If you quickly think back over the last month: How many tools have gone missing, how often has equipment been damaged, and how many times did you need a tool that was in use? Asset management software for UK construction companies can help mitigate these common asset problems.

Missing tools or not knowing where they are or if they’re available for use is a common problem, as well as theft in the construction industry. UK asset management software can help you keep an updated fixed asset register which will help give you transparency and more control over your tools and equipment.

Asset management has grown alongside the construction industry, as the problems and gaps have helped inform the need for asset tracking. UK asset management software has some great features that can keep you in control of your operations.

What is UK Asset Management Software?

UK asset management software is a system where you can log and track your tools and equipment. You can use it for many different purposes, including IT asset management and fixed asset tracking.

Effectively, you’ll get a system where all of your tools and equipment are listed, and you’ll be able to log any changes to this equipment.

If a tool moves, you’ll be able to scan a QR code asset tag to log the movement, or if a tool requires maintenance, all it takes is a simple scan, and then the issue can be logged.

You’ll be able to run customisable reports on all of these asset changes and export them for greater financial and operational clarity.

How Asset Management Software Benefits UK Construction Companies

Asset management software benefits UK construction companies by giving you more time to work on projects, as well as by helping you save money.

For example, asset retrieval is faster, as you’ll be able to see where an asset is and whether or not it’s currently in use. In this sense, you’ll be able to view whether a spanner is on-site or in a warehouse and plan your operations more effectively.

If you’re renting out equipment, you’ll be able to use your UK asset management software to log where the assets are, as well as who is using them. After this, you’ll be able to speed up your invoicing process by viewing how long your assets have been with contractors.

Ultimately, UK asset management features save you both time and money.

UK Asset Tracking System Features

Which features will you most likely be using if you’re using a UK asset management system?

• Location Tracking: Location tracking will show you where assets have been, where assets are, and how long they’ve been in a location for. You can track locations with bespoke features, as well as via last-seen location with QR code asset tags and RFID asset labels, and track location in real-time with GPS asset tracking.
• Maintenance Features: An issues management system allows you to report issues and prioritise them. This is helpful for reactive maintenance, and with public profiles, anyone can report an issue. You’ll also be using reminders to track routine maintenance such as PAT tests and compliance tests.

• Bookings and Equipment Checkout Software Features: Bookings and equipment checkout allows you to indicate when assets are due for downtime, if they require maintenance. You can also plan ahead to create more efficiency, by checking out assets to the colleagues that will be using them.

• Bespoke and Customisable Reporting Features: All of your asset data is visible and exportable with reports. You’ll be able to run an audit on which assets have and haven’t been seen over the past week, for example, to have more transparency over how your assets are behaving. 

itemit’s UK asset management software has all of these features and more. We’ve worked with construction companies tracking their equipment for years and have integrated many features that benefit the industry.

To find out more about how itemit can help your UK construction company, you can contact us here. You can also fill in the form below to start your 14-day free trial.

Instant access. No credit card details required.

or, download the itemit app to get started

There are many benefits you can get from an asset booking system. From additional control over your assets to more visibility over which of your colleagues are using what, an asset booking system can help.

So, if you often find yourself looking for assets that are already in use, or if you need to know when assets are undergoing maintenance, using a booking system can help you control your assets.

What Is An Asset Booking System?

An asset booking system is a way to create a calendar of equipment usage. You’ll be able to check assets in and out, as well as book them in advance.

This way, you’ll be able to see which equipment is going to be either in use or under maintenance. This extra transparency is helpful, for example, if you’re tracking construction assets and need to know which of your equipment has been hired out and which is available for a project.

You can also use it with IT asset management by booking laptops and phones in advance if they need to be taken out into the field. All in all, an asset booking system is a way to see who is using what, where, and when.

Why Does Your Business Need An Asset Booking System?

The benefits an asset bookings system can provide your business don’t only involve transparency, but also create financial benefits.

Asset management software allows you to see how all of your equipment is being used, which means you’ll be able to make better decisions financially while also optimising your operations.

