Taking a pencil or a few sheets of copy paper is hardly a major offense, indeed for many workers and their employers; this is simply incidental use and engenders no real harm and happier employees.  At what point does this “incidental use” progress to “petty theft”?

Employers are losing billions of dollars each year due to “incidental use” or “petty theft”, and while slipping an eraser into a briefcase to take home for personal use is small potatoes, how can a dozen reams of paper being taken be anything other than theft?  It is a fine line which employers must tread, with many companies accepting that stationery items will be taken by staff for home use, especially when many bosses expect or accept staff working out-of-hours or encourage home-based working.  Running counter to this is the surge in stationery items being removed and which typically coincides with the start of the school year.

It may be small potatoes, but over the course of a year and depending on the value of the items taken plus the number of staff, the cost can very easily run into thousands of dollars.

The issue is how to manage this problem and several solutions have been developed.

Sign for Everything

Every pen, pencil, eraser, piece of paper and even paper clips are kept under lock and key with a strict signed for policy.

Losses drop dramatically but at the same time, there is an opportunity cost to the business because of lost productivity, increased paperwork and let’s be frank, nobody likes the idea of justifying why we need a replacement pencil – it is a morale sapping policy which treats staff like children who cannot be trusted.

This is the type of policy which can be implemented where the problem is rampant but which should be closely monitored with a view to relaxing control as discipline is restored.

Establish Company Policy on Acceptable Use

Companies should inform their staff of what is acceptable use – taking a pen home may be fine, but using the office printer to create four-color prints of holiday snaps is out of the question.

Setting out the standards of conduct you expect from your staff, together with a structured disciplinary process, makes it clear what is and is not tolerable behavior.  At the very least, it should inculcate in staff that you are not a candy store to be raided at will – if an employee wants something, the least they should do is to ask their manager.

Tagging High Value Items

Some items are valuable, and the cost may not be readily appreciated by staff or managers.  There is also the problem that stationery and office sundries tend to be dispersed widely around an office, and no-one has any overt responsibility for them or how they are used once in circulation.  Asset tags are cheap and it makes sense to fix a 10 cent, official-looking tag to a $30 case of copy paper.  If high-value sundries, such as printer ink, are being labeled and tagged, it is reinforcing your ownership of the item in the minds of staff who at least will think before they take them, or even take something from a box so marked.

Need a more visual clue to office theft. Check out this Employee Theft Statistics Infographics from Infographics Showcase.

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The US Product Safety Commission is responsible for the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act which was amended in 2008 and came into force in 2009.  A new section, S.103 covers product labeling of consumer products, making it mandatory for products to carry a tracking tag no matter whether they are imported or made in America and no matter who makes them.  Hand-crafted products do not escape the new legislation so, we’ll take a look at the new law and how it affects you.

Overview of s.103

s.103 mandates that all products, irrespective of origination, must carry a tracking tag to sufficiently identify where they were made and carry basic information to include:

• source of the product;
• manufacture date; and
• information on the manufacturing process, such as batch identification or in the case of a hand-crafted business, the worker id.

There is a key phrase which has been appended to all these requirements and serves to ameliorate the impact of the new law – manufacturers are only required to add tracking labels, “…to the extent practicable.”  For instance, if you are making miniature figurines an inch or two high, you may not be able to add a tracking label and all the information required, especially if they are not shipped with individual packaging and are part of a batch of product, for instance candy or home-made chocolate.

Tracking labels cannot refer to safety information or standards, unless your product actually complies with that safety standard.

The new law came into force on August 14, 2009 though the safety standard provisions came into effect from October 13, 2008.

How the Law Impacts Home-based Businesses

Congress received a lot of representations from small and home-based businesses on how the new law would impact them and their businesses.  It is apparent that s.103 brings many small and home-based businesses under the aegis of labeling legislation for the first time, so what do you need to consider to get yourself into line with the new law?

Look at Your Existing Tracking System

Part of the attraction behind buying hand-crafted goods is that they are individual, if not unique.  Adding tracking labels detracts from this (even though they can be removed).  You may already be doing enough to satisfy s103 of the new law, so your first step is review your existing tracking system.

The law requires that your tracking tag should identify you as the manufacturer sufficiently so a consumer is able to find and contact you with any requests for more detailed product information or any information proscribed by the new law.

