Keeping track of serial numbers sounds easy, right? And perhaps it is if you have a small amount of information to track and assets or products that never change, never move to different facilities, and never get replaced and/or accidentally destroyed. But, how realistic is that today?
Remembering what number you left off with when printing or purchasing additional asset tags shouldn't take your focus away from running your organization and the possibility of duplicate asset numbers in your database and the potential consequences associated with them shouldn't keep you up at night, it just might if you don't have a reliable identification solutions partner in your cover with the tools and experience to ensure your serial number history is solid.
Numbers are our business and have been since 1950. We understand the value of the number and what it represents. We track our customers' number history to make it easier for them - allowing them to focus on more pressing matters then what number to start with when placing an order.
But even that wasn't enough for us. We took it a step further with our new Serialization Engine. This robust tool not only track serial number history for customers but also prevents duplication within the job, part or even customer level - making it even easier for the customer to manage. Never again will a customer have to worry about where they left off or duplicating any of their previous serial numbers.
In addition, customers can send us their variable data which we then upload to the Serialization Engine and check against their serial number history to ensure no duplicates exist. Human readable numbers, barcode and/or RFID programming - doesn't matter, the serial number tracking history and duplicate checking still work! Simply put, the Serialization Engine works regardless of tracking technology or format - it simply sees a number. Customers could have a variety of different technologies in their serial number history and it will still keep track and alert to any duplicates.
Why is this important? Incorrect serial numbers and/or duplicates are potential disasters for customers. Consider the following scenarios. A business has the same serial numbers associated with two different pieces of equipment - one is brought in for routine maintenance, but those records are associated with the second piece of equipment. Inaccurate serial numbers lead to inaccurate information, which could literally become a life-or-death situation - think hospital equipment - and no one wants to have that happen!
A different application may have an organization tracking IT equipment that employees or customers check out. Duplicate numbers may lead to an employee and/or customer physically having a piece of equipment, but records show it checked into inventory. How do you know when/if it returns because according to the records it looks like it never left. Try to get an insurance claim on that!
Original equipment manufacturers track each piece of equipment they produce for warranty and other information. Duplicate part numbers and/or model numbers create confusion. Take, for example, a customer contacting the manufacturer about the product warranty but the number the customer gives also belongs to a piece of equipment still on the manufacturing floor. What does that do to the warranty and, worse yet, what odes that do for customer confidence?
These examples as well as many others are all too realistic and hopefully open your eyes regarding the importance of not having inaccurate and/or duplicate serial number information. And thanks to our new Serialization Engine, these types of scenarios don't have to be your reality. for more information on Metalcraft's Serialization Engine and data management capabilities, contact us at 800-437 -5283 (641-423-9460) or metalcraft@idplate.com.
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About the Author: Julia DeetsJulia Deets joined Metalcraft in 1999 as the Marketing/New Product Director. Julia has held numerous roles during her career with Metalcraft, all related to marketing and customer support. Her current position is as the VP of Marketing and Customer Experience. She has both an undergrad and a Master's degree in Organizational Communications from Northwest Missouri State University and the University of Northern Iowa, respectively. |