Projects can be planned in advance, for example, by booking assets out and assigning them to colleagues. This way, you’ll be able to see which assets are going to be used on a project in advance, creating better planning processes for equipment management and use.

Booking also assists with equipment maintenance as you can indicate to your colleagues that an asset is unavailable for use, as it has been booked out. Double-bookings aren’t possible with an asset booking system, meaning you get full control over your assets.

All of this translates to financial benefits, as it increases visibility over your asset usage and allows for more specific decisions, such as where to deploy assets. It also assists with a maintenance audit trail, which helps you view when assets are due to be decommissioned and replaced.

Other Features of Equipment Checkout Software

Equipment checkout software provides you with multiple benefits that’ll save you time and money. Zapier integration with your asset booking system, for example, allows you to translate your bookings onto Google Calendar, Trello, Slack, and more!

QR code asset tags allow you to speed up asset audits and automate logging changes to equipment. For example, if an asset needs maintenance, all it takes is the scan of a QR code, then an issue can be logged alongside a comment and an attachment. Each time a QR code asset tag is scanned, the asset’s last seen location will update, improving your audit trail. 

Your equipment checkout software will also allow you to customise and export reports. These reports show you the information you need to make more effective financial decisions.

Reports can show you how long an asset has been in a location, which assets have required maintenance, and how long assets are booked out for. This transparency allows you to see which assets haven’t been seen recently and which assets need to be replaced amongst other things.

To find out more about how itemit can help you, press the button below to contact the team. You can also fill in the form to start a 14-day free trial of our asset tracking software. Try it now!

Instant access. No credit card details required.

or, download the itemit app to get started

You may be thinking of a way to minimise your equipment losses and onsite theft. Theft is a huge problem in the construction industry, which is why construction tracking is essential in the reduction of this problem.

Your construction equipment tracking can be optimised with GPS tags, as GPS tagging gives you real-time location data with minimal manual interaction required. GPS tagging will periodically update the location of your equipment, so you can monitor that they are in the correct place.

Why is Construction Equipment Tracking Necessary?

Construction equipment tracking has multiple benefits. It can minimise risks related to losses and theft, but it can also help with other operational requirements.

Here are a few of the benefits construction equipment tracking can supply:

• Lose fewer assets: More transparency and accountability means more control over your assets.
• Assets don’t get mixed up when multiple teams are working: Asset tags and asset management can act as proof of ownership, ensuring your tools remain yours.
• Improved retrieval times: Equipment tracking allows you to see where your assets are in a given moment, meaning a search isn’t necessary, and assets in warehouses, store cupboards, and onsite can be found with ease.
• Optimise time management and reach deadlines under budget: Having the tools you need when you need them speeds up your operations and keeps costs lower.
• Ensure compliance: Construction equipment tracking allows you to maintain equipment and verify it as safe and up to industry standards.
• Hire tools out to different project and areas of the business with ease: Tools, equipment and machinery can be tracked across 100s of sites. A construction equipment tracking system supplies you with a simple way to see where equipment is and its condition, as well as if it’s available to be used in your projects.

How GPS Asset Tracking Optimises Your Operations

GPS tags are physical tags that you attach to your construction equipment. These tags will periodically communicate with your asset tracking system, telling you where construction equipment is.

This means there’s less interaction, as regular feedback shows where assets are without a need to audit, ultimately reducing risks of human-error with auditing and giving you a more transparent asset register.

GPS asset tracking optimises your operations by showing you a consistent audit trail of where assets are wherever they are. GPS asset tags also act as a deterrent, reducing theft, but also by allowing for asset retrieval should theft occur. 

How GPS Asset Tags Improve Construction Equipment Maintenance 

The benefits GPS tags supply don’t just help with your construction equipment tracking, but they also optimise your workflow by improving construction equipment maintenance.

Construction equipment management doesn’t simply rely on location tracking but offers a whole host of other benefits. With GPS tags added to your construction equipment maintenance system, you’ll be able to:

• See where assets are
• See how assets are being used
• Mark things as unavailable for use or in need of repair
• Record all maintenance against construction equipment, while also attaching job sheets, invoiced and quotes
• Ensure transparency over maintenance with end-users, clients, and project managers if you’re hiring out your equipment.

