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MANAGING THE PHYSICAL ASSETS IN YOUR COMPANY REDUCING COSTS RAISING STANDARDS PRESERVING REPUTATION prepared by ASSETtrac Ltd.

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Presentation on theme: "MANAGING THE PHYSICAL ASSETS IN YOUR COMPANY REDUCING COSTS RAISING STANDARDS PRESERVING REPUTATION prepared by ASSETtrac Ltd."— Presentation transcript:

1 MANAGING THE PHYSICAL ASSETS IN YOUR COMPANY REDUCING COSTS RAISING STANDARDS PRESERVING REPUTATION prepared by ASSETtrac Ltd

2 INTRODUCTION This presentation is a preparatory document to be read prior to or in conjunction with the onsite demonstration from one of the ASSETtrac Team. The content examines the typical problems associated with managing a diverse range of physical property proposes a practical three part solution of asset tagging, simple hand held readers, and management software illustrates how the firm may derive practical benefits arising from the ability to accelerate information gathering and reporting locate and defend company property reduce the time spent on repetitive paper based procedures improve compliance with legislation

3 CONTENTS THREATS TYPICAL PROBLEMS SOLUTIONS PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS SUMMARY APPENDICES A Identifying the asset B The scanners C The software program D Mobile data capture COMPANY BACKGROUND MAJOR CLIENTS ASSETtrac SERVICES

4 THE THREATS TO YOUR ORGANISATION Every year £1 billion of computer equipment is stolen in the UK. Even when fully insured, the time and inconvenience of equipment replacement are additional costs, as is replacing sensitive information. Thousands of recovered items cannot be returned due to lack of proof of ownership, and one thousand laptops are being stolen in Britain each week! Organisations seldom know exactly what equipment they have or where it is. Poor supervision results in resources being wasted as misplaced items are replaced unnecessarily. Theft is encouraged when no checks are apparent. Faulty equipment causes accidents and compensation levels are rising with the effects of consumer ‘rights’, victim culture, and contingent fee based legal services. Financial resources and reputation are further undermined when a lack of up to date maintenance records and risk assessments prevent due care being demonstrated over such diverse assets as portable appliances, trees, machinery, IT equipment, and buildings. Misplaced files and staff turnover result in vital knowledge potentially departing with the employee, leaving dangerous and time consuming knowledge gaps. The above illustrates important threats arising from property ownership, which if ignored can cause failure to reach agreed standards, increased claims frequency, loss of reputation, or at least serious business interruption.

5 TYPICAL PROBLEMS IN THE OFFICE Problem: Getting answers to these questions is taking up too much of our senior managers’ time. How accurate was our last audit and how much is it costing us to collect the data? Can we track how equipment moves between different locations, and what’s missing? Are all our PAT test records up to date? Do we know what items are due for test this week? Have our insurance policy limits been adjusted for depreciation, disposals and new purchases? If an accident occurs to a visitor or member of staff, can we deliver our latest and historic maintenance reports to the health and safety inspector and to our solicitor? Can we release balance sheet fixed asset figures to our accountants with confidence? If the police find some company property can we search the database instantly, prove ownership and put it back where it belongs? What is our aggregate uninsured position in the event of a big fire or flood? Do we have a priority save list at the front door?

6 TYPICAL PROBLEMS IN THE OFFICE Problem: Getting answers to these questions is taking up too much of our senior managers’ time……. Are we breaching our software licences? Are we operating unsafe workplaces? Can we discover instantly what computer equipment we bought last year to maximise our negotiating power with the sales team next week? The financial controller needs year end book values using different depreciation rates. Can we run this quickly in each department? Can we export the branch inventories to each branch for updating? Solution All data can be sorted and filtered much faster than using spreadsheet queries, with instant changes to totals, and exported or printed Benefit Speed, accuracy, time saved, and perhaps reputation too. Databases can be set up for marking exams, registrations, visitors, cash in transit, phone call logging, fuel expenses, training attendance, scientific measurements, archiving, client dialogue, marketing, job interview scoring, call out times. It can even validate outside contractors invoicing, eg cleaners have to scan a barcode after each room is completed

