Tag Archives: digital asset tracking

NHS evaluates RTLS for its hospital

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Princess Alexandria Hospital
NHS conducted a trial of RTLS for one of their affiliated hospital, Princess Alexandra Hospital at Essex, UK.  This post is distillation from their study results.

About the Hospital

  • 451 beds
  • 4,000 staff

source: NHS

Why RTLS?

  • To improve asset tracking and patient flow by incorporating real time location data into their work flow
  • Stated objectives:
    • allow for the automatic location tracking (by room) and logging of medical assets
    • provide a holistic view of wait times for equipment or demonstrate better use of equipment shared between areas
    • support improvements to device maintenance and patient flow monitoring

RTLS Technology Adopted

Active RFID tag with WiFi for data transfer

Result – A magnitude improvement

After adopting RTLS, the average time spent locating missing devices was found to decrease from an hour on average to 10 minutes.  Before tagging a task used to take 8 hours / a week. After tagging that task was reduced to 1 hour / week.

Full NHS study report is available here.

Want to run a RTLS trial in your hospital?

INDTRAC RTLS platform has incorporated many of the best practices and beside real time location tracking, it supports auto-monitoring temperature for sensitive zones viz. stores. It also incorporates smart alarm system where real time alerts are delivered to designated people. Smart alarms integrates your existing electrical sirens in the hospital to enable localized siren activation. For example the administrator can configure the system so that a for an emergency local to a ward, local siren is activated.
Moreover, to make it easily usable, entire solution is available as smartphone App.

Please call us for a quick demo.

Cost Savings through QR Code-Based Asset Tracking

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QR Code based Asset inventory
In the ever-evolving landscape of business operations, efficiency and cost-effectiveness are paramount. Many companies are turning to innovative solutions like QR code-based asset tracking to streamline processes and reduce operational costs. Let’s explore how adopting this technology has enabled businesses across various sectors to achieve significant savings.

Case Study 1: Manufacturing Sector

Company Profile:
A medium-sized manufacturing firm with multiple production facilities and extensive machinery.

Challenge:
The company faced challenges in tracking the usage and maintenance schedules of machinery across different sites. Manual record-keeping led to discrepancies, delays in maintenance, and increased downtime.

Solution:
Implemented a QR code-based asset tracking system integrated with their existing maintenance management software. Each machine was tagged with a QR code linked to a digital profile containing maintenance logs, service schedules, and operational data.

Results:

  • Reduced Downtime: By monitoring maintenance needs in real-time, the company minimized unplanned downtime by 30%, leading to increased productivity.
  • Improved Maintenance Efficiency: Scheduled maintenance became more efficient, reducing overall maintenance costs by 20% annually.
  • Inventory Optimization: Better tracking of spare parts and consumables lowered inventory costs by 15%.

Case Study 2: Logistics and Transportation

Company Profile:
A logistics company specializing in warehousing and distribution services.

Challenge:
Tracking and managing a vast inventory of goods across multiple warehouses and during transit was cumbersome and prone to errors. This led to inefficiencies in order fulfillment and increased operational costs.

Solution:
Deployed a QR code-based inventory management system that enabled real-time tracking from warehouse to delivery.

Results:

  • Enhanced Inventory Accuracy: Reduced inventory discrepancies by 25%, minimizing stockouts and overstock situations.
  • Optimized Route Planning: Improved asset visibility allowed for optimized route planning, reducing fuel consumption and transportation costs by 15%.
  • Faster Order Processing: Streamlined order picking and fulfillment processes increased operational efficiency, leading to faster turnaround times and improved customer satisfaction.

Case Study 3: Healthcare Sector

Company Profile:
A network of hospitals and clinics facing challenges in managing medical equipment and supplies.

Challenge:
Ensuring timely availability and tracking the usage of medical equipment and supplies across different healthcare facilities was critical for patient care and operational efficiency.

Solution:
Implemented a QR code-based asset tracking system integrated with their inventory management software and patient records system.

Results:

  • Improved Asset Utilization: Optimized usage of medical equipment reduced unnecessary purchases and extended equipment lifespan, resulting in cost savings of 18%.
  • Enhanced Patient Care: Timely availability of critical supplies improved patient care outcomes and reduced emergency procurement costs.
  • Regulatory Compliance: Maintained compliance with healthcare regulations by tracking equipment maintenance and usage history seamlessly.

Conclusion

Across diverse industries, adopting QR code-based asset tracking systems has proven instrumental in driving operational efficiency and achieving substantial cost savings. Whether in manufacturing, logistics, healthcare, or beyond, companies have reaped the benefits of real-time visibility, improved inventory management, and streamlined operations. By leveraging technology to enhance asset tracking capabilities, businesses not only reduce costs but also position themselves for sustained growth and competitiveness in today’s dynamic marketplace.

Ready to transform your operations and unlock cost-saving opportunities? Try INDTRAC QR App for free. Call us for any help you need.

Understanding asset tag technologies

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Indoor asset tracking is coming to mainstream now. Whether in hospital, or in warehouse, people are realizing that there are certain benefits that they cannot ignore any more in their business context.

But before you adopt it, would you not like to understand what it takes to implement? Of course there is this software called Real Time Location System (RTLS) but what about the tags? This is an attempt to make it simpler for you to decide.

Many Tag technologies

Every asset tracking system requires tags to be fixed on your assets. Now there are different tag technologies, like RFID, LoRA, BLE, UWB etc.

RFID can be both passive and active. Passive RFID tags do not have battery and therefore do not transmit by itself. RFID readers in vicinity sends search packets and the passive tags respond to them (they are passive after all!). Active Tags regularly send data which nearby Reader/Gateway captures. Sometimes people use Active RFID interchangeably with BLE or Bluetooth Low Energy.

