--- title: "Asset in maintenance: what it is and its record | attendo" description: "What an asset is in maintenance, what deserves its own record, what data the record holds, why coding matters and the mistake of not retiring old equipment." url: "https://attendo.me/en/glossary/asset" lang: "en" --- # Asset: what belongs in your inventory and what does not An asset is any piece of equipment, machine or installation whose maintenance you keep track of: its record, its location, its history and its costs. ## The question before you add anything Will you make decisions about this equipment on its own? If the answer is no, it does not deserve its own record. An inventory of 12,000 assets in which only 800 are managed is an inventory nobody maintains. ## What an asset record includes - Identification and code. - Family or type. - Exact location. - The customer who owns it, if you service third parties. - Technical data: make, model, serial number, installation date and warranty. - The fields specific to your industry. ## Coding matters A convention such as CUSTOMER-BUILDING-TYPE-NUMBER saves hours of searching, and technicians know where the equipment is without opening anything. Defining it at the start takes an afternoon; changing it later takes a project. ## The usual mistake Not removing what has been retired. An inventory full of ghost equipment generates impossible preventive work and undermines every report. ## In attendo Each [asset](https://attendo.me/en/modules/assets) sits under its customer and its location, with its technical fields and its history. Its QR code opens the record or a [form](https://attendo.me/en/modules/forms) in front of the equipment, so the inventory gets corrected where the equipment is. - [attendo CMMS](https://attendo.me/en/cmms) ## Where it is used in attendo ### Modules - [Assets and inventory](https://attendo.me/en/modules/assets): Each asset with its own record, QR code, history and readings - [attendo Forms](https://attendo.me/en/modules/forms): Public and QR forms that create the document, no account needed - [attendo Checklist](https://attendo.me/en/modules/checklists): Inspections with photo, signature and location, closed on site - [AI-Chat and DB Assistant](https://attendo.me/en/modules/ai-chat): Ask in plain language. Get answers from your data, with the source. - [Tags and document management](https://attendo.me/en/modules/document-management): Tags, attachments and files tied to their customer, asset and case - [Print designer](https://attendo.me/en/modules/print-designer): Service reports, quotes and records in your branding, drag and drop ### Industries that use these modules - [Testing, inspection and laboratories](https://attendo.me/en/industries/testing-inspection) - [Manufacturing and industrial plants](https://attendo.me/en/industries/manufacturing) - [Equipment manufacturers and distributors](https://attendo.me/en/industries/equipment-manufacturers) - [Compliance for consulting firms](https://attendo.me/en/industries/compliance) - [And any other business](https://attendo.me/en/industries) ## Related terms Maintenance ### CMMS Computerized maintenance management system A CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) is the software where an organization records its assets, plans maintenance, manages work orders and keeps track of spare parts and costs. Maintenance ### Asset criticality Equipment criticality Asset criticality is the impact that an asset’s failure has on service, production or safety. It helps you share out a maintenance budget that is always limited. Maintenance ### Work order WO A work order (WO) is the document that describes a maintenance job: what needs to be done, on which equipment, by whom and when. ### On the blog #### Assets on a map: from the customer’s GIS to maintaining every item Streetlights, street furniture, trees or a network of installations spread across a city. Your customer already has that inventory in a GIS. Re-entering it by hand throws away their work and loses where each item actually is. 5 min read [See all 53 glossary terms](https://attendo.me/en/glossary) ## Shall we look at it with your data? We will show you how what you just read works in attendo, with your own assets, tickets and customers. If it is not a fit, we will tell you. - With your operation, not a generic demo - A real person from our team replies - No cold calls afterwards Would you rather talk first? - Phone [+34 910 053 530](tel:+34910053530) - Email [sales@attendo.me](mailto:sales@attendo.me) - Monday to Thursday 9:30 AM to 6:30 PM and Friday 9:30 AM to 2:30 PM (Spain time)