To find out more about the benefits of construction equipment tracking, you can read our blog: How can I use itemit for equipment and tool tracking?

If you want to find out more about the itemit system and how it can help your construction business, you can contact us here or fill in the form below.

Instant access. No credit card details required.

or, download the itemit app to get started

Spreadsheets used to be the most effective way to track assets. They may “tick a box” and give you an asset register, but they’re not scalable, won’t save you as much money as you grow, and can become chaotic when more assets and users are added. This is where asset tracking software comes in.

Asset tracking software is scalable and manageable. With the best asset tracking software, you’ll be able to save time and money, with a real-time view of all of your assets.

What is Asset Tracking software?

Asset tracking software is a way to view, edit, and manage your assets. It’s used across many different industries, with uses spanning construction equipment tracking to healthcare asset management, and gives you more control and visibility over your assets.

Best Asset Tracking Software Features

The features asset tracking software provides beat spreadsheets because, with these features, you can streamline operations and create an audit trail. You can also do everything you can do on a spreadsheet, such as log and view assets but in real-time and from anywhere in the world!

So, what are the asset tracking features that really trump spreadsheets? 

Asset Tagging

Using asset tags speeds up your asset management and asset audits. The most common asset tags are QR codes, which are stuck on assets and then scanned to view that asset’s profile.

Scanning an asset’s tag to edit that asset reduces manual input, which reduces the chance of human error. All changes update in real-time, thanks to utilising a mobile app. This is far superior to manually updating a spreadsheet once you return to your computer and results in fewer errors.

Location Tracking

Asset tagging also allows for location tracking and monitoring. With QR codes, every time an asset’s tag is scanned, the last seen location updates. This means fewer assets become lost and unaccounted for and you effectively have a continuous stock take.

GPS tagging is a more advanced technology that regularly updates where your assets are, completely removing a manual scanning process. As a result, GPS trackers are a fantastic solution if you suffer from asset loss or theft.

Knowing where your assets are means you and your colleagues don’t need to spend time looking for the tools and equipment you need. A simple check of your asset register shows you what kit is available and where it is.

Issues and Maintenance Management

Issues and maintenance management features allow you to raise issues directly against an asset in your asset tracking software. This speeds up fault reporting and improves your repairs process.

You can add attachments, such as photos, to issues, so that damage is quickly identifiable, and an asset history shows how much maintenance an asset has required.
You can also schedule maintenance using reminders, which is helpful for PAT testing equipment and other routine maintenance.

Equipment Check In Check Out

Equipment check in check out features show which assets are available for use. Bookings show when assets are scheduled for maintenance, or when they’re booked for use on a new project.

Knowing what’s available improves your operations, and your asset tracking software won’t allow for double bookings, guaranteeing your team have the equipment they need to fulfil a job.

Custom Reports

While the other features beat spreadsheets by giving you more functionality, reporting features allow you to bring all of this data together and analyse it to make important business decisions.

Reporting allows you to configure and run reports on your asset data to oversee what’s going on with your assets. For example, you’ll be able to run a report on equipment that hasn’t been seen in the last month to identify assets that might have gone missing.

Customisable reporting features also allow for more effective workload planning, as you’ll be able to see who has what, and see which assets are due for maintenance or inspections over the coming month. 

Using itemit as your asset tracking software

itemit’s asset tracking software was originally built to beat spreadsheets with effective, automatic processes. Since then, we’ve worked closely with clients and built-in feedback to develop and grow.

Now, itemit comes as standard with all of these features and more.To find out more about what our asset tracking software can do, you can contact us here or fill in the form below.

Instant access. No credit card details required.

or, download the itemit app to get started

First things first, what do we mean by asset tracking? It’s a way to lose fewer assets, as well as minimise and streamline your operations. Asset tracking solutions will help save you time and money.

Effectively, an asset tracking system is a digital representation of your physical assets. In other words, if you have a spanner, you’ll be able to log it and track it on your asset tracking system, recording any maintenance, movement, or usage data.

