- Tools and equipment · TDM
- Plant / Operations Director, Operations Manager, Team Leader / Supervisor, CFO / Finance
- Logistics and warehousing, Manufacturing
Equipment and tool tracking for logistics and warehouse operations
In short
Equipment tracking for logistics and warehousing means each handheld scanner, battery, tool and set of protective gear has a record, a named holder and a recorded condition at return. It separates equipment issued to people from stock that is counted by quantity. Start with one warehouse or one shift, label the devices that change hands most and run issue and return through a register for a few weeks.
The situation before adoption
A warehouse has two kinds of things moving through it. Goods are stock: they arrive, get put away, are picked and leave. Equipment is different: handheld scanners, label printers, pallet jack accessories, safety harnesses, cutters, tablets, radios, vests, laptops at the dispatch desk. These are issued to people, used over a shift and returned.
The first kind has a warehouse process. The second often has nothing but a shared spreadsheet, a hook board or good intentions. Typical problems:
- Equipment and materials end up in one bucket. Quantity-based stock and specific items issued to a person need different handling, and mixing them hides both.
- Handheld devices disappear between shifts. At the shift change nobody knows which person had which scanner, so a missing one is found out hours later.
- Condition is not recorded. A scanner with a cracked screen or a dead battery goes back on the rack, and the next worker discovers it at the start of a rush.
- Temporary staff. People who work a few weeks receive equipment and leave. Without a record the return depends on the shift lead's memory.
- Inspection dates. Items with a required safety check, such as harnesses or lifting accessories, are inspected on a calendar that is not connected to who is using them.
A warehouse that cannot answer "who has scanner number 14" spends part of every shift looking for it.
How the process looks with the module
Remanently Tools keeps equipment in its own register, separate from stock, and records the flow of each item.
- Register items and people. Each scanner, tool or protective set has its own record. Staff, including temporary workers, are entered in the employee register.
- Issue at the start of the shift. The supervisor scans a code on the item and issues it to a named person. The signature is given on a smartphone screen.
- Return at the end. The item is scanned back, and its condition is recorded: complete and working, or needing action.
- Self-service. In the TIME IS MONEY package, self-service pick-ups and returns and Toolbox style points let workers take and return items without waiting for a supervisor, and RFID UHF supports faster identification where volume is high.
- Inspections. From Quick Start, inspection and calibration dates and reminders are kept per item, with the option to block issue of an item that has no valid inspection. PPE and employee equipment have their own register.
- Repairs. A damaged device moves to repair in Remanently CMMS so that the technical history stays with it.
For materials, spare parts and consumables, the warehouse process applies, not the equipment register. Where a repair needs a part, equipment tracking, maintenance and the warehouse connect around the same item.
What changes for each role
The shift supervisor no longer keeps a clipboard. At shift start they issue the devices, and at shift end they see what has not returned, with the name of the holder. A missing scanner is found in minutes, not at the next count.
The warehouse manager can see how many devices are in use and how many are waiting for repair. A pattern of repeated damage on one type of device becomes visible and can lead to a different purchase.
The operations director sees which sites hold equipment beyond what they need. Before a new order for handhelds, the register shows whether another site has spare units.
Finance sees less unplanned replacement. When a person leaves with equipment, the register shows what was issued and when, which makes the follow-up with HR and counsel concrete rather than based on recollection. For an overview of how returns on departure are organized, see employee offboarding and equipment return.
IT receives a clear link between each device and a person, which helps with accounts and with the laptops and tablets that sit outside the warehouse system.
How to start at one site
- Choose one warehouse and one shift. Preferably the one with the most complaints about missing devices.
- Take stock of equipment. List scanners, tools and PPE sets. Label each item with a QR code or barcode. Do not include goods.
- Enter people. Permanent and temporary staff who receive equipment. An employee in the register does not use up a license.
- Run it for two or three weeks. Every issue and return goes through the register. Check the overdue and damaged lists each morning.
- Decide what to add. Self-service points, inspections, a second warehouse, or an integration with the warehouse or HR system, which sits in the Enterprise package.
The free package holds up to 500 records for one managing user and up to 25 employees, which is a fair test for one shift. See pricing for the larger packages. For related reading, see equipment checkout software, tool tracking software and, for assets such as racking and vehicles, asset tracking for logistics and warehousing.
See it on your own devices
The quickest way to judge fit is to see your scanners and tools in the register. Bring a list from one warehouse and we will show an issue, a return as damaged and the overdue view. Book a short demo.
Frequently asked questions
How is equipment tracking different from warehouse management?
A warehouse process handles goods by quantity, location and batch. Equipment tracking handles specific items issued to people, with a holder, a due date and a condition at return.
Can workers pick up and return equipment themselves?
The TIME IS MONEY package supports self-service pick-ups and returns and Toolbox style points.
Can we handle temporary staff?
Yes. Enter them in the employee register, issue with a signature on the phone and record the return when the assignment ends. Employees in the register do not use up a license.
Can the system stop us from issuing a device with an expired inspection?
From the Quick Start package, inspection and calibration dates are kept per item and issuing can be blocked without a valid inspection.
Does it support RFID?
RFID UHF with professional terminals and readers is supported in the TIME IS MONEY package. QR codes and barcodes work from the Quick Start package with a phone camera.
Where do we start?
One warehouse, one shift, a list of the devices that change hands most and two or three weeks of running issue and return through the register.
See warehouse devices in a working register
Bring a list of scanners and tools from one warehouse and we will show issue, return and overdue views in a short demo.
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