Does RFID help you to locate missing assets?

Utilizing RFID during your inventory process can in fact help you locate missing assets and save you from having to replace those assets. This is one of the most popular features of utilizing an RFID asset management software system.

Most companies utilizing a barcode scanner or a manual inventory process are going out and performing an inventory on locations and looking for assets based on what assets are assigned to that location. Once they find one of the assets on their list, they mark it off on the spreadsheet or scan it with a barcode scanner. The downside to this process is that you are looking only for the assets assigned to that location and therefore you may miss assets that have moved locations and are hidden within that location.

With RFID tags and readers, you are picking up all the assets in a room at once. RFID scanners can pick up dozens of RFID tags a second. Instead of needing to have a line of sight on the asset to scan it, you are picking up any RFID tags that are within the read range of your scanner. This means you can pick up assets that would otherwise be hidden under desks or inside cabinets and boxes. With a manual process, you may not be able to visually see a laptop that was placed inside a box for storage, or not know to look inside that box. With RFID tags, that asset is now visible where it wasn’t before.

This means you are finding more of your assets during your inventory and bringing visibility to those assets. With an RFID asset tracking software system you will be able to see exactly which location your assets were assigned to, and what location those assets were actually found in. Sometimes these locations are not the same, as employees will move assets without notifying the correct asset manager, or filling out the proper paperwork. This leads to missing assets and more asset turnover.

Finding an RFID system that can handle your organization’s assets and provide visibility is important, as not all RFID companies are the same. It’s important to find a company that has a user-friendly database and helps walk you through the process of buying and picking the right RFID tags.

Once your organization is ready to move forward with an RFID asset tracking system, reach out to our sales department at inLogic. Email us at sales@inlogic.com or submit a contact form on our website here.