Does this sound familiar? Production is halted because a special tool is nowhere to be found. A valuable transport container has vanished. No one knows where the calibration equipment for the next quality inspection is. The time your employees spend searching is pure waste. According to a study by Zebra Technologies, companies lose millions annually due to poorly managed assets.
Asset tracking is the solution to this problem. It's about knowing the location and status of your valuable assets—from tools and containers to mobile devices—in real-time. Modern technologies make tracking easier and more affordable than ever, creating the foundation for optimized and automated processes.
The days of manual inventory lists are over. Today, a range of technologies can help you track your assets automatically:
QR Codes & Barcodes: The Simple Start
How it works: Each asset gets a sticker with a unique QR code or barcode. Using a smartphone or a handheld scanner, any employee can scan the asset at various process points (e.g., when taking it from storage, assigning it to a job, returning it).
Advantages: Extremely low-cost, easy to implement, anyone with a smartphone can participate.
Disadvantages: Requires a direct line of sight and a manual scanning process. Damaged or dirty labels can cause problems.
RFID (Radio-Frequency Identification): The Automatic Scan
RFID is a giant leap forward. An RFID system consists of tags (attached to the asset) and readers.
How it works: When an asset with an RFID tag moves past a reader (e.g., at a warehouse gate or on a machine), it is detected automatically without human intervention. It can even read hundreds of tags simultaneously (bulk reading).
Advantages: No line of sight needed, automatic and fast detection, robust against dirt and harsh environments.
Disadvantages: Higher cost for tags and readers compared to barcodes.
Other Technologies (GPS, BLE, UWB): For Special Requirements
For long-distance tracking (e.g., truck fleets), GPS is used. For precise indoor location tracking down to the centimeter, technologies like Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) or Ultra-Wideband (UWB) can be used, though they are often more complex to implement.
The technology alone is only half the battle. You need a central platform that consolidates the data from various tracking technologies and turns it into valuable information.
Data Hub: Your low-code platform becomes the central place where all location and status data for your assets converge, whether it comes from a QR code scan or an RFID reader.
Add Context: Link the asset data with your production data. Don't just show where a tool is, but also for which job it's currently being used and by which employee.
Build Intelligent Workflows: Automate your processes. When a tool with the status "Calibration Due" is scanned, automatically create a maintenance ticket. When a container is moved to the "Shipping" area, update the order status in the ERP system.
Visualization and Analysis: Create dashboards that show you a live map of your assets. Analyze the utilization of tools to better plan for demand or identify bottlenecks in your material flow.
Effective asset tracking doesn't just end the frustrating search for missing equipment. It creates a new level of transparency that allows you to fundamentally improve your processes. You reduce shrinkage, optimize the utilization of your tools, automate warehouse management, and ensure that the right material is in the right place at the right time. With a flexible platform as your central nervous system, you turn simple location data into a real competitive advantage.
How did a crafts company nearly eliminate the daily hassle of searching for tools and keys? The answer: a smart combination of RFID technology and Heisenware’s low-code platform. The family-owned business Gaerte radically simplified its processes and now saves the team many hours of wasted work every week.
👉 Read the full success story here: Gaerte transforms tracking and management of assets with RFID