Asset management companies' guide

Be it any area or any sphere of life management is the key to success. Management of simple things such as your day-to-day activities etc. might not require much consideration but lot of planning is to be done when it comes to managing assets.

Asset management basically refers to managing money for individuals through stocks, bonds and cash equivalents etc. The asset management system has sprung from maintenance management systems and its aim is to optimize asset use and manage all maintenance efforts involved in making the assets as confidential, accurate and efficient as possible. The principles of asset management apply equally to all physical assets such as infrastructure, property, heritage, plant and equipment.

The strategy of asset management depends on financial aspects of ownership such as calculating the entire cost of ownership, depreciation, licensing, maintenance and insurance. Asset management can be in different spheres. For instance asset management in the field of property is known as property asset management, asset management in IT, in finance or investment asset management and asset management in inventory and physical stock.

Varying with the kind of an asset management strategy a firm or an individual can add value to his business, improve investment performance, manage financial risk exposure and reduce costs to business.

Keeping the incredible significance of asset management in mind, various asset management companies have mushroomed these days. An asset management company is a firm that invests the pooled funds of retail investors in securities in line with the directed investment objectives. By offering more diversification, liquidity and professional management service, an asset management service holds a niche above the individual investors.

A leading name in asset management and investment management services is Lazard. Lazard is known for investment banking with offices in more than 16 countries across the world. Lazard provides multiple services such as advisory services that include mergers and acquisitions, asset management and restructuring to corporations, partnerships, institutions, governments and individuals.

Similarly the Asset Intelligence unit of General Electric's Equipment Services has earned commendable name in providing intelligence based asset management and logistics services for commercial and transportation equipments. Hardcat is a leading asset management solution provider in UK, Australia and USA.

The joint venture between UK's top ranking insurance company Prudential Plc. and India's recognized financial institution, the ICICI Bank Ltd. has resulted in the ICICI Asset Management Company to supplement the Indian investor mutual fund products with different growing needs of investment.

All these proficient companies keep in mind the fact that investment is quite a challenging task that requires tremendous planning and risk. These companies function in a way to produce better risk-adjusted investment returns and present investment solutions to the clients.

Recently the prizes of traded asset management companies have touched the sky primarily due to two reasons- rising stock markets and industry consolidation. A paradigm instance here is that the Legg Mason shares increased by 76% due to the news that it was taking over Citigroup's asset management business.

All in all asset management companies are ideal resources to drive costs out of your business operations, increase profitability and get access to vast information database for making a prudent choice

Mansi gupta recommends that you visit Asset management companies for more information.

Asset Management Journal Guide

Diligently managed assets of a business organization can make a lot of difference in its profit percentages. Judicious control over all tangible and intangible assets of a company makes sure that there are no leaking funds in the organization and all assets are utilized at maximum capacity. An inefficient management of resources and incorrect information about the objects in a commercial establishment may lead to drainage of finances and in turn adversely affect company?s performance.

Realizing the importance of asset management in any company?s performance has led to newer advanced strategies in this field of trade. Entire business management consists of host of issues comprising of cost management, capital budgeting, expense accounting, financial planning and reporting and many other similar topics. Asset management constitutes a large percentage of managing concerns in an organization. Apart from administering tangible goods, raw materials, finished products, vehicles, buildings and many other such items modern businesses also need to manage their intellectual assets.

Asset management is a comprehensive term and usually requires professional handling of the situation. There are many commercial asset-managing firms that offer services for administering various resources of the company. Many software are presently available in market that enable efficient managing of a companies assets. Traditional asset management meant dealing mostly with fixed assets in their every stage of life cycle. Entire infrastructure related to factory establishment comes under asset management.

Monitoring the whereabouts of assets, ensuring the availability of all resources required in an industry whether easily available or scarce is an integral part of managing assets for that company. Finalizing purchasing requests, valuation, depreciation, asset receipts, maintenance, warranties, user data and other related physical attributes of an asset form a major role of an asset manager.

Optimal judgment about methodology applied for managing assets of different enterprises differs according to their unique characteristics. No one procedure that has been successful for one concern can guarantee similar affluent results for another enterprise with different objectives.

Professional asset managers are also required to fix emergency problems arising due to unanticipated reduction in production capacity or a major break down in plants machinery, etc. the training received by them during their learning and skills learnt through experience facilitates a asset manager to handle every job diligently. Regular maintenance of assets ensures an adequate potential of asset manager while, recovering quickly from unpredicted adverse situation test the actual capability of asset management in a company.

