A compressor gets moved to another shed during a shutdown. A month later, someone logs a repair against “compressor 3”, but two identical units could fit that description, and neither has a reliable movement history. The problem isn't a lack of software. It's that the physical item and the record don't share a dependable identity.
If you're working out how to track assets on an industrial site, start with that connection. Build a clean register, assign each asset a permanent ID, then mark the item so people can read and scan it in the conditions where it's used. Add technology only when it solves a defined tracking problem.
Start With a Register That Holds More Than a Name
Suppose the register lists a $12,000 air compressor as “compressor 3”. Then it turns up that two identical units are stored in different sheds, and there's no clear record of which one was repaired or where either belongs. A tag won't fix that ambiguity. It'll just make an unclear record easier to scan.
Before ordering tags, create a 20-item pilot register and verify every row against the equipment and its documents. A practical Australian asset-tracking approach starts with a controlled register, then adds durable identification and checks each scan against the record. The Ergon Energy Network asset and works management business case also points to data quality as a prerequisite for better asset management. Poor master data automated at scale is still poor data.
Fill the pilot rows in this order
Use one row per physical item and one column for each field. Get the information from the item, the responsible person, or a source document, not from memory.
| Field | What to record | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Unique asset ID | One ID that never changes when the item moves or is repaired | Assigned by the site and never reused |
| Make, model and serial number | Copied from the nameplate, not from memory | Nameplate |
| Location | Zone or bay, not only the building | Physical check |
| Custodian | Named person accountable for the item | Role or name |
| Risk class | High, medium or low based on what happens if it fails | Site risk rule |
| Maintenance status and next inspection | Current state plus the next due date | Maintenance record |
| Purchase cost | Cost finance will use | Purchase documents |
| Disposal date | Blank until sold, scrapped or transferred out | Disposal record |
Give every asset one stable identifier. Don't recycle an ID after disposal, and don't change it because the item has moved or been repaired. The location can change; the identity shouldn't. If your team needs help defining the format, use a consistent asset identification number that's readable, unique and tied to the register.
A simple spreadsheet is enough to run the pilot. Make sure the team can record transfers, repairs and retirement against the ID, even if maintenance and finance still use separate systems. For equipment that leaves site with staff and must come back, a practical guide to tracking returned devices remotely can help you think through custody and return workflows.
Before tags are ordered: Have a second person walk the site and check all 20 register rows against the physical items. Resolve duplicate IDs, incorrect locations and missing nameplate details first.
Match Each Tracking Method to the Asset
Choose a method by answering three questions: Does the asset stay put, pass through predictable checkpoints, or move freely around the site? Does someone need to scan it manually, or should the system detect it automatically? And how important is live location compared with low tag cost?
Those answers point to different tools. A barcode or QR code is inexpensive and straightforward, but a person needs line of sight and a scanner or phone. Passive RFID can detect tagged items at a portal without staff scanning each one, but metal and liquids can interfere with reads. Active RFID or RTLS can support live location for mobile equipment, at the cost of more infrastructure and battery management. GPS suits vehicles outdoors, not equipment moving between sheds.
Compare the methods side by side
| Method | Typical read range | Best for | Main weakness |
|---|---|---|---|
| QR code | Short range, camera scan | Fixed stock and workshop tools scanned on a schedule | Dirt and abrasion hide the pattern |
| Linear barcode | Short range, line-of-sight scan | Low-cost, high-volume stationary items | Damaged or greasy labels fail to scan |
| Passive UHF RFID | Up to about 10 m at portals, much less near metal or liquids | Assets passing through doors and checkpoints | Reads fail on metal and fluid-heavy surfaces without testing |
| Active RFID or RTLS | Tens to hundreds of metres, depending on infrastructure | Mobile, high-value equipment needing live location | Battery upkeep and higher unit cost |
| GPS tracker | Outdoors, typically within a few metres; poor indoors | Vehicles and trailers moving across a site | Weak signal inside sheds and buildings |
The read ranges in practice depend on the reader, tag, mounting surface and site layout. Test the actual label on the actual asset, especially before buying readers for a portal. A tag that performs on a plastic sample may behave differently when attached to a metal pump or a fluid-filled assembly.
