06 JUN
Managing assets is very important for every company. They must know the position of various assets at any point in time. This becomes a huge challenge for big companies with a lot of assets that are moving from one place to another or being used by different departments of the same company. The assets can get lost and the returns you expect from them will not be got. This is why proper tracking of assets is essential for every company of medium to large size.
Challenges In Asset Tracking
When an asset is tracked manually it is always possible that it can get lost. Sometimes some of the assets can be left without recording. This will end up in their loss or remain in places where they cannot be found. The company suffers a huge loss in revenue from a particular asset. If movable assets are not tracked continuously nobody will know where they are. Nobody may know where they are. Subsequently, they will be recorded as lost and the company will incur a reduction in the return on assets. Getting software developmentdone for asset tracking can solve the problem.
The matter is even more crucial when it comes to current assets. The company must know their numbers and location to ensure proper supply of these items. If they are not properly tracked the company could end up not having enough stocks when there is a demand or having excess stocks without knowing it. Various companies come under the category of regulated industries. These companies must certainly track their assets and report the quantity to the authorities. Remaining compliant will be difficult without a proper system or the company will spend much time on finding these assets.
Understanding The Working Of An Asset Tracking System
There are two parts to the asset tracking system that software development companywill create for you. There is a software that will use the information provided to it by the tracking device and inform the user where the assets are. The software can be part of an application or separate software. How it works will depend on the kind of assets being tracked and what method is used to track the asset. With the driver tracking app, vehicles can be tracked either by the GPS fitted to it or by using the GPS in the drivers' mobile phones. Such data will be analyzed by the backend and send to the user end of the application.
The hardware that is the other part of the asset tracking system, will consist of different tracking devices like GPS trackers, barcodes, QR codes, or RFID tags. When these are placed on the asset to be tracked, they can communicate with the software. This will be done either directly or through a scanning device. Barcodes are tracked using scanners. Every time the scanner is used it will send the location of the asset. Different assets require different tracking devices and this must be selected correctly to pass the correct information to the software.
The asset tracking software can be integrated with the existing software that the company is using. They can be integrated into the supply chain management or resource planning software depending on where it is used. Assets used for production can be integrated into the ERP software.
Do You Need A Separate Asset Management Application?
Many of the companies ask whether a separate system is required or the tracking system can be integrated with existing software. The problem is that when there are too many assets to track it could overwhelm the existing business logic and stop it. This will completely stop the flow of the production process. When the number of assets grows then the system cannot manage the higher load and this can lead to the system to struggle to perform. In a single application that has all the systems, it is not possible to scale the operations. This is why you must get software development companiesto develop separate software.
When you integrate the asset management system with an existing application, it will be impossible to make any changes to it. If you make changes you can risk damage the whole application and stop it from working.
The Types Of Assets That You Can Track
The types of industries that benefit most from custom software development of asset tracking software are those with movable assets. These can be in the form of truck fleets or other equipment that move from place to place. Tracking these assets can be very difficult. The movement of such assets to places that are not in their route can lead to heavy losses for the company. Trucks often deviate through other routes and that incur a loss of fuel. Equipment that is meant for use in a location can be used in other places without the knowledge of the owner. Such misuse can be avoided with this system.
The healthcare industry also benefits much by the custom software solutionscreated for tracking assets. It is essential to keep a close track of various samples collected from patients. These samples must be linked to the patient and the software helps to do that. The laboratory that does the testing can find the location of these samples at any time and avoid any mix-up or loss of samples. This will ensure proper care for the patients and prevent any mistakes from happening in the treatment of such patients. Tracking will also help properly disposing of assets that must be disposed of in compliance with regulations.
Managing Inventory Perfectly
The best use of getting asset tracking systems by custom software development companiescomes in inventory management. This is especially true to inventory that must be stocked at a particular temperature or other conditions. They can be tracked properly and ensure that there is no damage to the asset. Managing inventory using asset management software helps a lot in reducing losses due to the wrong dispatch of the materials. If the assets are sent to the wrong destination, they could be impossible to track. The software helps to keep track and return the wrongly sent item.
For companies with a large asset base, it is better to get custom software developed so that you can include all the uniqueness of your assets and ensure proper management. If you are working in a regulated industry, you can be sure that your company will be always compliant with the laws with these asset management systems.