Implementing OCR Technology to Streamline IT Asset Inventory

CHALLENGE

Following the acquisition of another company, a global data centre and networking optimisation company needed a complete inventory of IT assets across multiple sites in Brazil. With limited coding on assets and alphanumeric sequences often handwritten, the IT support company faced challenges in maintaining inventory accuracy and meeting a tight deadline. The customer required a reliable inventory that would reconcile physical and accounting data to support their post-acquisition integration and ensure compliance with purchase agreements.

WHY RGIS?

The IT support company’s US headquarters recommended RGIS due to our proven inventory management expertise. The client needed a local partner who could deploy quickly and leverage technology to overcome the complexities of the Brazilian operation. RGIS’s agility and innovative approach made it the ideal choice to support the customer’s needs in Brazil.

OUR SOLUTION

RGIS provided a custom solution using OCR (Optical Character Recognition) technology, to overcome the challenges of manually labelled assets:

• App Development and Field Testing: In response to the absence of coding on the assets, RGIS adapted AppSheet to read alphanumeric and special character data using OCR. Following internal testing, a successful field test was conducted at the customer’s site in São Paulo.
• Real-Time Data Reconciliation: Each day, the RGIS team uploaded data from tablets and smartphones, generating daily variance reports that allowed the customer to update their system in real time.
• Comprehensive Inventory Process: RGIS deployed a team of project managers, supervisors, operations leads, and ASETs to perform a complete physical count, covering 1,255 bin locations, 11,619 part numbers, and over 33,000 total assets across multiple warehouses.

RESULTS

• High Accuracy and Reduced Time: With the adoption of OCR, RGIS delivered a 100% compliant inventory, reducing time and improving data accuracy. The client validated the RGIS counts daily, building confidence in the accuracy of the final data set.
• Enhanced Client Satisfaction: The customer was highly satisfied with the efficiency and accuracy of the inventory, completed one day ahead of schedule. The OCR-enabled app also received positive feedback for its user-friendly design and accuracy.
• Innovation Recognition: The project highlighted OCR’s benefits for broader inventory solutions, with the IT support company praising the innovative approach, enabling RGIS
  to gain productivity in asset counting and data capture.

CONCLUSION

The IT support company expressed interest in RGIS’s services for future inventory needs, especially where unconventional tools are required.

This project underscored RGIS’s commitment to problem-solving through innovative approaches, demonstrating that adapting available technology to meet specific client needs can yield exceptional results. With the recent availability of RGIS Vision, similar future projects will leverage this advanced ecosystem for even greater efficiencies.