Use this decision rule:
- Stationary and numerous: Start with a barcode or QR code and scheduled scans.
- Passing predictable gates: Consider passive RFID at the portal, after testing read performance.
- Moving freely and must be found live: Consider active RFID or GPS, depending on whether the asset stays outdoors.
Keep an engraved, human-readable ID on every item as a fallback. A reader can fail, a phone can be unavailable, or an electronic tag can lose power. Staff should still be able to identify the item and look it up manually. For more on matching identification to different movement patterns, see RFID asset tracking.
Engrave Labels That Survive the Shop Floor
A printed sticker can look fine at installation and become unreadable after repeated contact with oil, solvent, heat, cleaning products or abrasive handling. Once the mark disappears, a scan can't connect the item to its history. In a harsh environment, choose a label material and marking method for the conditions the tag will face.
Laser engraving marks the surface rather than relying on printed ink. A Trotec Laser machine can engrave a human-readable asset number and a machine-readable barcode into a stainless-steel tag in one pass. That gives operators a code they can enter manually and a mark they can scan, provided the asset record and the code were set up correctly.
Choose the label material for the environment
| Label material | Handles well | Weak point |
|---|---|---|
| Laser-engraved stainless steel | Heat, oil, solvents, abrasion and outdoor exposure | Higher cost and weight per tag |
| Laser-engraved anodised aluminium | Weather, UV and moderate abrasion | Wears under heavy abrasion on harsh floors |
| Polyester or polyimide film | Oil, moderate heat and flexible surfaces | Abrasion and solvents reduce legibility over time |
| Paper-based label | Dry indoor storage only | Fails quickly with moisture, oil and handling |
Don't put a durable mark on a poor surface. Place the tag on a flat, accessible area, away from hinges, moving parts, welds and surfaces that are routinely wiped down. Avoid placing it where it will be covered by hoses, guards or stored materials. If a tag needs to be found during a quick inspection, the operator shouldn't have to dismantle equipment to reach it.
Test the mark before production
Make a sample using the proposed material and the same marking process planned for the pilot. Expose it to the degreaser used on site, abrasion representative of normal handling, and heat representative of its operating location. Then scan it with two different readers and check the human-readable ID as well as the barcode or QR code.
Record the outcome against the relevant asset or sample record. If the code is difficult to scan after testing, change the material, size, position or code layout before ordering the production batch. Keep the test sample from the laser-marking process, not a different type of label, so the test reflects the mark you intend to use. For label choices in chemical exposure, compare the conditions against these chemical-resistant label options.
Roll Out Tagging and Scanning in Six Steps
A pilot should test the tracking process, not just whether tags can be applied. Include equipment that matters when it goes missing, moves frequently or has safety implications. Then use the findings to fix the register, scan points and handover process before expanding.
Pilot 20 to 30 items. Select a mix of high-value, mobile and safety-critical equipment. That mix exposes different failure points, from a hard-to-read tag on a moving pump to a missing record for critical equipment.
Define scan points and owners. Identify where a scan should happen, such as the stores counter, a gate, a workshop bay or the vehicle yard. Name who scans there and what event they're recording, such as a transfer, inspection or return.
Test labels where they'll live. Apply sample labels to the relevant equipment and scan them after cleaning and abrasion. Test the proposed reader at the actual scan point, not only at a desk.
Connect scan events to the working system. A scan should update location or status in the maintenance or enterprise asset-management system, not create a second list that someone must reconcile by hand.
Make partial integration workable
Australian industrial sites may run disconnected asset and operational systems. The 2025 State of Smart Manufacturing research reported that 68% of surveyed Australian and New Zealand manufacturers had deployed EAM, 71% had adopted production monitoring, and 89% had invested in or planned investment in cloud or SaaS technologies, according to the Australian and New Zealand report on SaaS adoption in manufacturing. These tools don't guarantee that records are connected. Make the shared ID the join between the register, maintenance and finance systems.