7 Essentially what ASSETtrac does, being independent of any hardware manufacturer in this field, is to put a range of tag options, decoder choices, and data management possibilities in front of clients to substitute as much paper as possible with electronic recording. Selections can all be supplied through us to provide an end to end solution which  speeds up procedures in the fixed or revenue generating asset sector,  reduces inaccuracy, deters theft, and offers documentation to protect reputation  enables balance sheet/financial controller questions to be answered quickly. We work with the label and scanner suppliers on many occasions, integrating components with our own software to produce a ‘plug and play’ system that can be operated comfortably within an hour and is also network ready. Standard packages are on the shelf. Our emphasis is on ease of use and all our clients find operating a one button barcode scanner in conjunction with a tagged asset or room or person or vehicle significantly improves accuracy and speed over the clipboard approach. This is a complete end to end solution with barcode or microchip talking to scanner and scanner talking to software. More detail on the three elements can be found in APPENDICES A - D THE SOLUTION

8 THE SOFTWARE PROGRAM- ASSET PERFORMER OVERVIEW Anyone with a modest knowledge of data input can become familiar with all the functions within one hour as training records and Help file are pre-installed. Other benefits include:-  Our research shows its price is well below comparable software  It can be amended to your requirements, and your current records imported en bloc  It can track any activity that needs recording, not just fixed assets.  User defined views can be set up instantly so that for example the IT manager can see a set of asset information that is separate from the information that the auditor may want to see, or the purchasing dept may want etc, all within the same database. It manages all the business ‘chores’ of tracking, audit, inspection records, depreciation, and values in one program, with fast data input and easy reporting. With the application of barcodes to locations, vehicles, or even people, these procedures are completed both accurately and at great speed compared with the manual paper approach, leaving you free for more interesting activities!

9 PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS AT YOUR OFFICE  The asset manager or internal auditor may use this system to track who has what where, and via ‘History’, who had what where. Old asset registers are easy to import. Equipment associated with client visits may be marked and tracked.  The purchasing manager may use it to determine the age and write off periods for site machinery, furniture, and computers, and budget for replacement.  The IT manager ensures compliance with software licences, and defends the security of important computers with tamper resistant labels. Repairs can be checked in and out, as can the issue of software CD’s, and laptops for staff at weekends.  The HR manager may create new databases very quickly to record many aspects of the employee relationship, as each data record may be identified by post code or payroll number as well as barcode number.  The finance director can instantly review original and depreciated values, demand any type of report by asset, location, time, manufacturer etc.

10 PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS AT YOUR OFFICE  The insurance manager may obtain accurate sums insured for policy limits, and control up to date maintenance and inspection records. This is vital to demonstrate reasonable care in court to limit compensation for injured parties, and resist accusations of negligence.  The facilities manager may log building conditions, record asbestos discovery, log security guard movements, and schedule grounds’ maintenance.  The security manager may record covert identification numbers of RFID microchips to assist in proof of ownership and the recovery of valuable stolen property.  The health and safety officer can issue batch records/work schedules to a hand held computer for maintenance staff to carry out condition surveys, risk assessments, PAT testing etc. Edited results are uploaded to the host PC instantly, removing the need for keying hand written results into spreadsheets.

11 PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS AT YOUR OFFICE  The financial controller can validate the costs of outsourced services, eg room cleaning.  The stores manager may scan equipment out to vehicles for contract work or leases and back in again eliminating the need for tick sheet All elements of this solution have been chosen for low cost practical benefits, ease of use, and minimal training needs, and can be tailored to exact client requirements without costly rewriting of the software.

12 SUMMARY The Asset Performer program is all about improving processes, removing paper, and liberating busy managers from time consuming and often boring activity. The main objective is usually physical asset management,but it can be quickly tailored to register any human activity, thus saving even more time and costing less per user. Many clients are stirred into action by theft, insurance companies, education departments, accidents, legal proceedings or health and safety inspections. A typical overall cost of £3000 is a small investment to  Defend a hard won reputation in an aggressive legislative climate.  Alleviate concern over information deficits and security weakness.  Discover and remedy potentially dangerous conditions.  Encourage best business practice.  Obtain a positive ROI by concentrating faster tools in fewer hands. Stephen Laing- November 2006

13 APPENDIX A IDENTIFYING THE ASSET There are only two types of tag that will communicate with computers a) Barcode Labels Metallised, hard plastic, or vinyl tags, carrying a logo, barcode, sequential number, customised message (Property of…) or Help Desk number. Labels can have punched dots through which a compound can be painted to etch an underlying surface with a post code or phone number. Certain hard plastic tags meet industry standards for attack resistance, and there are types of tamper resistant vinyl labels which cannot be removed in one piece. Surface markings are appropriate for marking internal assets, buildings, and people where threats, environment, and abrasion are minimal.

