Regardless of the industry you are in, running a business efficiently depends on the performance of your equipment and tools. You are supposed to make the most of them, and if you want these to last a long time, you ought to know how to manage them effectively.
However, many businesses take equipment inventory for granted. In reality, this aspect of the operations should be carried out with painstaking attention, knowing that these pieces of equipment are long-term investments.
Whether you are using power equipment from NZ or small hand-held tools, you need to make sure that each of them is adequately accounted for. Start while your stock is small. And as your inventory grows bigger, your techniques and tactics should also adapt to these changes.
Otherwise, the equipment maintenance may be overlooked, which means additional expenses on your end. If you are looking for some ways to make equipment inventory much more streamlined, here’s what you need to know:
Track how they are used
You should think of your warehouse as a supermarket where your employees get the equipment they need for the job. Each piece of equipment and tool will be your grocery items. And just like the items in your grocery, your equipment should have barcode stickers.
That way, it will be much easier for you to determine which equipment and tools are borrowed and returned. The database will always be updated every time the equipment is taken from or brought back to the shop.
When you use barcode stickers, you are basically assigning a unique identification number for each tool and piece of equipment.
Keep tabs on your equipment
And since you are keen on tracking your equipment, add a layer of tracking mechanism. Some companies even use GPS to determine where their equipment and tools are used. Through GPS tracking, it will be much easier for you to know the location of the equipment in case it gets lost.
You can easily apply it to your fleet of trucks and cars.
Assign a point person or a team of protocols supervisors
You may have a logistics manager, but they can be too busy with other important things, such as the dispatch of items to other warehouses. So it will be wise to assign a point person or a protocols supervisor who will take care of the check-ins and check-outs of the equipment.
Run tests regularly
The goal here is to make sure that your equipment will last a long time. In this regard, you are supposed to schedule maintenance and repairs. Before storing the equipment, you are supposed to check them for faults and damages. Address these problems as soon as possible to keep them from getting worse.
Your tools and equipment are significant parts of your business. Without them, your operations will be derailed. It is your duty to make sure that these items will last a long time. If you succeed at doing this, you are basically reducing expenses for extensive repairs and new acquisitions.
In case you are having trouble with equipment management, working with a reliable partner and provider of maintenance services will certainly help.