The asset manager is liable to provide information about vast enquires related to it. The actual cost at procurement, vendor?s details, the department and the particular team that is using it, the physical location, depreciation and any other data related should always be available at any point of time. All this helps in efficient running of a business enterprise. Decisions as when new machinery needs to be purchased or the firm could carry on with just repairing old machinery and judgment about whether the concern should buy an asset or should lease it depends on information provided by the asset manger of the company.

: Mansi aggarwal writes about asset management journal news. Learn more http://www.assetmanagementjournal.com .

Free Asset Management Software

Asset management software applications that help a company optimize its asset utilization are highly sophisticated applications providing comprehensive functionality and are usually not available for free. However, a few companies offering information technology asset management software applications and other limited functionality asset management software provide free versions or trial versions that can be used free for a limited period of time.

Information technology assets include computers, printers, scanners and software licenses. Several firms have developed asset management software specifically for information technology assets.

SysAid is one such firm that offers free Asset Management Software. The available version is completely free, with no trial period, but the limitation is that it works in organizations with less than a hundred computers. If an organization with larger IT assets wants to use this software, it has to buy the full version from the vendor. The software enables you to view details of the hardware, the software, the manufacturers, the printers, and other assets on one?s network. It also prints reports of the organization?s hardware/software inventory.

Similarly, FootPrints? Asset Management software is available for free for an evaluation period of thirty days. This software among its many functionalities helps maintain software license compliance by automatically creating a dynamic audit of all software applications across the organization.

Free asset management software applications for management of financial assets are also available but are comparatively difficult to locate. These usually are meant to help an individual construct a portfolio and manage his or her investments. Web based applications are more commonly available.

Freeware and shareware versions of asset management software applications are available on popular download web sites such as www.download.com and www.freedownloadscenter.com. These sites also usually provide user reviews of the software applications as well as provide ratings based on user feedback.

Asset Management Software provides detailed information on Asset Management Software, Digital Asset Management Software, Inventory Asset Management Software, Fixed Asset Management Software and more. Asset Management Software is affiliated with Free Project Management Software.

Advances in Asset Management Software

Asset management software has been around for some time now. The initial versions of asset management software applications were basic in terms of their functionality. The only function they were able to provide was to help create a list of assets with details of their purchase date and manufacturers. Slowly, improved versions of asset management software applications began to be introduced by various software product development companies.

Today asset management software applications have become quite sophisticated. The functionality offered has increased manifold to the extent that these applications have become complete asset management solutions. The present versions of asset management software applications not only help a company manage the purchase and maintenance of assets but also help in the creation of strategies and practices that result in cost reduction and enhanced productivity. They now track assets through the whole lifecycle of an asset, from the purchase until the asset is retired or the lease has ended.

Digital asset management software applications that help manage information technology assets have witnessed huge changes. These can now detect all the computers that are present on a network, verify the licensed copies of software applications installed on these computers and even control the computers on the network remotely. Some of these applications also have the capabilities of providing auto-alerts and notifications which instantly inform the respective department of changes to IT assets on the network. FootPrints Asset Management software for example, is able to run searches and reports to get metrics on current and historical asset information, which is broken down by hardware type, operating system, software manufacturer, among other things.

Given the pace at which technology is changing, it is not surprising that these applications have advanced so much. Even so it is sometimes incredible what these applications are capable of if used to their maximum potential.

Asset Management Software provides detailed information on Asset Management Software, Digital Asset Management Software, Inventory Asset Management Software, Fixed Asset Management Software and more. Asset Management Software is affiliated with Free Project Management Software.

Asset Management in the Supply Chain

Over the last decade more and more companies have implemented returnable and reusable transit packaging fleets and pools, whether it is pallets, tote bins, steel stillage, cages or even wooden crates. What is guaranteed is that these fleets require a capital investment, (whether directly or by a fleet / pool provider), and should be protected as you would any other company asset.

The specifications of the packaging vary enormously depending on the industry, the application and budget. However one thing common to many of the established packaging fleets or pools is that when they were originally specified, costed and implemented, a number of elements were not considered, and often still aren?t. These include repair and maintenance costs due to normal wear and tear as well as misuse, equipment loss, stockpiling and extended dwell and cycle times, lifespan of the equipment and the flexibility of the chosen design to adapt with developing and changing supply chain demands. These elements all have a cost impact, which can be substantial, and surprisingly many companies are either unaware of the real cost of their packaging pools, or just accept that it is a high cost and budget accordingly.