14 APPENDIX A …. IDENTIFYING THE ASSET b) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) The marking device is the radio frequency transponder, otherwise known as the microchip. It carries a unique unalterable code number, retrieved by a small handheld scanner. Unlike a bar code, it does not deteriorate with time, can improve security, and can be ‘read’ through most materials, which is important in rough handling or high threat environments. It can be supplied in various formats such as a nail for pallets and trees, discs for underground use, and self adhesive badges for IT equipment, power tools, and vehicles.

15 APPENDIX A…. IDENTIFYING THE ASSET Selection will be based on budget, experience of recent loss or the threat of it, write off periods, and how important the ‘asset visit’ is for audit, inspections, testing etc. Metal and basic vinyl labels are among the cheapest, but the saving is only significant in large numbers, and some clients report that after a while fingernails do a good job of peeling back the corners! A dual tagging approach to more vulnerable assets gives the increased benefits of covert chip and overt barcode, with the added benefit of using the chip warning label for branding/help desk purposes. We bring many different tag types on client visits so they can be examined and tested in person rather than just seen in brochures or web sites. All labels are designed and submitted for approval prior to production, which takes between two and four weeks depending on tag type. WARNING! THIS ITEM IS ELECTRONICALLY PROTECTED YOUR NAME 01XXX XXXXXX

16 APPENDIX B THE SCANNERS Clients appreciate ease of use and as you can see from the pictures below, there are very few buttons hence a minimal training period! Both are supplied with cables for computer linking. RFID read only Cipherlab 8001 PDT scanner, Cable link scanner, cable link RS232/USB holds up to 30000 barcodes These two models are on the shelf for immediate supply.

17 APPENDIX C ASSET PERFORMER Asset Performer is a practical spreadsheet looking program to manage Inventories, Property Tracking, Maintenance Records and Compliance, Sums Insured, Depreciation, Audit, and Proof of Ownership. Based on the success of its predecessor Asset Manager, which has already sold over a thousand copies, this latest version incorporates all the daily needs of managing moveable assets.

18 THE SOFTWARE PROGRAM- ASSET PERFORMER Benefits include… ● Improved asset visibility over who has what where, and for how long ● Default views and user defined data tables ● Fast point and click data entry, multiple database creation ● Search and filter capabilities, tracks live, missing, and disposed property ● Compatible with both barcode and RFID microchip identification system ● Standard or customised reports, and improved audit trails ● Software licence management ● Theft deterrence and recovery of stolen property through covert proof of ownership ● Can import existing whole asset registers, and sequential numbering systems ● Promotes up to date values, accurate sums insured, and potential for improved terms ● Creates maintenance logs, PAT test records, and depreciation management ● No expensive contracting costs or training needs ● Full built-in user guide ● Integrated barcode module available for automatic auditing ● Synchronisation with hand held computers for paper free surveys and inspections APPENDIX C …..

19 THE SOFTWARE PROGRAM- ASSET PERFORMER Compared with spread sheets, Asset Performer… ● Can contain multiple products (databases) in the same program ● Has pre-designed formats (views) which can be easily customised ● Is integrated with barcode and radio frequency microchip scanners ● Contains depreciation routines ● Tracks the change history for every field belonging to an asset ● Allows sorting and filtering via simple mouse clicks ● Is network ready (many people can share the same data) ● Allows simple import from and export to other programs ● Has in-built security ● Contains a menu of all the common asset description fields that you are likely to need ● Will build lists from existing data to save typing when adding similar asset details The program is for use with Microsoft Windows 98/ME/2000/NT4/XP, written in VB with an ACCESS 97 backend. The program may be loaded from CD on stand alone PC’s, or a network version installed. In each case the program will run for 30 days before a registration code is required from us via a phone call. APPENDIX C....

