Inventory and asset tracking are both important, but what separates them?  Why are there different applications for these seemingly similar processes?  The answer lies in the purpose for each but first let’s examine the difference between inventory and assets.

Assets are defined as an economic resource that represents an ownership of value.  This could be a truck, a piece of software or, yes, even an inventory of widgets.  Inventory is a list of compiled assets for sale or use in another process.  When it comes to the differences in tracking we need to look at assets as being here for long term use and inventory being here for consumption of some sorts.  Think of it as the difference between a library and a book store.
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At MobileFrame we have thought for a long time that our mobile solutions could track anything.  We have provided tracking applications for everything from parts and labor to maintenance records and hazardous waste containers.

We figure that we have tracked just about everything – from the cradle to the grave.  And now two customers are putting that to the test!

MobileFrame was recently deployed as the application for Paternity Declaration at Contra Costa County, California.  This application captures vital information and parent signatures at the time of birth.  With over 2500 clerks at over 700 birthing centers across California, MobileFrame’s integration into the county’s Vital Records is saving time, sometimes months, and increasing accuracy.
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Equipment maintenance systems have been an integral part of production environments for decades.  There is no denying the importance and benefits of well-maintained equipment.  Prolonged asset life and reductions in both downtime and operating costs have turned maintenance from being viewed as a cost of doing business to vital part of being profitable.

Traditional barriers to effectively managing the maintenance process have been in organization and documentation of the system used.  Tracking each piece of equipment by last service date, frequency of service, scheduling of routine maintenance – all on paper – it becomes a full time job to maintain the maintenance system.  Computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) software was developed to organize this information, and quickly became not only a way of managing upkeep; it has become a tool for improving maintenance performance.
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Here at MobileFrame we are pretty good at solving the problem of paper in the field. In this case we had a customer come to us with a very simple yet, annoying problem.

Here’s the current process:

• Write the Barcode from the asset on a sheet of paper
• Indicate if it passed or failed inspection
• If the asset failed, indicate why

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