Product Specific Information

Ask yourself, if a customer came back to you with a piece you sold them a couple of years ago, would you be able to advise that customer on the materials you used to make that piece?  The new law imposes an obligation to be able to advise customers on safety issues and characteristics of the materials used in construction.  An effective way of doing this is to maintain good records and receipts which allows you to be able to identify when you used certain materials in your business.

Marking Your Packaging

If your products are sold through retailers, can someone see from the packaging information which would be sufficient to identify them as products subject to a safety recall notice?  If the packaging does not include this information, does your product carry it where it is visible through the packaging material?

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One New York tech-geek decided to go one further than the t-shirt which lit up when a wireless internet connection was in place and rig a bumper sticker which would do the same when in range a Wi-Fi signal.  Now there is nothing wrong with taking your creativity to such lengths, but the registration of the vehicle was “MACGEEK” – there always has to be someone who thinks it’s cool to pay over the odds to own a Mac!

How much utility there is in being able to show the driver behind you that there is a wi-fi spot available I don’t really know, but there has got to be some kudos in this if you happen to have a fellow nerd tailgating you.  I can see an extension of this from a humble bumper sticker/window decal to a full-blown touch screen being deployed using the rear window.  Imagine the fun for traffic-constipated commuters, being able to while away the journey hours by watching a movie, catching up on FaceBook or even excusing lateness by doing some work.  This would lend a whole new meaning to the “mobile internet”.

This innovative application to the bumper sticker just underlines how they can be seized and created by anyone with the imagination and desire to make a personal statement.  Bumper stickers let you roam free with your imagination and spread the good news to the rest of the world, and people find their bumper stickers from stores and label organizations across the country.  This ability to broadcast your view is one reason why bumper stickers have become so ubiquitous and popular throughout time for as long as cars had bumpers.

Going off the beaten track a little here, it is a common misconception that bumper stickers have been around for as long as cars have been.  When Henry Ford launched the Model T (in any color as long as it was black), bumper stickers were never fitted to the car – not because Ford had a clause in the sales contract prohibiting it, but for the simple reason the Model T had no bumpers to begin with!

Perhaps a better application of the MacGeek talent would be to run up a a sticker for use on the windshield which tells you when the police are running a speed trap!  Maybe breaking the speed limit is something that only PC users ever do – come over to the dark side Mac users.

Finally, because this is a “nerdy” subject, I am sure we are going to be pulled up for this not being a bumper sticker and instead is a window decal.  I know the technical distinctions are important to many people, but this just put such a smile on our faces we couldn’t pass up the opportunity to give it some deserved attention and share it with you all.

Whoever the MacGeek is, we have to salute him (or her) for their ingenuity and for giving us a wry grin. Thanks MacGeek, whoever you are – and do you know Windows 7 has been launched for PCs ?

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Printing labels yourself is frequently regarded as being economical and convenient, however there are some things you are not going to be told by the marketers for the major print manufacturers.  For a start, printer ink is more expensive than oil!

Have you ever wondered why it is that you can buy a top of the line printer for as little as $50?  The profit for the manufacturer is not in the printer itself, that is simply a tool to get you hooked on what they are really trying to sell to you – the ink.  By the time you have factored in the cost of buying ink cartridges and the materials to make your own asset tags, you will be spending much more money on the DIY solution than if you sourced the job from a professional supplier.

Sourcing asset labels from a professional supplier is much easier than the self-help route.  For a start, you don’t have to worry about the business of running the labels off yourself, the whole task can be delegated using email and online template resources.  A simple generic search on the internet will reveal hundreds, if not thousands of online suppliers who can provide next-day delivery and work of an extremely high standard.

There is no substitute for professional printing, the finish quality is superb and for asset labels, there is also the security consideration to think about. Asset labels identify your ownership of the property and to this end, they must be capable of withstanding the elements and tampering.  If you want a tamper-proof asset label, you are not going to be able to source that product for production yourself, you will need a specialist who understands the application of the product and has the materials and expertise to make it for you.  You make a simple decision here – do you want a high-quality, low cost label which will help protect your property, or are you going to rely on a self-produced label which is washed away with a drop of water?

