Managed Services Asset Tracking

Providing visibility of items throughout the supply chain

tracking managed service items using rfid
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How tracking managed service items can speed up your business processes

 

RFiD Discovery allows managed service providers to track items through all stages of the service cycle. This helps companies adhere to service level agreements (SLAs) and achieve agreed KPIs. At the same time, it speeds up the service delivery process by eliminating manual checks and ensures compliance is met for maintenance routines. Asset location visibility is provided to ensure missing items can be located quickly, and providing proof of delivery of specific items in case of any disputes. 

Items that can be tracked include

  • Uniforms and specialist clothing
  • Bed linen and towels
  • IT equipment
  • Filming and lighting equipment
  • Theatre props and costumes
  • Event equipment and furniture
  • Construction equipment and machinery
  • Tools and test equipment
  • and many more ...

How does it work

  • Managed items moving between the customer and service provider sites are fitted with passive RFID tags to ensure they can be uniquely identified. These items could be power tools, film equipment or safety equipment that have been hired for example.
  • Appropriate RFID readers are allocated to different stages of the process to enable full visibility and monitoring of the items.
  • Handheld readers can be used during collection and despatch on both sites to record where the moving items are and if they have been received. This increases accountability when items are missing. 
  • Fixed readers can be installed within vehicles to monitor and detect the movement of the managed items. They can also be installed on both sites at each stage of the cycle for example: "goods in", "goods out" and at cleaning areas.
  • The data collected throughout the cycle is sent to a portal which both parties may access and therefore have visibility of the asset location.

Benefits: 

Inventory accuracy

RFID technology enables the fast idenfication of items which move between different sites, so inventory can be recorded accurately on leaving and returning to site. This ensures that inventory levels remain up to date at all times eliminating errors typically associated with manual processes.

By placing RFID readers at warehouse doors where items typically enter and leave, all RFID tags that pass will be picked up and recorded. Not only can this be done without any physical human interaction, but it means a large number of items can be read at once and therefore valuable information regarding inventory volumes can be processed a lot quicker.

Saving time

With the use of an RFID handheld scanner or mobile trolley reader, inventory information can be gathered much quicker than with any manual pen and paper process. Audits can be carried out in minutes using RFID technology in comparison to hours and days when completed by an employee barcode scanning or even manually writing down each individual item.

Therefore, by tagging each managed service item such as emergency services uniform or rented equipment, audits, maintenance, returns and so on can be carried out much faster. This also ensures that the right number of items needed are available and reduces the time spent on reordering or locating.

Reduced equipment loss

By increasing the accuracy of asset location information, the RFiD Discovery system helps reduce the chances of equipment being lost at a location.

By fitting RFID tags to equipment, the technology can accurately record which equipment has been taken by whom and where it is, therefore improving accountability and enabling you to charge for the replacement of equipment that isn't returned. This not only reduces the amount of equipment lost, but it also minimises disputes between the user and service provider with regards to replacement costs and who is responsible for these.

Real-time against a manifest

A lorry-load of equipment can be scanned using RFID readers without slowing the loading process down by unloading and physically scanning each item. This information can be used to compare against a manifest to highlight any items that are missing or equipment that isn't meant to be in a particular load.

Using RFID technology to monitor in-coming and out-going goods can also help the service provider or user avoid returning the wrong items or delaying any appointments due to missing items. 

Tracking on location

To ensure all expected equipment from a managed service provider arrives on site, the RFiD Discovery system can be set up to check that specified items are detected on arrival and, equally ensure that all items are collected prior to the return trip, for example when rented equipment needs to be returned to the hire company.

With the necessary hardware and technology, such as RFID handheld readers, tagged equipment can be scanned in on arrival and then scanned once it's returned back to the hire company. The data that this collects can pin point the location of each item and ensure both parties have visibility of what has been returned successfully.

Examples of this include film equipment that is hired or construction tools.

 

 

Please contact us for more information about our managed services solution