But aside from this, there are other ways to improve your business’ productivity, profitability, and effectiveness. Implementing these tips below can make a big impact on your organization.
1. What items do you have?
Are you aware of the equipment you have in your inventory? Maybe you have an idea, but the combined value of all your equipment is more than what you’ve probably imagined. It’s also possible that you have a record of your assets but it is outdated. If your list is static and created a year ago, that isn’t going to be useful.
Using an equipment inventory software open source can make tracking of items easy for you. It ensures that your inventory list is complete, accurate, and up-to-date. It will show you your equipment’s value, location, and capabilities, as well as any modifications made on them.
2. How are the equipment used?
After you’ve made a list of what you have, the next thing to determine is how it’s used. There are some questions you need to answer for each item in your inventory:
- How frequent is the equipment used?
- Who uses the equipment?
- When and where is the equipment employed?
Knowing these details will enable you to make informed decisions about your current and future equipment management strategy.
3. Divide your assets appropriately
If your company has multiple locations, how will you divide your assets among them? While you can divide them equally, it may not be as effective since demand for equipment varies from each other.
Having accurate and current usage data allows you to deploy your assets where they are needed the most. Why gather all your equipment in one place if there’s lack of supply somewhere? With equipment inventory software open source, you can monitor the changes in demand and supply and plan their distribution accordingly.
4. Lets you spend wisely
To have the right equipment available at the right time, some people tend to hoard. However, this can be wasteful as some of the equipment you buy may not be put to good use and just sit in your warehouse for years.
To avoid this, the equipment inventory software open source gathers data about your assets, and allows you to analyze a trend easily. Prioritizing your spending on the equipment that is most used can bring in the most revenue to your company.
5. Fix things before they breakdown
Planning your maintenance ahead of time is better than always spending time repairing a hardware that is malfunctioning. Allocating time for equipment checkup at least once a week can bring value to your company. This lets you prevent downtime that could cause financial and reputational damage to your organization.
6. Look for hidden issues
Do you have a hardware or software that constantly fails? While this can be frustrating, there’s something you can do about it. Using equipment inventory software open source allows you to record and assess data regarding equipment breakdown. Here, you can see trends of underlying issues on your equipment.
Perhaps, the equipment is acting up because an employee who didn’t receive proper training has been using the equipment incorrectly. Imagine if you just replace the equipment without knowing that it was the employee’s fault all along. This will only cost you more money in the long run.
7. Procure the best
After years of use, your equipment will become outdated. When this happens, you need to replace it with something new. Based on the data collected by your equipment inventory software open source, you will be able to spend your money wisely. You’ll know the following information:
- Which brands function the best?
- Which equipment fails and causes you to lose money and time?
8. Use the right equipment inventory software
You can use the traditional way of doing inventory -- tracking information through pen and paper and using equipment sign out form to know who’s using what. If you want a more advanced tool, a spreadsheet saved in a local PC is another option but that doesn’t update automatically so other members of your team won’t see the current version.
The best solution in this case is to use the modern, user-friendly equipment inventory. It computerizes a lot of the background work, so you can focus on what’s truly important. Never lose track of your equipment again with ITarian’s inventory management software. It lets you monitor hardware, software and other technology assets that you have available. Contact us today to get yours.
