisation and Lower Administrative Costs
Asset tracking systems empower businesses to quickly and easily pinpoint the location of assets. This capability means that managing assets requires fewer resources, significantly lowering the administrative burden.
Traditionally, administrators had to manually search for assets, a time-consuming and often error-prone process. Asset tracking automates this task, freeing up administrative staff to focus on more strategic activities and reducing the likelihood of asset loss.
As a result, companies can leverage their assets more effectively, ensuring that each piece of equipment is used to its maximum potential.
Scaling with Your Business
As your business grows, so do your asset tracking needs. A flexible and scalable asset tracking system allows your company to expand its asset management capabilities in line with its growth.
This adaptability is crucial for maintaining efficiency and control over an increasingly complex asset inventory.
Improving Customer Service
By having a detailed and accurate overview of asset locations and statuses, businesses can respond more promptly and effectively to customer needs. Whether it’s ensuring that deliveries are made on time or that service quality remains high, asset tracking plays a key role in satisfying and exceeding customer expectations.
Ensuring Accountability and Compliance
With a comprehensive record of asset allocations and movements, businesses can easily track and manage asset loss or misplacement, minimising financial risks. Additionally, for industries subject to regulatory compliance regarding asset management, asset tracking is not just beneficial—it’s essential.
Optimising Physical Space and Asset Management
By identifying which items are frequently accessed together, businesses can restructure their physical layout for improved access and efficiency. This organisation extends to asset management as well, with reports on each asset’s position increasing the accuracy and reliability of asset tracking efforts.
Why Choose AssetInsight?
When you compare asset tracking options, AssetInsight shines with its full-package, IoT-powered approach that gives you more control and insight over your assets. It’s not just about tracking; it’s about getting actionable insights that help reduce costs, improve service, and use assets more efficiently.
AssetInsight’s easy-to-integrate solution, backed by powerful IoT connectivity and a variety of devices, is custom-fit to offer solid returns on your investment. It makes asset tracking straightforward, turning a complex task into a strategic advantage for your business.
To revisit our starting point, ‘What is asset tracking?’ is more than a simple question. It’s about adopting a strategy that can transform your operations, making your business more efficient, cost-effective, and customer-friendly.
By choosing the right technology and systems, like AssetInsight, businesses can see real improvements and gain a competitive edge. Whether it’s keeping track of fleet vehicles, machinery, or valuable returnable assets, a strong asset tracking system is your ticket to better productivity, savings, and happier customers.
