An equipment tracking system is a software solution designed to monitor, manage, and optimize the use of physical assets within an organization. This system provides real-time visibility of the location, status, maintenance history, and other relevant information about equipment.
For us tracking warehouse equipment manually was tedious and error-prone as there were just too many moving parts – literally. You’d have to manually locate each piece of equipment, note its condition to see if it needs any maintenance, update its location, and record all this information accurately.
We have no idea where critical equipment like forklifts, pallet jacks or conveyor belts were at any given moment or whether they were even operational. By the time we tracked them down, they could be anywhere in the warehouse. This led to preventable downtime, reducing productivity and profits.
Choosing the Right Warehouse Equipment Tracking System
Before we settled on a warehouse equipment tracking solution, we had to evaluate our particular needs and the goals we wanted to achieve. Companies are advised to take into consideration the nature of the tools that they want to track, equipment requirements, and if they want it automated or manual. When we chose a tracking system for our warehouse, we wanted a system that could:
- Track products in real-time. The software should update inventory levels as soon as products are received or shipped out. This is to have an accurate count of what’s on hand at any given moment.
- Provide alerts and notifications. We wanted a system that would notify us of the location of equipment and their maintenance history.
- Be customizable and easy to use. A software that is flexible enough to adapt to our warehouse’s specific needs and workflows. We also wanted something that would be easy to train our staff in the shortest possible time. Our search led us to the Redlore equipment tracking system.
How a Warehouse Equipment Tracking System Works
The system involves attaching sensors such as a barcode or a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to your equipment like forklifts, pallet jacks, and carts. These sensors then connect to a network that feeds the equipment location and diagnostic data to tracking management software.
There are a lot of options on the market, but we decided on Redlore’s equipment tracking solutions. This is because its founder, Niek Van Dierdonck, has a combined 25 years of experience in IoT and supply chains. We knew he was familiar with our specific issues and would have the answers to our problems.
Features of a Warehouse Equipment Tracking System
Although there are a lot of warehouse equipment tracking systems, the most commonly used are RFID, GPS, barcodes, BLE or IoT. This is because they are renowned for their accuracy in equipment tracking.
- RFID tags: Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags are attached to the equipment you want monitored. RFID readers capture information in real-time when the tags are scanned.
- IoT Tags: Internet of Things (IoT) tags provide real-time information when it has internet access to share data.
- GPS Tags: The GPS tracker is great for vehicles and mobile tools. It uses satellites to give real-time location information. The downside of the GPS tags is they cannot be used in a warehouse as the building will disrupt access to the satellite.
- Bluetooth Low-Energy Tags: these small battery-powered tags have an easy user interface. They are used to track equipment within a Bluetooth range in a warehouse.
- Barcode Tags: Barcode Tags are easy to integrate within a tracking system, quick, and affordable. They are printed and placed on any equipment you want tagged.
Benefits of an Equipment Tracking System
It has an easy user interface, which makes a big difference, as it was easy to teach our staff how to use the software without wasting company time.
We can now view the real-time location of all our connected equipment on a digital map of the warehouse. This allows us to efficiently dispatch the nearest available equipment to staff when needed. Staff spend less time searching for available equipment and more time fulfilling orders.
If a staff takes a tool without notifying the manager first, the manager gets alerts that the equipment was moved outside designated areas so he can take quick action. This has prevented abuse of equipment and greatly reduced theft.
Improved Productivity
When we got the tracking system we wasted no time tagging all our pallet jacks. We were always looking for them or didn’t have enough to use but now, with the Redlore equipment tracking system, we know where all our pallet jacks are!
One great feature of the equipment tracking system is that it monitors equipment usage and health, tracking metrics like operating hours, battery life, and maintenance needs. This data has helped us optimize equipment lifespans and reduce downtime from unexpected failures.
With the GPS tracker, we can accurately estimate delivery time, thereby building trust in our brand.
So far, we’ve had a workspace that hums with efficiency. Every minute is productive and unnecessary downtime has been eliminated, thanks to the Redlore equipment tracking system.
Redlore Equipment Tracking System in Construction
We had such a good run with the Redlore equipment tracking system that we had to give it a try at the construction site. The results were even better than we expected.
The Redlore equipment tracking system software has screens that update in real-time. Now, workers can inventory tools at a job site. Accounting for items regularly prevents loss and makes transitions into shifts seamless.
Managers back in the office have full visibility of assets and trucks in their fleet. This allows them to deal with issues and identify an asset’s last seen location. When a tool is placed in the wrong truck, the software will indicate that it is wrongly placed, enabling the manager and operator to retrieve the tool from the wrong truck.
The screen is updated as tools go in and out of a truck or are placed in the wrong truck. This lets the operator and manager know that they do not have all of the tools they came to the site with. The screen will show that an item is missing; whether it is near the truck or far away.
Conclusion
A robust warehouse equipment tracking system from redlore.com pays for itself by enabling faster equipment dispatch, preventing losses from misplaced gear, and avoiding costs from equipment downtime.
Overall, a tracking system boosts productivity, enhances equipment longevity, and gives you greater insight into how resources are being utilized in your warehouse operations.