Designing asset labels is also much simpler if you are using an external supplier, and not least because there is labelling technology which cannot be effectively used by your own printer.  Barcode technology has come a long way and there are no 3-dimensional barcodes which are capable of conveying much greater information than a traditional label.  There are also other labeling technologies and developments which a professional supplier will be able to help you understand and get the most out of your label supplies.  In addition, you are assured of getting a simple tool which you know will get the job done and without distracting your staff’s attention from the real task at hand – making more profit for your company.

The next time you see a great looking printer for chump change, you now know the reason why – they are being sold at below cost simply to hook you into buying the ink and peripherals.  Yet, for a fraction of the cost, you can source professional asset labels online and which are guaranteed to do the job without the fuss.

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In 2003, the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) instituted an asset tracking program in order to track DoD property under the control of external contractors.  This arose amidst claims of of contractors misappropriating assets, employing wasteful practices and generally charging exorbitant sums for work which should not have been charged.  Some readers may recall the issues associated with $200 hammers or thousand dollar toilet seats which plagued NASA, and in the realm of defense spending, there were many instances of inappropriate billing by contractors which was met by the extremely large budget of the Dod and ultimately, the taxpayer was footing the bill.

The Unique Identification program (UID) ensures that government property and assets are all marked by a special asset tag – the individual asset is allocated an Individual UID (known as the IUID – the military are renowned for their use of acronyms) and this in turn produces a Unique Identification Identifier (UII).  All equipment delivered to the DoD by an external supplier must bear a UII which comes in the form of a 2D matrix (a barcode), and this in turn feeds into the billing program of the external contractor which must be managed and presented in a format which meets DoD standards.

With the “War on Terror” commencing in 2003, the DoD is taking delivery of equipment throughout the sphere of operations as well as its main logistics deployment establishment established in Richmond, VA.  There are numerous problems associated with ensuring that equipment is delivered and gets to where it is needed most, especially for those operations involving combat and security duty in high risk areas such as Afghanistan.  At the same time, while the focus is on combat and operational effectiveness, it is very difficult to effectively manage equipment and supplies which are delivered direct into the sphere of operations by external contractors.  When you are getting shot at, you are less likely to be concerned with accounting for equipment!

The UII tags remove the need for such intensive management by personnel in the field, and simplifies the entire tracking and inventory management process.  The program has already resulted in savings worth several billions of dollars in the 6 years which it has been in operation, and has also been used as the  basis for billing adjustments with external contractors who otherwise would have billed for equipment and supplies not delivered as well as reversing overcharges.

One application of the UID program has seen enormous savings in the area of containerization.  The  DoD is the largest customer for cargo containers in the Middle East area with enormous amounts of cargo being transported and stored at a variety of ports and externally managed supply centers prior to onward transportation to the “front”.  Cargo containers are extremely expensive pieces of kit, and they are not in fact owned by the DoD – the containerization system relies upon them being leased or rented (typically for a $2,000 per week).  These containers are spread around a huge geographical area, greater than the size of the U.S., and in a large number of disparate locations.  It is vital to track them and establish which are in use and which aren’t being used – by ensuring that idle use is minimized, and advising the owner of non-use, significant savings have been incurred by not paying for containers which are in fact, sitting idle in the owners depot or are still on the lease book but in fact, are not being employed.

Posted by M. Trumper

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 When Meg retired, she didn’t want to stop working. So she started an online store, Meg’s Gifts. Her gift store was filled with all of those perfect, thoughtful gift items ideal for holidays or birthdays. Meg’s family and friends had always complimented her on her gift giving ability and she thought a gift store would be a great idea for a retirement business. But her son encouraged her to think about every aspect of the business – especially to think about the shipping. “With an online business, shipping is so important,” Hank said.

Meg agreed but she didn’t quite know what to do. She didn’t really have a lot of experience with shipping. While she had a lot of experience with gift giving and shopping, shipping was an entirely new experience for her. But Hank suggested she look at tracking labels. “They’ll tell you exactly where packages are at all times,” Hank said.

Meg realized this was so important for Meg’s Gifts and also for her peace of mind. That this would be very helpful for her business’ bottom line. Not only that, it was a critical factor for customer service. If a package happened to be late for someone’s birthday or a holiday or any occasion, this way Meg could easily know exactly where that package was. That would give not only Meg peace of mind but also her customer – a great sense of peace of mind. There was nothing better than that. Meg ordered her tracking labels right away.