So which tag should you choose?

The plain answer is it depends. For example, not all RTLS vendors support all tag types. In most cases vendors sell tags and other hardware as part of the full package solution. Other important factors depend on what you actually need.
Passive RFID tags cost the least among all of them but RFID readers some times miss reading passive RFID tags. In fact reading consistency is about 90%-95% for RFID readers with UHF antenna (UHF is the fastest among all the RFID system).

On the other hand UHF RFID readers are very expensive. Compared to that BLE devices cost magnitude cheaper. BLE is more accurate as well. UWB is the newest of the technologies and the technology is capable of precisely location an asset within a few centimeters. Hospitals traditionally went with RFID tags, many with vendor-proprietary active RFID solution. Proprietary solution makes you locked-in with vendor.

Incidentally INDTRAC RTLS works with almost all different hardware and tags and lets you change your tag system in future. For example, let’s say you decided to adopt BLE now. Later if you decide to upgrade to UWB, you can do that with INDTRAC.

Now coming back to relative benefits and costs. Typically UWB is the costliest solution at this point but offers most precise location articulation.

Here is a simple comparison chart for all the tags for quick reckoning.

Feature RFID BLE LoRa UWB
Technology Radio Frequency Identification Bluetooth Low Energy Long Range Ultra Wide Band
Range Short (~ 20 feet) Short (~ 40 feet) Very Long (~ 1 mile) Long (~ 100 meters)
Accuracy Low (~ 10 feet) Medium (~ 2 feet) Low (~ 100 feet) High (~ 1 inch)
Power Consumption Low Low Low Medium
Tag Cost $0.10 – $1.00 $0.50 – $5.00 $1.00 – $10.00 $5.00 – $50.00

Summary

In summary, if you follow traditional solutions, you would use RFID. If accuracy is paramount for you, you would have to choose UWB. But in most cases, BLE serves both ends. It also offers relatively long battery life for tags. Gateways also do not cost as much as UHF RFID. They are also easier to install or replace. INDTRAC supports both Indian brands as well as international brands like Zebra , Impinj or INGICS .

How to track asset states digitally

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Manage assets from your phone

Recently we met a factory floor shop manager. We asked how he keeps track of so many equipment and instruments. Does he use any system to identify and track them?

He said in his mind he knows where each asset on the floor, is and since they are all inside the workshop area, he knows he can track any asset without much difficulty.

We asked what are the typical lifecycle states of each equipment and how he keeps track of which asset is in at what stage? He had a little difficulty in explaining that workshop maintains a book and whenever an asset is decommissioned or in service, an entry is made in the book.

Do you see any issue with the way assets are managed?

Obviously there is no digital inventorization of the workshop assets. Nor the manager can know if any asset is taken out of the floor or if an asset has returned after service in last few hours unless he manually searches.

You obviously can do better.

All assets can be digitally tracked with a simple QR Code. Added advantage is no need to keep books manually.

INDTRAC App lets you define your asset life cycle stages.

Let’s assume almost all assets on the floor, go through the following stages:

  1. Check-in
  2. In use
  3. In-service
  4. Decommissioned

In INDTRAC App, go to Admin -> Workflow States. Click Create

In the Add Workflow States, Add Check-in as Name and Asset ready for Provisioning as Description. Click Submit. Create other states likewise.

Now when you scan the Asset’s QR Code to update location, App will prompt to pick the Workflow States too.

In the Manage Asset tab, you can view the current state of any asset by selecting the asset from the list (after search) and clicking Current Location button.

Location History shows past locations and states that the asset has undergone.

As you can see, with INDTRAC App, entire asset tracking can be done digitally without wasting time in manual record keeping since the App itself now keeps the record. Moreover you do not need anything else other than the INDTRAC QR App to make this transformation.

  Start your digital transformation journey with INDTRAC QR App alone.

How QR Code helps small businesses in efficiently managing assets

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App based asset trackingIn small businesses capital good and assets are major investments. Managing them efficiently should therefore be of paramount importance. Paper-based way of asset tracking and record keeping is time-consuming if not error-prone and costly.
Using QR Code can make the process simple, fast and entirely digital. It can streamline processes, improve worker productivity, enhance asset traceability, ensure accurate record keeping and importantly deliver cost reduction due to higher asset utilization and reduced worker downtime.

In a typical case, the asset manager uses a smartphone App to generate QR Code for each asset. He/She prints them and fixes each QR code on respective asset. Now workers start using the App to update current status. The Asset manager can track all assets from his smartphone from anywhere in real-time.

In a recent survey, organizations acknowledged the challenges they faced in maintaining accurate asset records. QR code-based digital asset tracking systems alleviate these issues by automating the data capture process. Every time an asset is scanned, relevant information such as location, maintenance history, and user details are recorded digitally, ensuring a comprehensive and reliable record-keeping system. This accuracy not only saves time but also improves overall data integrity.

A study claimed that businesses can reduce asset loss by up to 50% through effective tracking and management.

In summary,

  1. One can  create, print, label and track existing assets using QR codes at a marginal cost of RFID based system.
  2. QR Codes are extremely convenient as they can be accessed and generated through mobile App
  3. QR Codes are a lot more resilient and flexible compared to bar codes.
  4. App can help one to customize alerts / notifications to track asset check-in / check-outs.
  5. QR code also help one to track asset service dates and asset service renewal dates using real-time App notifications.
  6. One major benefit is that using QR Code, the organization can easily monitor asset’s condition digitally throughout the asset’s life. With asset audit becoming entirely digital, business’s ability to plan ahead for future procurement becomes so much easier.

INDTRAC QR Code App helps businesses track their assets digitally with QR Code alone.