20 THE SOFTWARE PROGRAM- ASSET PERFORMER MAIN ASSET TRACKING FUNCTIONS OF ASSET PERFORMER Single record input Value range filtering RFID input Date range filtering Help File Button Menus D/B access passwords Instant D/B switching Default headers Book value comparison Cell change tracking Dependent filtering Search record Instant filtering Column order/width In cell editing Font/Style User defined display User defined headers Multiple asset entry D/B import/export Custom report printing Scanner integration Multiple barcode entry Auto total value fields Paper free audits Depreciation Routine Built in Training D/B Multiple customised views Pocket XL Hot sync Each data record can contain as many cells as you like. However to save scrolling time and entering data that is rarely used, there is an attachment feature to any other file type. So attaching a picture of the asset, or its operating instructions is but a mouse click away. APPENDIX C…..

21 MOBILE DATA CAPTURE- PAIRS PAPERFREE ASSET INSPECTION and RECORDING SYSTEM One of these tools is three times as V fast as the other, reducing survey costs by up to 70% PAIRS is a simple but powerful paper free system to accelerate the process of recording equipment inspections or surveys of corporate property and procedures. Combining office PC and palm sized hand held computer, the costs of recording and storing inspections via the traditional paper trail are significantly reduced. APPENDIX D

22 The Objective  Improve the speed and accuracy of creating and reporting risk assessments, survey results, and equipment tests to the responsible manager with modern electronic data capture tools.  Reduce the annual costs of the whole process without a significant rise in re- training.  Obtain documentation to support both compliance and safety measures taken. The Benefits  The issue of batch inspections, isolating equipment most at risk, and prioritising remedies.  Updating via user friendly spreadsheet records, and automatic re-inspection scheduling.  A robust record retention program to meet best practice and the requirements of the HSE.  Substantiating the dialogue over duty of care with employees and third parties.  Accelerated progress towards site compliance through faster survey rates.  Based on nominal employment costs, inspection cost reductions of 70% are achievable. APPENDIX D….. PAIRS

23 ASSETtrac Ltd was formed in 1999 by director Stephen Laing with the experience of some 25 years as a Lloyd’s broker in the City of London and abroad. The company’s initial focus was on security with the provision of objective advice on unique identification and the supply of a range of tagging devices including RFID microchips, radio frequency identification devices commonly found in animals. These are a serious alternative to barcodes in chosen areas of article numbering. Ian Athersmith joined as technical director in 2003 and is responsible for all software products. In a short time the company has developed a number of household name clients as detailed elsewhere, and the focus now is very much on:- Improving processes in the data management field Enabling clients to dispense with costly slow paper processes and tick sheets Providing integrated end to end solutions comprising tag, scanner, and software Keeping the software simple, to accelerate roll out, minimise training and facilitate user defined procedures. Reinforcing day to day management benefits with security as a bonus. Providing low cost software to facilitate best practice and defend a client’s reputation in court when facing compliance with Health and Safety, Fire Safety, and Disability Access legislation. COMPANY BACKGROUND

24 ASSETtrac SERVICES We will provide any combination of the following services:-  Recommend, assist design, and supply generic or customised labels  Fix labels and collect asset data, and/ or conduct an audit  Supply appropriate microchips and scanners  Supply standard or client specified software for own installation  Supply and install software in stand alone computers or across a network  Supply on site system training  Import current inventories and/or create new databases  Provide office hours technical support.

25 MAJOR CLIENTS Local Public Sector Central Public Sector Commercial Sector Bath & NE Somerset British Standards Inst France Telecom Birmingham CC Ministry of Defence Kellogg Brown & Root Borders & Lothian Police OFCOM London Underground Brighton & Hove CC Office of Deputy PM Medical Gas Solutions Bristol CC Millennium Seed Bank NFU Mutual Insurance Carlisle CC UK Sport Northern Rock PLC Corporation of London Sage UK Doncaster MBC Sporting Index Eastbourne BC Exeter CC Recent education clients Glasgow CC LB Camden Berkhamsted School Kingsford School LB Lambeth Bordesley Green GS Notre Dame College LB Southwark Brighton & Hove SFC Swalcliffe Park North Ayrshire DC Chalvedon SFC Telford College Oldham MBC Hautlieu School, Jersey Portsmouth CC Highlands College Surrey Ambulance James Brindley School University of Sussex Kemnall College


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