It was so easy to order the tracking labels. She ordered her tracking labels with her business name, address, telephone number and website on them. Meg realized that every tracking label was like a small advertisement for her business. That every person who saw the tracking label would be reminded of her business so it was important to make a great impression. So as her packages were handled or left on the doorstep, every person that saw her packages had a chance to get to know Meg’s Gifts. It was an opportunity to connect with future customers. This was ideal for Meg as her online business was reaching a worldwide audience.

One day Meg had a customer ordered a package for her sister’s birthday. It was only a few days from that day. The customer ordered one of Meg’s most expensive items. Meg added a tracking label. She felt confident the package would arrive and that she would know exactly where it was each step of the way. Meg was not surprised to have the customer call a few times to ask where the package was, and Meg could tell her where it was in transit. The customer appreciated her attentiveness. The next week, the customer ordered half a dozen gifts, for friends and family. Meg attached tracking labels, pleased she had a system that worked.

Meg’s been in business for more than a year now. One customer has led to another and another. Her success has grown and it is as if she’s never retired, she’s as busy as ever – what she always wanted. She loves running her gift shop. And she thanks her son Hank who reminded her to think about the tracking labels and the shipping for her online business.

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Environmental factors affect business decisions more and more as politicians and consumers become increasingly aware of the effect our society has on the environment.  This is not restricted to the end-user, typically retail use of products such as recycling packaging, reducing gas consumption and so on, nor in the raw sources of materials, such as renewable resources, managing forests – but in the impact of interim production.

RFID tags are widely used in industry because of their flexibility and the high degree of utility and effectiveness they provide in tracking assets.  RFID tags are used in the most extreme environments such as in the sea, where salt water acts as a highly effective corrosive or in sub-zero temperatures of Arctic oil production fields.  The focus has been on developing RFID asset tags which are capable of handling anything that is thrown at them or where they are thrown into space!

The technology focus is now shifting to developing RFID asset tags which are biodegradable.

The idea stems in part from the tracking systems used in wildlife research and management.  A radio collar or tag attached to an elephant of shark is simply a glorified RFID asset tag!  The issue there has been to be able to remove the tag when the animal study has finished, without of course harming the animal.  The automated removal of collars and tags did not address the issue of the biodegradability of the tag as in many instances it was designed to be recovered in order to collect the stored information.  This altered when studies revealed tag recovery was not always possible or desirable and the issue became one of how to track an animal and allow the tag to degrade naturally, usually from within the body of the animal involved.

It has become a short lap in imagination to see the application of biodegradable asset tags to commercial use, however there are limited applications for biodegradable RFID asset tags outside of livestock management.  The focus has therefore moved to how RFID tags can naturally degrade in the environment once they have been used combined with developing re-use strategies for both the RFID tags and the integral components.

Presently, RFID asset tags are typically manufactured from a silicon chip, a polymer substrate and a metal, radio antennae which is held together by adhesives.  None of the typical components are environmentally friendly in terms of ability to decompose, while many of the materials could lend themselves to recycling and re-use if they could be effectively managed on a commercial scale currently not available.

Biodegradable RFID asset tags are still some way off but they are undergoing development at the time of writing (January 2010) and are likely to be introduced to market in the commercial short-term.  Several companies at home and overseas are working on cracking the issues with biodegradability, notable the larger manufacturers which is probably as well as it is clear that one key to effective minimization of environmental impact will be to ensure standardization on a massive scale.

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Not sure what type of asset tag you should order? Watch our video to learn more about asset tags and MaverickLabel.com, the leader in quality and customer service for all your label needs, including asset tags.

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Asset labels, asset tags, property id tags, identification labels and many other terms are all simply synonyms – they refer to the same item, frequently referred to as an “asset tag”.

Asset Tags for Asset Management

A modern, well-designed and manufactured asset tag will typically have a semi-permanent adhesive backing and usually, a metal overlaid plate upon which the reference information is added.  The adhesive can be permanent but this creates issues when you need to sell the asset on – using a semi-permanent adhesive makes it very difficult to remove the tag by any but the most determined thief, and yet, with the proper tools the tag can be removed and the item restored to its original condition and ready for sale.