Why You Need an Asset Tracking Solution

Why do you need an asset tracking solution? It will provide you with greater control and visibility over your assets. This saves you time and money, as well as optimising your operations.

With an asset tracking solution, you will:

• Lose fewer assets: Asset management allows you to monitor asset location, which translates to less theft and a smaller chance of assets getting left behind on-site.
• Retrieve assets faster: Knowing where exactly assets are, whether on-site, in a stockroom, or elsewhere, allows you to retrieve them more effectively, saving you money on petrol and giving you more time to do other things.
• Ensure compliance transparency: As you can add information to your assets, you’ll be able to create an audit history for maintenance, tax, insurance, and other financial details, and usage data for GDPR compliance.
• Optimise your operations: The time you save allows you to prioritise and distribute tasks more effectively, optimising your workflow and your profits.

 To find out more about these benefits, read our blog covering 5 ways asset tracking software saves you money.

What Kind of Asset Tracking Solutions Are There?

Most asset tracking processes will include some sort of asset tagging solution. This means using asset tags to track and monitor the whereabouts of your equipment, as well as viewing and editing information in an instant, by quickly scanning the tag to retrieve asset data. The differences lie in which intelligence the asset tags create.

There is a vast amount of different ways you can track assets. The methods and processes you undertake may depend if you’re asset tracking for construction equipment, implementing IT asset management, or tracking fixed assets, but the ways asset tags are implemented and used are similar across the board.

Here, we’re focusing on three different types of asset tracking solution: QR code asset tags, RFID tags, and GPS trackers.

QR Code Asset Tags

QR code asset tags are the most common asset tracking solution. Every time you scan a QR code in your asset tracking app, the data related to that asset will become visible. 

Here, you’ll be able to edit maintenance and usage information, for example. Every scan will also update the asset’s last seen location and record which of your colleagues scanned it.

QR Code Pros:

• Inexpensive
• No extra devices required (just your smartphone is needed!)
• Easy to implement

QR Code Cons:

• Less functionality than the other two asset tracking solutions
• The asset tags need to be visible and scannable on your assets

RFID Tracking

RFID allows for more automation when it comes to tracking your assets. With RFID, you use a third-party scanner, linked to your asset tracking system. The functionality is similar to QR codes, whereby scanning an RFID tag will also open an asset’s profile.

A benefit of RFID is that you don’t need a line-of-sight to the asset, unlike with QR codes. This means even if your assets tags are hidden, they can still be detected. 

To read about the itemit RFID tracking system in action see how the Ministry of Defence are tracking their assets. They’re tracking priceless paintings, so RFID tags are placed under the frame so as not to affect the value of the painting. 

RFID Tracking Pros:

• More automation on offer
• No line-of-sight required
• Faster asset tracking

RFID Tracking Cons:

• More expensive than QR tracking
• Third-party readers are required

If you’re wondering if RFID is right for your business, click the button below for expert advice from our friendly and knowledgeable team.

GPS Tracking

GPS tracking gives you a different option when it comes to your asset tracking solution. With GPS tracking the location of your assets updates automatically. This means, unlike RFID and QR tags, there is no manual interaction with your assets needed in order to know their location.

GPS tracking, therefore, is a great solution if you suffer from high levels of asset loss or theft.

GPS Tracking Pros:

• More visibility over asset location
• Reduced effect/ chance of theft
• No manual scanning required

GPS Tracking Cons:

• Battery life is dependent on the amount of times location is updated
• More expensive than QR code asset tracking

Asset Management With These Solutions

itemit is unique, as you can use a combination of these asset tracking solutions. Other systems only allow for one or two types of tagging, but we offer all of these. This is important as not all assets will warrant the price of a GPS tracker, but for your vital or very high price tag pieces of equipment, GPS could be game-changing.

So, you’ll be able to use QR codes on certain assets, RFID tags on others, and add GPS tags to others. The ability to mix and match is what makes itemit so effective at saving you time and money.

To find out more about itemit’s asset tracking solutions, you can contact us here or fill in the form below.

Instant access. No credit card details required.

or, download the itemit app to get started