The key to managing costs of a packaging fleet is the in the initial equipment design and specification, the processes specific to the fleet within the supply chain and having an effective management and control system which can be easily integrated into the existing supply chain operation.

The starting point is therefore establishing the objectives of the packaging fleet and the requirements within the supply chain that you are looking to satisfy. Analysis of the operation and supply chain requirements, now and for the next five years, needs to be carried out and once the objectives and requirements are confirmed then the methods of handling and the type of packaging required can be established and specified. Success will be facilitated by a simple cost effective process design, which adds value to the existing operation by generating ?self funding? fleets, to include cost control mechanisms to reduce cost of damage, loss and misuse.

Process designs are unique to the individual customers supply chain needs, whether it is a simple hub and spoke operation or a complex multi tiered supply chain. Identifying the subtle differences between the needs if an inbound or outbound pallet or container pool is crucial to a successful solution.

The actual equipment design must take into account the physical requirements of the packaging, as well as the lifespan under actual working conditions, the ease of maintenance and repair, the ease of handling and of course the capital investment. It must be remembered that when costing a fleet it will probably be an initial high capital cost, compared to disposable packaging, but it is also an asset that can be depreciated over a number of years. The annual cost of running the fleet can be budgeted and this will vary depending on the individual supply chain needs. However these costs can also be monitored and controlled with a suitable management system.

There are a number of asset management systems being used to manage fleets or pools, and experience shows that a simple system, using established technology can provide the perfect tool for controlling your fleet effectively.

The objectives of a fully integrated pro-active fleet management system are as follows:

? To reduce overall packaging fleet costs
? To increase fleet visibility and cost control
? To optimise packaging fleet utilisation and minimise cycle times
? To provide proof of accountability for damage and loss
? To manage a repair and maintenance program

A suitable system should be modular, enabling it to cope for example, with a simple hub and spoke operation developing into a more complicated multi-tiered supply chain over a 3 to 5 year period.

Equipment losses can be put into two categories, actual loss and perceived loss. Perceived loss is where it is assumed that the equipment is lost as no one can account for its physical location. In reality the equipment is sitting in a warehouse or yard area unaccounted for and ignored. Actual loss is as its name would suggest and the equipment has been permanently mislaid or destroyed. Effective management will identify actual loss via audit trailing facilities and should negate perceived loss.

Damage will always occur to packaging equipment in the supply chain. However experience would suggest that an estimated 70% of damage is avoidable. Effective management will allow you to identify who is damaging equipment in the supply chain and handling processes of regular offenders can be examined and changed or improved to ensure damage is reduced. Damage data can also identify any design areas within the equipment itself that could be changed to reduce overall damage levels and therefore costs.

The example below shows the effect that increasing or decreasing the delivery trip cycle time in a pallet pool has on the pallet pool costs.

Cycle time management is key to the fleet size and therefore cost, so all efforts to reduce or maintain a minimum cycle time are paramount. This can be achieved through synchronous container flows integrated with lean manufacturing process. Cycle times should not be averaged out across the whole fleet and a good system will enable you to set individual cycle time parameters for specific user requirements. Minimising and reducing cycle times can create a surplus of equipment in the packaging fleet or pool. However this should not be regarded as wasted capital, but as cost avoidance on future packaging requirements as your business expands.

In order to ensure your objectives and requirements are met the system specification process must be thorough and realistic and tailored to suit the individual customer and supply chain needs.

? Your current management systems and process will be evaluated, and a suitable packaging management system designed and implemented
? Packaging fleet data can be captured via RFID readers, bar code scanners, or by manual entry of bulk movements.
? Data entry should be minimal so as not to increase on-costs and the risk of human error.
? There must be a high degree of control and a wide range of reporting capabilities, available via a local network or over the internet on a secure password access basis.
? The system must manage overall packaging fleet performance, including additional operations such as repair and maintenance, cleaning, damage inspection procedures and KPIs.
? There should be no limit on pallet / container types or the amount of locations where the fleet can be used in order that it can be flexible to a growing business.
? Data synchronisation with other systems within your business will facilitate accurate equipment planning for future or seasonal requirements.

The impact of packaging on overall supply chain costs, and indeed the impact on packaging costs brought about by changes elsewhere in the supply chain, can be tested theoretically using various cost modelling soft ware prior to actual implementation.