Asset tags can be used in a variety of situations, including commercial, government and personal requirements.  The diversity of asset tag types provides for a wide range of applications including indoors and out in harsh weather conditions – the U.S. military use asset tags widely to track assets around the world and in operational theatres, so if an asset tag can perform its role under combat conditions, it certainly will be able to perform its function with you.

Asset tags can be used to identify an individual cell phone through to a Jumbo Jet and a lot more besides.  NASA makes extensive use of asset tags in the assembly of rocket and Shuttle vehicles in order to achieve the safety parameters they require.  At the same time, asset tag systems are integrated into accounting and management systems in order to control who has possession of, and where, assets are located.  Asset tags do much more than simply provide a layer of security in the event of loss or theft – they provide an effective tool to implement stock control and tracking systems which in turn, can use the data provided to ensure sales revenues are maximized.

Technology is moving at an ever faster pace and the days of the simple, sticky label are now falling behind us with state of the art radio-tracking being employed which links in with global satellite positioning.  It is now possible to track an item as it travels around the world and to know where it is at by simply clicking your mouse button.  Barcode technology has also moved forward and the hologram continues to evolve into a very secure demonstration of product integrity and identification.

All this technology means that asset tags can provide much more than simply who owns an item.  Now an asset tag will carry vital information which can tell the reader not only what the asset is, but valuable information regarding maintenance and care, ingredients used in manufacture, use-by or sell-by information, health hazard data and handling instructions, and much, much more.

While there are many diverse applications for asset tags, they are relatively very cheap which has made them even more popular.  Simple asset tags can be sourced for minimal cost using the internet as there are literally thousands of providers of this ubiquitous sticky label.

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It seems more and more families and loved ones are living farther apart. As you get ready for the holidays, remember that many will need to ship their Christmas or Hanukah packages to the U.S.A. and beyond. It is critical to have the best tracking labels on your packages.

A tracking label is like that present’s own GPS system: keeping it safe as it travels around the globe. From Florida to Texas to Maine to England and beyond! Your package is as connected to you as if it were right in your own back stockroom, ready to hand to a customer if they were in front of you. That tracking information lets both you and the customer know exactly where that special holiday present is at all times. As it travels from your store across the states or even across the ocean – it is safe and secure. Best of all, this tracking label offers your customers great peace of mind, as asset tags tend to do.

Holiday shoppers want to be sure of two things as they shop this season: that they choose the right gift for each recipient and that the gifts reach each person properly. We know we can depend on your sensitivity and skill to assist them in finding the best gifts for their loved ones this holiday season. Let your tracking labels keep their carefully chosen gifts under watchful gaze until delivery.

Adding a tracking label to your packages simply makes good business sense. It shows that you care about your products and their safe and secure arrival. Just by seeing a tracking label on a package can make customers feel more relieved in choosing you. They know that you don’t take chances. You are practical and wise. There is no worry of Christmas or Hanukah gifts being jostled during shipping and precious treasures arriving in pieces. Your store and employees are likely the type who take extra care with packages – if you take the time to add a tracking label – then you are the type of store that takes extra care with other factors that concern shipping.

From the granddaughter shipping a figurine to her grandmother far away to an adult sister sending gourmet treats to the sister and family she won’t see during the holidays, that tracking number offers extra protection. Even the customers who don’t completely understand the value of a tracking number will greatly appreciate its service during the holiday season. As a retail store owner you know that the holiday time is the busiest time for deliveries. The mail and other delivery services will be extended often pushing their limits as far as they can go. That tracking number can keep that carefully picked out figurine for Grandma from being rerouted to the wrong state, wrong city or simply the wrong street. The time you take to add that label can mean the difference between the holiday package making it in time for the holidays…..or not.

Most of us are lucky today, whether we realize it or not. We truly have the majority of the material goods we “need” and many of the ones that we just plain “want.” But during Christmas or Hanukah time, getting and giving gifts goes much deeper than the actual present. It all comes down to love. Love for the recipient and the gift giver and expressing that love during holiday time. Missing that opportunity to celebrate your holiday of faith by expressing love for someone special in your love can be a great disappointment. Just ask anyone who has had a gift they’ve ordered arrive late or go missing. They seem to be more upset about it than the actual gift recipient. It’s the love that is speaking through them. Needless to say, that small tracking label just doesn’t seem so small anymore.

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