Smart object management with asset management software

Asset management is part of the day-to-day operations for some organisations. But for many organisations, it is not and this should be something that comes with the territory. For those organisations in particular, it can be a stumbling block. Several stumbling blocks can be identified as the reason that asset management does not get the attention it needs. Too little capacity to maintain a database of these assets can be the game-breaker.

That is a pity. Because asset management can actually make a huge contribution to the efficiency and quality of work. Asset management can save time and costs, while on the other hand it can improve delivery times and quality. What you need to do that? We have an idea…

Why asset management?

With asset management, you can prevent problems, failures and therefore downtime through timely maintenance. In the unlikely event of a breakdown, it can be reported and followed up quickly and easily, minimising the disruption. Thanks to linked documentation, instructions are always near, making your daily work easier and more efficient. Smart asset management software is essential for this.

The basics: what exactly is asset management?

When we think of asset management, we quickly think of managing databases full of cars, trucks, licences or other assets at organisations that have made this their business. You might think of leasing companies, transport companies or IT partners. They use this type of database to manage contracts, maintenance and managers, among other things.

The latter is precisely why asset management adds value to almost any organisation. For instance, you can record machinery, laboratory equipment, ICT resources or buildings in a database. In order to do this, you then link various data, such as supplier including contracts, conditions, warranty conditions, etc.

You can attach manuals and other documents to an asset, or object. If you want to report a malfunction, it can immediately be assigned to the object, so the person who has to solve the malfunction does not have to search for the location of the machine in question. Planning and performing checks and maintenance can also be done easily.

In order to do this, you will need asset management software. When you look for this, you end up with specialists who provide software for organisations that have made this their core business. Complicated software, with too many features you don’t need and therefore with a price tag.

Asset management does not have to add workload and costs

If you are not yet familiar with asset management, all the information above can seem quite daunting. A reason not to do it in the first place. Whereas it can actually bring your organisation a lot of benefits.

Also, you don’t have to buy any special additional software for this, so it doesn’t have to cost extra. How can this be done? The Zenya Software Suite already includes the functionality that can help your organisation do just that: the cardfile So when you are already using Zenya, or considering this software as a quality management solution, you just get a tool to directly manage your asset management.

Of course, it does take time to enter all the data of your devices or other objects into the asset management software and link the right documentation etc. to it. But once you have done that, keeping track of it is easy. This ultimately saves everyone in the organisation time in asset management tracking.

In addition, it is also possible to link to a system, such as ERP software, that already contains this data. With the Cardfile Synchronisation Tool, you can then easily have this data recorded in the cardfile.

Capturing and managing an object in the cardfile in 6 steps

See just how easy it is to carry out asset management with the cardfile in Zenya, we like to make it clear with a step-by-step guide. In 6 steps, you can easily manage all your objects.

Step 1. Create a card

Use a template to create a card for an object. This could be anything, such as (laboratory) equipment, machines, hospital beds, suppliers or customers, buildings or IT equipment. You can assign all kinds of attributes to it, such as a location, which makes management a lot easier.

Step 2. Link relevant documentation to the card

These can be contracts, warranty terms, supplier information or a manual, for example. You can manage these documents in Zenya DOC, the DMS. Does a manual consist of many pages and do you want to make it more user-friendly?

An Interactive Document uses smart questions to display only the information that is relevant at that moment. This way, a user does not have to plough through a long document to know what a particular error message means.

Step 3. Schedule regular maintenance

Regular maintenance reduces the number of problems and breakdowns. And in some cases, for example, a regular check or calibration is necessary. In the cardfile, you can schedule this so that tasks are automatically assigned to people or teams. By creating checklists and questionnaires in Zenya CHECK, you can link them directly to such a task, making execution easier than ever.

Step 4. Fix malfunctions as soon as possible

When there is a malfunction, deviation or, for example, damage to an object, it is annoying. It is important to have this resolved as quickly as possible so that work suffers as little as possible. This is where incident management, with Zenya FLOW, comes in. By creating a report form and linking it to the object in the cardfile, anyone can easily report what is wrong with the object.

This can also easily be done on any mobile with the Zenya Capture App. This app makes making a report for the end user even easier, as it can already determine which object is involved based on the GPS location. Adding a photo with notes makes the notification more complete. Because the report is automatically linked to the object, the person who has to follow up on the report and thus repair the malfunction or damage, does not have to search for the exact object. This is simply in the system.

Step 5. Insert a QR code or NFC mark

You make it even easier for users to look up documents or make a report when they can use the Search App or Capture App to scan a code or use NFC to retrieve the data directly. This lowers the threshold to look up information or file a report yourself, which only benefits efficiency, quality and safety. Such a code can be easily generated with asset management software.

Step 6. Link objects

Objects need not just be physical things. For example, a contract or supplier can also be an object, and thus a card. That makes linking cards very interesting: for example, you can link guarantee and contract conditions to a supplier, which then apply to all, or part of the objects of that supplier. When these conditions then change, you only need to change them at that item. All linked cards to which those conditions apply will then automatically receive the change.

Examples of asset management software for different types of work

The above sounds good, and of course we think our own software works well. But would you especially like to know what it brings you? There are countless examples for which asset management software is a good idea. You can think of:

• Registration of beds and equipment in hospital, nursing home etc. for maintenance, repairs, operating instructions and more;
• Management of laboratory equipment where it is important that it is calibrated and checked regularly and for which defects need to be easily reported;
• Buildings for security so that, for example, damage can be easily reported and resolved;
• Equipment and machinery maintained by a Technical Department. Tasks are scheduled automatically so you never miss a check again;
• IT equipment such as printers, monitors or laptops, for keeping track of warranty, easily reporting faults (or having them reported) and scheduling updates.

So you can see that every organisation has to deal with objects for which asset management can mean a big improvement in efficiency and quality. And if you do not need special, expensive asset management software for this, but can use one smart tool, then everyone can perform asset management.