Gideon Hillman Consulting can assist you with knowledge and experienced based proposals and modelling solutions for Asset Management in the Supply Chain Investment into planning and consultative project management at the outset can negate over investment and additional cost in the longer term.

Gideon Hillman was employed at a Senior Management Level throughout Europe within the Materials Handling, Logistics and Specialist Supply Chain Services industry for over 12 years, (7 of which with TNT Logistics), prior to establishing Gideon Hillman Consulting in 2004. Gideon is a Member of the Institute of Logistics and Transport & The Institute of Management Consultants. As well as presenting to, and working with, Industry specific forums such as BARD / BPI in the music retail industry, the IISRP in the Global Automotive Tyre Industry and the Odette Group for Automotive Materials Handling, he was a Keynote speaker on "Asset management in the supply chain", at the 1998 IFPWA Global conference and has worked closely with the IARC (International Automotive Research Centre) on RFID implementation for Automotive Stillage Tracking. He was also a speaker on Asset Management in the Humanitarian Aid Supply Chain, at the 2006 Aid & Trade Humanitarian Relief Conference in Geneva.

What Is Asset Management Software?

Asset management is the administration of a company's asset by a group of individuals, entirely dedicated to the purpose of maximizing profits. It deals with the company's future economic benefits in monetary terms by keeping a check on cash balances, credit cards, debit cards, margin loans, and brokerage services. Asset management also involves infrastructure, plant, property, and human resources of the company. Company's assets can be managed either manually or using software applications. However, for avoiding wastage of resources and the resulting inefficiencies that slow down business returns, asset management software is a high-quality solution.

The asset management software is designed in such a way that it can keep track of the company's assets and provides data for analysis. In other words, asset management software helps to keep track of, monitor, and analyze business processes and resources. It replaces the manual work of asset management and provides with automatic solutions, which help to speed up the work and minimize errors. This asset management software helps in diverting individuals to more productive work; it saves time by eliminating manual file management. It proved beneficial to skilled professionals to manage time and efforts in searching for the required data. This results in the optimum utilization of resources, thus, increasing the productivity of the company.

This software helps in keeping track of an asset, its purchase value, all service costs, reduced value, and its benefit. The team then uses this information for analyzing and evaluating the present value of the asset. This analysis helps companies to implement their further plans regarding allocation of assets to the company's various departments. It also helps the organization to evaluate whether the asset is in usable condition, needs upgrades, or needs to be replaced.

Asset management software is an effective tool for a company to manage its material goods, analyze statistics, and arrive at business decisions. Various departments can access this asset data by the company's intranet. The accurate data analysis leads the company towards a better assets management.

Asset Management Software provides detailed information on Asset Management Software, Digital Asset Management Software, Inventory Asset Management Software, Fixed Asset Management Software and more. Asset Management Software is affiliated with Free Project Management Software.

Asset Management Software Methodology

The term asset management usually refers to the management of an investment portfolio. However for a business, assets may include real estate, plant and machinery, vehicles, furniture, computer hardware and software besides financial assets. Human resources are also a form of assets for a company. Companies depend on all these assets as being key drivers of the business; however, they often do not have a comprehensive asset management system in place to optimize their utilization.

Companies are now increasingly recognizing the need to manage assets from a strategic perspective across the entire organization, rather than solely from a purchase or maintenance point of view. From the shop floor to the executive suite, the responsibility of maximizing the value of assets is a responsibility that extends to all.

Asset management software is a software application that helps a company optimize the purchase, maintenance and utilization of assets that are critical to business and financial performance, throughout their life cycle. This is an important source of cost savings for company and also provides productivity enhancement and regulatory compliance.

Asset management methodology has four inherent characteristics. These include asset management strategy, practice, project management and benefit realization. Asset management software methodology is the delivery framework related to asset management software that incorporates these four characteristics and brings together deliverable components that are priority-based, gradual, and progressive.

Asset management software applications generally follow a modular and scalable methodology that allows the application to be customized to the meet the differing needs of individual companies. Depending on their scale of operations and assets involved, a customer company can choose which modules will be best suited to meet its requirements in the implementation of an asset management solution.

The software methodology followed by good asset management solutions begin by defining the revenue streams, connecting the assets to the revenue streams and helping in realizing improved asset utilization leading to enhanced productivity and reduction in costs.

Asset Management Software provides detailed information on Asset Management Software, Digital Asset Management Software, Inventory Asset Management Software, Fixed Asset Management Software and more. Asset Management Software is affiliated with Free Project Management Software.