Trail - Guide to Sustainable Equipment Management

How to achieve sustainable operations with digital equipment management: Guide

to Sustainable Equipment Management

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a) Why is it worth investing in sustainable equipment management?

Digital equipment management supports sustainable operations

Digital equipment management has revolutionised the way we manage fixed assets. It has enabled organisations to plan individual purchases as well as larger investments smartly while reducing their carbon footprint and conserving natural resources.

The transparency of assets provided by digital equipment management makes it possible to operate resource-wisely and look at the world in a sustainable way. The key is to look at everything from the perspective of the individual product and its life cycle. Once the asset information is available to all, acquisitions can be made in accordance with sustainable development.

With the help of modern technology, inventory can be completed in minutes at best. As inventory becomes more efficient, understanding increases and investments can be directed increasingly to equipment that is proven to last in use.

By analysing replacement prices and life cycle data, modern systems are able to provide smart investment plans that enable truly sustainable operations.

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Unnecessary purchases are reduced

The life cycle of the equipment is extended

Recycling helps to use equipment more efficiently

Time and resources are saved

The organisation’s carbon footprint is reduced

The brand value of the organisation grows

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Why is it worth investing in sustainable equipment management?

What is digital equipment management?

Traditionally, inventory has been managed and tracked using spreadsheets, calendars and, in the worst case, paper, notebooks and printouts. Digital equipment management frees employees from manual work to more productive work and reduces the risk of human error.

Digital equipment management provides full visibility into the equipment being managed, as well as an efficient way to quickly locate individual devices. With a cloud-based solution, equipment information stays up-to-date in one centralised location.

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How does equipment management boost sustainability?

“Already during the initial inventory, there is often equipment that no one even knew about. It is possible to dispose of this equipment and get rid of its storage and insurance costs immediately, or the equipment can be put into service, avoiding an investment in a similar one. ”

"When all the equipment is finally in the digital asset register, it's easy to see if the equipment that is being acquired actually already exists and can be released with just a little planning."

"In the face of a resource shortage, a practical asset register is really the only way to effectively identify potential replacement devices for some devices which are impossible to procure."

“When the use of the equipment is monitored for a while, it is noticed which types of equipment last well in use and which ones break down and require constant maintenance and renewals. Lessons can be learned from this and steer future investments to equipment that is of high quality and has a proven durability in use.”

This is how experts summarized their observations on the circular economy significance of equipment management.

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Benefits of sustainable equipment management - Reduce carbon footprint and save costs

Responsible equipment management helps the company to operate in the most sustainable way possible, while aiming for profitable business. At its best, sustainable equipment management can strengthen business competitive advantage and increase an organisation’s brand value.

Sustainability is defined in each organisation in its own way. Trail stands out in the industry looking at the world from the perspective of an asset’s life cycle. Incorporating lifecycle thinking into an organisation’s equipment management ensures that asset maintenance is taken care of, extending the life of the asset. At the same time, it is possible to achieve significant monetary savings.

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Well Maintained Equipment results in significant savings

Example 1: Savings in projector investment

Media Devices Ltd purchases projector for one million euros. Let’s assume that the purchased equipment lasts in use for 2 years. Therefore investment for 10 years totals up to 5 million euros.

When maintained well, the projectors end up lasting in use for 4 years. So the true investment need over 10 years is actually 2,5 million euros. Media Devices Ltd ends up saving 2,5 million euros (50%) over 10 years.

Example 2: Carbon footprint of an office desk investment

Office Furniture Ltd invests in one thousand office desks. One desk produces 76,3kg of CO2e during manufacturing. The management expects the lifetime of an office desk to be 5 years.

Trail’s digital tracking results in the finding that the real lifetime of office desks is actually 7 years. This is how over 10 years, the carbon footprint is reduced in total by 43 600kg CO2e (29%) through reduced need of investment.

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Key to smart investments and reduced carbon footprint is the understanding equipment life cycle

When choosing a suitable equipment management system, it’s important to make sure that the system is as easy to use as possible so that it is attractive to all users. When there is a comprehensive set of features in the selected system, there is no need to invest in multiple systems.

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Digital equipment management is a smart choice, but which system is the optimal one?

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In Trail, the user also sees operational needs such as reservations, defect reports, and future maintenance needs.

Whitepaper by Trail Systems Ltd 2023