In reality, smart lockers are a major factor in the future development of various corporate sectors. There is a high demand. Recent industry study indicates that until 2030, sales of smart lockers for consumers and businesses could increase by 10% annually.
Because of its adaptability, smart lockers may be used in any business to address distribution and storage problems. However, there isn’t a single management strategy that works for everyone. The lockers are only the fundamental instruments of an asset management scheme.
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What exactly is a smart locker, then? To implement the optimal asset tracking system for your company, it is beneficial to inquire about the operation of smart lockers. How are they going to respond? And how well have they been used by other companies? All of those questions are addressed in this post.
A Smart Locker: What Is It?
First, let’s discuss the idea of smart technology. Any device that combines a self-monitoring sensor system and computer is considered smart tech. That intelligent product often has the ability to autonomously alter performance by analyzing its own data.
An intelligent locker, also known as a smart locker, is a safe system for distribution and storage that has an integrated computer and sensor network. They have the ability to instantly modify the assets that are accessible for sign-out, identify assets that need maintenance, and notify you of any deviations in sign-out patterns.
A laptop may be stored in a standard storage locker, however it may simply have PIN code security and no further access or management features. The laptop may thus be taken at any moment by anybody who knows the PIN number.
On the other hand, while the laptop is idle, a smart locker system often stores and charges it. The identification of the person signing in or out of the laptop is recorded by its authentication panel. Administrators have the ability to limit sign-outs to certain users or to specific times. Administrators may be notified by the smart locker in the event that a user fails to return a laptop on time.
Essential Elements of Smart Lockers
Let’s dissect the parts that go into creating a locker system. We’ll order the smartest people first.
The Lockers
Lockers need to be trustworthy storage solutions, regardless of how smart they are. The majority of smart locker systems resemble conventional storage lockers from the outside. They often feature glass, high-impact polycarbonate doors or vented metal doors.
Panel of Authentication
This is what gives a locker its intelligence in the first place. You may keep a closer eye on who has access to certain equipment by making employees provide personal identification.
PIN codes are the least secure authentication method even if they are the most simple. According to security specialists, PIN codes are too simple for skilled attackers to figure out. Actually, ten percent of all codes used globally are composed of twenty PIN numbers.
There are various choices available for situations with greater security. These consist of fingerprint, face, or eye scans; biometric scans; and swipe cards and smartphone applications.
Asset Monitoring
Smart locker technology needs to monitor specific items in addition to individuals. We refer to this as asset monitoring. Passive RFID tags are among the most dependable and affordable options for doing this.
These tags may be inserted in or fastened to a variety of materials. Tags are scanned by intelligent storage lockers to verify that the right item is taken or returned.
By using USB charging wires that are integrated into the lockers, lockers can also monitor content. The lockers get identification from tablets, cellphones, and other devices that are charged by these connections when they are plugged in. This discourages asset theft and keeps users responsible.
Supervisory Software
The utility of all this asset transaction data depends on how succinctly and plainly it is presented. All of the information is gathered by asset management software and presented on an intuitive dashboard. You may also see and edit user and transaction reports on these smart locker management websites, which can be helpful for regulatory compliance.
Ten Advantages of Smart Locker Use
Lower labor expenses
All of the labor-intensive processes associated with manual asset management, including transaction processing, sign-in and sign-out recording, and reporting, are automated by smart lockers. This keeps your equipment secure while freeing up employees for more productive work.
Employee Empowerment
Micromanagement is not the same as workforce empowerment. Workers who are enabled have access to the tools necessary to be extremely productive and independent in their work. Smart lockers, for instance, empower employees by enabling them to have access to the necessary equipment whenever they need it, without having to wait for senior personnel to unlock it or approve their request. Rather, the transaction is automatically managed by the smart locker system.
With the help of kiosk software, companies can easily convert standard touchscreen terminals into interactive information and engagement centers, bridging the gap between digital convenience and in-person client interactions.
Enhanced performance
Lockers at work are capable of more than just storing equipment. Their intelligent communication and feedback tools enable firms to create whole new processes. They are thus advantageous to businesses that use lean management techniques.
For instance, a lot of companies that employ smart lockers to keep devices choose to set aside a compartment for maintenance. The user marks a laptop or other item as damaged on the access panel and places it in the maintenance locker if it requires repairs when it is returned. This sends an automatic email with a problem report to the technicians.
Spare your employees’ time.
