What is fleet management? — equipment tracking 101

Fleet management means optimising the life cycle of an organization's movable assets — vehicles, machinery, and equipment used in day-to-day operations.

Why is fleet management important?

Good fleet management reduces manual workload, reduces equipment loss, lowers maintenance costs and extends the life cycle of equipment.

Less time spent searching for equipment

When employees know where equipment is, they spend less time searching and more time being productive. For an employer, lost equipment means employees are spending paid time looking for tools rather than working.

Less equipment loss

Companies with a lot of movable equipment often end up buying more when equipment simply disappears. With tracking in place, lost assets can be recovered. We've seen this repeatedly with customers tracking bicycles, delivery trolleys, and construction equipment.

Extended equipment life cycle

With better record-keeping and maintenance tracking, equipment lasts longer. Fleet management also includes performing and recording recommended maintenance intervals.

Reduced maintenance costs

Having a record of equipment age and usage allows you to anticipate maintenance needs. You can set automatic maintenance notifications after a certain number of usage hours or kilometers traveled.

How much can you save?

We have estimated that just by tracking the location of hospital beds, a medium-sized hospital could save €200,000 a year and reduce the number of beds needed by 10%.

Example: Postal delivery trolley tracking

The Finnish Postal Service uses Kaltiot Smart Tracker to track electric maxi delivery trolleys in urban areas. The system shows exactly where each trolley is at all times, reducing losses and improving logistics planning.