University Achieves Campus-Wide Asset Visibility

Challenge

A Russell Group university with 15 buildings across a city-centre campus faced persistent challenges with asset management:

• No central inventory across departments
• Frequent "lost" equipment—items existing somewhere but unfindable
• Duplicate purchases when departments couldn't locate available items
• No visibility into IT equipment allocation and condition
• Annual audits consuming hundreds of staff hours
• Sustainability targets requiring better tracking and reporting

The decentralised structure meant each department managed (or didn't manage) assets independently. When staff needed equipment, the default was to purchase new—even when identical items sat unused elsewhere on campus.

Equipment losses, particularly laptops and research equipment, created security and financial concerns. Insurance claims for "lost" items were increasing, even as the university suspected most items still existed on campus.

Solution

The university partnered with Camio to implement campus-wide asset management:

Building the Foundation Rather than attempting a big-bang inventory of all buildings, the university took a phased approach:

• Started with three high-value buildings (IT, Business School, Sciences)
• Student staff conducted initial inventory during summer break
• QR labels applied to all registered items
• Training provided to departmental administrators

Scaling Across Campus Over 12 months, the system expanded to cover all 15 buildings:

• 47,000+ items registered in the central inventory
• Custom categories for lab equipment, IT assets, and furniture
• Maintenance schedules integrated for high-value equipment
• Department-level access with central oversight

Internal Marketplace Launch A key innovation was the internal marketplace:

• Departments can list items they no longer need
• Other departments can browse and claim before purchasing
• Automatic notifications when relevant items become available
• Simple approval workflow for transfers

Audit Transformation Annual audits shifted from floor-walks to exception-based verification:

• Staff scan QR codes to confirm item presence
• System flags items not verified within timeframes
• Targeted investigation of genuinely missing items
• Compliance reports generated automatically

Results

After 18 months, the university achieved:

Financial Impact

• £180,000 annual savings from internal reuse
• 60% reduction in equipment reported as lost
• £45,000 saved on annual audit costs
• 30% reduction in duplicate equipment purchases

Operational Improvements

• 47,000+ items tracked with complete visibility
• Average 2 hours to locate any item (vs days previously)
• Self-service reporting for departments
• Integration with procurement system to check inventory before purchasing

Sustainability Outcomes

• First accurate baseline for circular economy reporting
• Quarterly reports on reuse and disposal pathways
• Contribution to university carbon reduction targets
• Model for other universities in sustainability consortium