Automating time-consuming tasks that may take up your workers’ days is what smart lockers do. Employees won’t have to go back and forth across your building in search of the one equipment manager who can obtain them the supplies they need since you can discover them exactly where they’re required. The lockers can complete transactions quickly and completely record them.
Effective decentralized administration
With smart lockers, you can disperse the power of centralized control across your company, right where employees most need equipment. You have precise control over when and how employees utilize company equipment. Additionally, you get real-time notifications when equipment malfunctions, allowing you to quickly remove it from operation and obtain replacements on-site to save downtime.
Decreased losses from assets
There is no chance of human mistake when transaction recording is done entirely automatically. The smart locker can automatically confirm that users have returned the proper device by using content surveillance. Supervisors might get warnings from automated lockers informing them when users fail to return devices on time.
Automated adherence to regulations
An effective approach to ensure regulatory compliance is via smart locker automatic reporting if your company has to monitor regulated assets or restricted drugs. You may customize reports to assist you in retrieving accurate data from lockers during transactions. For further accountability, access terminals with cameras installed may capture employee pictures while transactions are being completed.
Enhanced awareness of gadget use
You have a thorough understanding of the where, when, and how your equipment is being utilized using wired and RFID asset tracking. This use data is gathered over time to assist you spot larger-scale company issues and observe performance patterns. Thus, smart lockers become into important providers of corporate knowledge.
Always prepared
Smart lockers are intended to function in crises and in areas with heavy foot activity. For instance, a lot of inexperienced users worry about their ability to utilize equipment in the event of an electricity outage. Battery backups enable all smart functions in smart lockers to function even when there is no electricity.
Smart lockers keep functioning normally even in the event of a network interruption. The data saved during the outage is transmitted back to the management software after network connectivity has been restored.
Additionally, authorized users may activate the emergency release functions of smart safety lockers from PCs or mobile devices. Organizations that need quick reaction times, such emergency services or law enforcement, may use them.
Simple to alter
Software for management and sensors for content monitoring are strong, adaptable instruments. They enable smart lockers to carry out a few special storage functions.
Airlines are required by federal rules to stop such knives from being brought onboard aircraft. So we assisted a single airline in engraving AssetTracer RFID tags on the handles of its knives. The AssetTracer system maintains a compliance record, automatically confirms when each knife is taken or returned, and provides alarms when a knife goes missing.
Many Possible Applications
So what is the purpose of a smart locker? A smart locker may be modified for many different purposes, one of which is to secure blades at airports. For comprehensive information, refer to our guide on Best Practices for Physical Asset Management; nonetheless, here are some of the storage solutions we have created. This variety of applications shows how adaptable smart locker technology is.
Handling of Physical Mobile Devices
Many companies depend on employees to operate a variety of gadgets in high-stress situations. For example, portable scanners are used in warehouses to track inventory. Productivity declines when the gadgets are lost or misplaced. Additionally, replacement expenses might mount up in the event that an asset is damaged.
Linkitsoft’s has used content surveillance-equipped smart lockers to enhance handheld scanner management in distribution centers and warehouses. Losses are reduced as a consequence, and specialized repair lockers expedite the restoration of damaged equipment to operation.
Management of Evidence
Traditionally, law enforcement organizations have put a lot of work into maintaining the forensic evidence under their control. Dedicated evidence managers are often in charge of keeping an eye on evidence lockers, gathering chain of custody paperwork, and making sure evidence is accessible to police and court dates.
Chain of custody monitoring is automatically managed by smart lockers. Additionally, they operate around the clock, allowing you to monitor evidence throughout all shifts rather than just the first few, when evidence managers often work. Biological evidence may also be securely stored in refrigerated locker modules.
Weaponry
For the safe storage of guns and less-than-lethal (LTL) weapons, smart lockers are a great choice. Your employees will be held responsible for the weapons they sign in and leave with thanks to the lockers’ stringent access control.
Adherence to Regulations
Smart lockers don’t have to be the only option when it comes to regulatory burden; they don’t have to be as special as airport knife monitoring. Transaction and user data may be pulled into a variety of report formats using RTNHub’s reporting tools. Therefore, smart lockers provide a mechanism to monitor and record assets to maintain you in compliance, regardless of your regulatory need.
An EMS worker keeps track of and stores medical kits and prescription drugs in a smart locker. Kit Component Checks
Passive RFID content monitoring is precise enough to scan and identify many items per locker—even ones with sturdy plastic carrying cases. This makes it simple to automate kit component inspections in a smart locker for items like EMT medication packs.
