The main problem in traditional inventory is where to start looking for items. Nowadays, large companies and organization hire small groups to do their inventory. Sometimes, the inventory procedures will take a couple of months, hence the validity of accounted items are always in question. Equipment gets moved every now and then, and the percentage margin of error increases. With E-FAT, these errors are completely eliminated or significantly reduced.

Equipment & Fix-Asset Tracking system is a full life cycle, web-based tool for keeping track of company equipments. It has numerous capabilities specifically design for equipment inventory. It also supports barcode technology and utilizes Palm OS with Symbol Barcode Scanner.

Equipments can be categorized in two parts. Trackable and non-trackable items. Trackable items can be defined as any item, which are often used, or with a significant value. Non-trackable items are consumables, items with low value, or per company defined. The software tracks all of these categories.

As earlier stated, E-FAT is a web-based tool for inventory control and asset management. The system is made under Cold Fusion 4.0 running under Windows NT or Windows 2000. The backend database is Oracle 7.3 or up.

E-FAT capabilities are extensive. It tracks all equipments previously categorized. More than that, when an item can contain trackable sub-parts, it is almost impossible to track down these sub-parts. With E-FAT, this problem is eliminated because the user can see all the information on a particular item, its history, or if there is any sub-parts inside the main item. With smart search filters, tree-control and point and
click capabilities, users can check on any asset anytime.

The software assigns a unique alphanumeric identifier for all trackable items. These numbers are then transformed into barcodes, which is then used for inventory. Different locations are also assigned a unique barcode. By doing this, the software can populate all items by location; so if a user does inquiry on a particular location, it will list down all the items under it.

Another tool currently included in the system is a PDA support utilizing Palm Technology with Symbol Barcode Scanner. Users can exchange information through the Palm cradle and can basically go around different location to do just about everything. Since location is also assigned a barcode, users can go around, scan the location, and every item on that location can be accounted. Option for wireless technology can also be customize.