Your assets are key to the survival of your business. Whether they are office or medical equipment, a fleet of lorries or beer kegs, it is important for you to know where they are, what they have been used for or when they were last serviced.

GS1 UK can help you manage your assets no matter how simple or complex your supply chain. GS1 provides unique identifiers, used in bar codes or radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, to accurately track your assets. This arms you with the data to know where to find them, whose responsibility it is if you can’t or what maintenance is due.

How GS1 UK can help
Using GS1 individual asset identifiers (GIAIs) to label individual items, such as office and medical equipment, manufacturing plant or spare parts, means you can quickly access information pertaining to each asset. For example, by looking up the unique number or scanning the item’s bar code or RFID tag, you can find out its maintenance history, ownership details or warranty status.

Returnable assets such as pallets, containers, gas cylinders, or beer kegs can be tracked using GS1 global returnable asset identifiers (GRAIs). Using a GS1 GRAI to identify an asset allows you to track it at relevant points in the supply chain using standard bar code or RFID readers. In this way you can learn the asset’s last known location, therefore minimising loss and helping to identify the source of any damage.

Making it work
Consider the following points when planning your approach to asset management:

1. Determine at which level you need to track your assets: individually or by category or type.
2. Identify your assets using a globally recognised GS1 identifier: GIAI or GRAI.
3. Define which asset data (e.g. asset description, history, location) you need to keep track of for your business needs.
4. Identify at what points assets should be tracked (e.g. warehouse, shipment, return).
5. Consult with GS1 to determine if your needs are better suited to bar codes or RFID tags to link the asset data to the record of its tracked movements.

To start uniquely identifying your products, services or assets, join GS1 UK today.