If the EAM link isn't live, export a weekly exception list of unscanned, duplicate and location-mismatched IDs. Load the verified location and status into the system planners already use. Don't let a side spreadsheet become the live record. Record each rejected import against the asset ID and clear it before the next batch of tags.
Run a weekly exception count. Assign an owner to each unscanned, duplicate or mismatched asset. Find the cause, such as a missed scan, an unrecorded transfer or an incorrect label, and fix it before adding more tags.
Expand only when the records pass audit. Track the percentage of records that pass identity, location and status checks. Tag count alone tells you how much work has been done, not whether the system is reliable.
The common misstep is tagging low-value stationary stock first because it's easy to count. That can fill the register with items nobody needs to find while mobile or safety-critical equipment remains untracked.
Audit, Exceptions and Record Retention
A compressor has been scrapped, but the register still shows it as available. A planner may then schedule work around equipment that no longer exists, or someone may order a replacement without checking the disposal record. Keep a monthly review for duplicates, retired assets and transfers, and treat each discrepancy as an exception with a named owner.
The Australian Taxation Office's records guidance for depreciating assets says businesses must retain records for depreciating assets for the period they hold each asset and generally for five years after it's sold or otherwise disposed of. A stable ID connects the physical item to purchase documents, depreciation calculations, maintenance and disposal evidence. The identifier needs to remain in the records after the equipment leaves the site.
Keep the tax record linked to the physical ID
Store the financial fields in a controlled record against the asset ID. The Australian Taxation Office expects records covering the cost elements, adjustable value, date the asset is held, depreciation method and deductions claimed. Keep changes as dated history rather than replacing old values.
| Field | What it proves |
|---|---|
| First and second elements of cost | What the business paid and later added |
| Opening adjustable value | Starting value for the income year |
| Adjustments to cost or adjustable value | Changes kept as history rather than overwritten |
| Date holding started and start time | When decline in value begins |
| Rate or effective life | The figure used to calculate decline in value |
| Depreciation method | Which method was applied |
| Deductions claimed | Amounts already claimed |
| Adjustable value at year end | Closing value for the audit |
Treat a change to cost, effective life, method or ownership as a dated audit-trail entry. The entry should show the previous value, the new value, when it changed and who approved or recorded it. Don't rely on a changing staff name or location as the only way to identify an asset.
Make inspections part of the monthly review
A blank or overdue next-inspection date on a high-risk asset is an exception, not a harmless gap. Assign it to the custodian and resolve it by confirming the inspection status or arranging the required inspection. Keep the exception visible until someone records the outcome.
Use this short audit checklist:
- Confirm the ID is attached to the physical item.
- Confirm the register location matches the asset's location.
- Confirm the financial fields are complete and supported.
- File the audit date and record any exceptions with an owner.
Confirm Your Pilot and Book a Label Sample
Freeze the pilot before any production order: choose 20 to 30 checked items across high-value, mobile and safety-critical equipment. For each one, note the environment, scan point and proposed label material. That gives the tag maker enough context to produce a useful sample and gives the site team a clear test to run.
Ask for one sample tag first. Test it with the site degreaser, abrasion and heat exposure, then scan it with two readers. Approve the sample only when both the mark and the scanning workflow suit the asset's location and use.
Evright Industrial focuses on laser engraving for asset labelling and industrial engraving. Each customer has a dedicated project manager who works to the implementation schedule and budget and supplies required samples for approval before production starts. Customer-supplied items can also be marked, with a quote requested from the project manager. The division uses Trotec Laser machines for engraving. For an overview of how evright.com works with Evright Industrial, prepare your pilot list, environments, scan points and sample request before discussing the project.
Bring your pilot register and sample requirements to Evright Industrial to discuss durable asset labels, laser engraving and marking customer-supplied items. Start with a sample approval, then move to production once the tag passes your site's scan and exposure tests.
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