Physical Asset Management
Physical asset management is the practice of effectively using the
physical assets of the company. Many companies have an in house department
taking care of that but in some cases, an outside party is called in to
help them out.
For this to work, the team has to know first hand
the assets of the company. To prevent duplication, it should point out the
depreciation value and the utility in the process of production. This
process is better known as cost analysis as this will increase economic
life and reduce component failures such as the incidence of theft and
mistakes in the procurement of supplies and equipment.
It can also
assist management in tax planning and forecasting business solutions which
could save the company millions of dollars.
For instance,
production suffers if machines break down frequently. This is normal if
the machine being used is already old. The company can try to repair it
but if the cost is much higher than a brand new one, then perhaps they
should try to sell this at a reasonable price then use the money to buy a
new one.
The same goes if a company has hundreds of stores and only
a few of them are making a profit. Since the unprofitable ones are not
really bringing in revenue, perhaps it will be a good idea to close
them.
This is something that a lot of companies are doing now due
to rising costs of fuel and the economic slowdown. Rather than filing for
bankruptcy, they would rather slash a few thousand jobs and close down
stores. Some companies that have done so include Starbucks, American
airlines, JP Morgan and a lot more. The other option is for some companies
to merge just to stay afloat.
The bottom line is that physical
asset management gives the company an idea as to what they actually have.
This will prevent them from missing out on opportunities which they could
have jumped to when this presented itself.
One way of keeping track
of the company's assets instead of doing it by hand is by investing in
asset management software. This will allow those in management to gain
access to it whenever it is needed via the company's intranet.
This
can be done by bar coding everything similar to what is done in the
supermarket. This will enable the in house team to just scan the item
which not only increases accuracy but helps to save time on repeated
inventories.
There are four stages which make up the physical asset
management cycle.
First is planning and procurement. Here the
company sees what is available and then assess what is needed. They will
look at various suppliers and then buy the machine that is affordable and
efficient.
In the second stage, those who use it have to use the
equipment in order to maximize its productivity.
Third, is called
financial management. Here, the company will see if it was worth getting
the equipment. It also includes ensuring accurate tax, depreciation and
other costs.
Fourth is disposal. If the machine is obsolete, it has
to be replaced in compliance with environmental
regulations.
Companies will be able to practice effective physical
asset management by following the life cycle. Sometimes tough decisions
have to be made in order for the company to survive.
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Article Source: www.ArticleFog.com.
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