Tagging equipment and office assets: barcodes, locations and photos

Every person has a name and an ID number, and every asset needs the same. An untagged asset can only be described as "the second laptop in the third-floor meeting room", and when people change, the memory goes with them. Tagging gives each asset a unique identity that can be traced and does not change when staff or departments move.

Before tagging, agree with finance what is to be tagged. The threshold follows your company's asset policy, and whether low-value tools and office items are included should be settled in advance, so that work is not redone halfway.

How to number the labels

• Unique across the company, never repeated: one number for one asset. When an asset is scrapped or sold, its number is retired.
• Short enough to copy and scan: for example a prefix plus a running number, such as TSK-00127, where the prefix marks the company or site.
• Keep changeable facts out of the number: departments, users and rooms change, and numbers that contain them go out of date. Those facts belong in other columns of the register.
• One tag per asset: for a set of equipment, tag the main unit and list the accessories under it in the register.

Print a barcode (or QR code) together with human-readable digits, so that a number can be typed in when the scan fails. In the register, link each number with the serial number and model. If a tag falls off, the serial number can still bring the identity back.

Where to put the tag

• Use the same place for the same kind of asset, for example the top right of a machine's front panel or the underside of a laptop, so counters do not have to hunt.
• Choose a flat, clean surface that wears little, away from heat, moving parts and areas that are cleaned often.
• Ordinary adhesive labels do for offices. Workshops, outdoor and damp places need oil-resistant, weatherproof material, or sometimes a riveted metal plate.
• On vehicles, forklifts and other items that rub in use, pick a spot that is visible but rarely knocked, and note the position in the register.

Which photos to take

Take at least three photos per asset, with the files named after the tag number:

1. A wide shot of the whole item with the tag in view.
2. A close-up of the tag, with the number readable.
3. A close-up of the nameplate showing model and serial number.

Add a fourth if there is visible damage or modification. These photos are not decoration. They are used when an asset goes missing, when ownership is questioned, for insurance and for scrap approvals.

Recording location and custodian

The register needs at least these columns: tag number, name, model, serial number, location, custodian, status (in use, idle, under repair, awaiting disposal) and date tagged. Location should go down to a room or area, not just "warehouse". The custodian signs the list and takes on daily responsibility for the item.

When an asset moves, fill in a simple transfer slip with the number, old location, new location and date, signed by both sides, and update the register. Moves without a slip are one of the main reasons that records stop matching reality.

An invented estimate: a company has 320 assets to tag. Two teams work at once, each handling about 15 assets an hour including tagging, photographing and recording. That is 30 an hour, so about 11 hours, roughly two working days. (Figures are illustrative.)

When a tag falls off or is damaged

Lost tags are normal, not exceptional. Handle them like this:

• Do not print a replacement from memory. First confirm the asset's identity from its serial number, photos and location.
• Once it is confirmed, fit a new tag with the same number and note "re-tagged" and the date in the register.
• If an asset cannot be identified, do not force a number onto it. List it as "to be confirmed" and ask finance or the user department for help.
• For valuable or easily moved equipment, use tamper-evident labels that leave a mark if somebody peels them off.

In short

Tagging itself is not difficult. What is hard is keeping it up: unique numbers, consistent positions, photos on file and a slip for every move. UzWarehouse's fixed asset count and tagging service registers items one by one, fits barcode tags, photographs them, records location and condition and then matches the result with your asset register.