• Assets and equipment · EAM
• Plant / Operations Director, Operations Manager, Team Leader / Supervisor, CFO / Finance
• Logistics and warehousing

Asset tracking for logistics and warehousing: equipment, not just stock

5 min read · Remanently team

In short

In a warehouse, asset tracking covers the equipment that moves the goods, such as forklifts, scanners, pallet jacks, racking and vehicles, while stock is handled in a warehouse process. It shows where each item is, who is responsible and what moved, and it speeds up counts. Start with one warehouse and one equipment group, label items with QR codes or barcodes and record each move with a phone.

The situation before adoption

A logistics operation tracks goods carefully. Pallets, batches and locations are recorded, because customers pay for them. The equipment that moves the goods gets far less attention: pallet jacks, forklifts, handheld scanners, label printers, trolleys, racking, vehicles and the IT in the office.

Typical problems:

• Equipment is in the register, not in the hall. A scanner or a pallet jack is missing at the start of a shift, and the shift loses time.
• Handhelds go home, to another hall or to another shift. Nobody can say who had a device when it disappeared.
• Several warehouses, several lists. Each site keeps its own list, and head office compares them by hand.
• Equipment and goods end up in one bucket. Quantity-based stock and specific items issued to people need different processes, and mixing them makes both worse.
• Inspection dates slip. Insurance, safety checks and warranties for trucks and racking expire without a reminder.
• Counts interrupt work. A count of equipment needs people who are busy moving goods.

A warehouse loses time wherever data diverges from movement, and equipment records are no exception.

How the process looks with the module

1. Register the equipment. Import the existing list of machines, devices and racking, and keep existing numbers.
2. Label. Use a durable QR code, barcode or the existing plate number. For large counts of items, UHF RFID can speed up reading when volume justifies it.
3. Assign. Link each item to a warehouse, a zone or a person. A scanner belongs to a named holder for the shift.
4. Record moves. A transfer between halls or a handover between shifts is a scan, not a note.
5. Count. A stocktake of equipment runs per site and shows differences straight away.

In Remanently Assets every item has a location, a user and a history, and documents, photos and reminders for insurance, warranty and contract dates. A vehicle or a truck that needs servicing continues into Remanently CMMS, and equipment issued to people into Remanently Tools. Stock counted by quantity, batches and locations belongs to Remanently WMS, which is a separate warehouse process.

Assets versus stock

Keep the boundary clear. A specific item with an owner needs a record per item. Goods counted by quantity need locations and batches. For the issuing side, see equipment tracking software.

What changes for each role

Warehouse manager: knows where each handheld and each truck is, and the start of a shift stops depending on whoever last saw the device. Spare equipment in one hall can cover a gap in another.

Shift or team leader: scans at issue and return. A short routine, one scan per handover.

Operations director: a shared picture of equipment across warehouses, with inspection and insurance dates visible before they expire.

CFO and accounting: evidence behind the ledger for vehicles, racking and devices. Remanently does not replace the fixed asset ledger or depreciation. Leased equipment returns and write-offs go through your accountant.

IT: a register of devices and users, import of the current list and phone-based scanning.

How to start at one warehouse

1. Choose the group. Start with handhelds and handling equipment, which are lost and shared most often.
2. Import and label. Use what exists. Choose labels for dust, cold or vibration, and test a few first.
3. Name the holder. For shared devices, a named person per shift, recorded at handover.
4. Count at a quiet moment. Pick a low-activity window, use the asset audit checklist and review differences with the area owner.
5. Add inspection and insurance dates. Reminders prevent expiry.
6. Extend. Move to more halls and groups once the first one runs unaided.

For the count, see how to run a physical asset inventory.

Mistakes to avoid in a warehouse

• Putting forklifts and goods into one list. They need different handling.
• Labeling with materials that fail in cold, dust or vibration.
• Counting during peak hours, so the result is rushed and wrong.
• Leaving shared handhelds without a named holder per shift.
• Letting insurance, inspection and safety dates live in a separate calendar that nobody checks.

A useful routine is a five-minute check at the end of a shift: scan the returned devices, note any missing ones and tell the next shift leader. It keeps the register honest without a separate count project. It also makes a missing device visible the same day, when the people who used it can still remember.

Multi-warehouse operations

With several halls or sites, the same equipment problem repeats with a twist: items move between locations to cover gaps, and the central list never hears about it. Record transfers as they happen and give each site a named coordinator. Head office then sees idle equipment in one hall before approving a purchase for another, and a count in each site can run in parallel with results visible in one place.

A demo on your own data

Bring a list of equipment from one warehouse. Book a demo and we will show import, labels, handovers and a count with differences on that list. You can start on the free tier with a smartphone, see pricing. For the category, read asset tracking software.

Frequently asked questions

Is asset tracking the same as warehouse management?

No. Asset tracking covers specific items such as forklifts, scanners and racking. Stock counted by quantity, with batches and locations, needs a warehouse process.

How do we keep handheld scanners from disappearing?

Assign each device to a named holder, scan at handover between shifts and run a short count so a missing device shows up the same day.

Do we need RFID in a warehouse?

Not to start. A phone with QR codes or barcodes works for equipment. RFID helps when very large counts make manual scanning the bottleneck.

Can inspection and insurance dates be tracked?

Yes. Reminders cover warranty, policy and contract end dates on each asset. Equipment that needs service continues into maintenance.

Where should a logistics company start?

With one warehouse and the group that disappears most often, usually handhelds and handling equipment.

See your warehouse equipment in a register
Book a demo on a sample of your own equipment list: labels, shift handovers and a count with differences.

Book a short Remanently demo See pricing

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