Techfront Australia is part of Global Sports Commerce, a leading international media technology provider with a presence in ten countries around the world.
Techfront provides complete arena management technology including digital display systems, interactive spectator management solutions, customized sports programming solutions, and augmented reality solutions for premium sports such as soccer, cricket, rugby, tennis, golf, and motor racing.
Manual to automated: The challenge of tracking increased inventory across multiple venues
When Greg Mason joined the company as Warehouse and Assets Manager in 2017, he faced a unique challenge. Techfront had recently acquired Screencorp, a family-owned business. Screencorp primarily serviced Rugby League while Techfront managed cricket and the merger saw a significant rise in cumulative equipment.
The individual previously managing assets at Screencorp did not use any system and relied on memory to track inventory. Without a robust system in place, items would get lost or misplaced and it was difficult to keep accurate track of rapidly growing inventory.
With the acquisition, the asset count rose significantly. As Greg took charge of warehouses and assets, he decided very quickly that he needed a centralized, automated, system to manage assets across multiple locations.
Techfront supplies, installs, operates, and manages digital media requirements for major sporting events and retail customers. They track audio-visual equipment including hundreds of screen panels that are installed at arenas, as well as large cables used to plug power screens into venue outlets. They also track support equipment including production equipment, computer monitors, and safety equipment such as harnesses etc. All these assets are tagged and checked out of the main warehouse and then checked into the event location.
If I was going to be in charge of thousands of assets and people would ask me where everything was, I need software to track it, said Greg.
After doing extensive research online, Greg decided that EZOfficeInventory was the comprehensive asset tracking solution they required. It offered ease-of-use, ability to scan and service assets with complete transparency across multiple locations, as well as lower long-term costs.
Seamless equipment tracking across locations
To provide the high-quality service Techfront is recognized for, it is imperative that they keep an accurate track of their inventory when planning for the sports seasons they service.
Specific equipment is required for seamless event coordination. For example, if a kit contains 400 screen panels and accompanying support equipment, it might need to be split up for certain sporting events or required in full for others.
With EZOfficeInventory, Techfront can generate automated reports to get complete and instant visibility into the exact location of all their assets. These reports can be automated and customized by filtering data to get exactly the information required.
Automated service and maintenance for reliable top-notch equipment
Equipment downtime can disrupt workflows during a busy sporting season. If an asset is malfunctioning or needs servicing, the Service and Maintenance module is used to quickly enter it into maintenance or repair.
Greg finds the Alerts feature particularly useful since the instant notifications keep him current on which equipment is in maintenance. He can easily view what is being serviced or in maintenance as well as the timeline associated with it.
“This lets me know immediately that equipment at the venue is faulty rather than wait for the team to report it; sometimes they forget”, he explains.
This transparency ensures equipment keeps working at top-notch quality and Techfront is always well-prepared for their events.
EZOfficeInventory mobile app for agile scanning
Every time the Techfront team moves assets into a venue, they are required to scan items to check them in and out.
“The fact that you can do it on a mobile and you don’t have to use a laptop to do it is extremely convenient,” says Greg.
The mobile app enables agile and reliable equipment delivery and removal and increases productivity on-site.
The Value in EZOfficeInventory
Automating asset tracking with EZOfficeInventory has improved workflows and accountability for Techfront. Fewer assets are lost as they are shipped across dozens of locations and items are scanned in and out of every location which results in lowered costs. Even if assets are lost or misplaced, the incident gets logged into a centralized database enhancing employee accountability and transparency across the board.
The responsive support team at EZOfficeInventory has further facilitated their work.
“We always get good support and anytime we have an issue, it’s been solved”, says Greg. “They come back to us very quickly”.
Techfront had been looking for a solution that would allow them to consolidate multiple tasks. EZOfficeInventory offers comprehensive features and an agile mobile app that allows them to optimize operations and costs, all from a single (or centralized) space.
“EZOfficeInventory is allowing us to perform a lot of tasks and we will be using it for more parts of the business”, Greg concludes.
