Logistics & warehouse

A service for clients that do not have storage facilities on their premises. We can provide secure storage of equipment, for example during a rollout period, in readiness for redeployment, or indefinitely while decisions are made about its ultimate disposition.

 

Removal of equipment from site can also relieve some of the pressure of OH&S issues of idle / end of life or re-marketing equipment being located in areas not suitable for storage, like corridors or rooms that have a different fundamental purpose.

New assets may be held in storage as “buffer stock” to facilitate project rollouts or manage to tight SLA’s.

 

Our facility in Artarmon is 550 sq meters with a capacity for 180 pallets, ample space for safe storage of equipment until required. We also have arrangements in place for additional secure storage allowing for greater capacity.

 

The warehouse includes a separately caged, lockable area for high-value or high-sensibility items. The facility is covered by comprehensive insurance and a back-to-base alarm system.

 

 

Asset recovery services encompass a number of areas that prepare equipment for recovering value from it and returning that value (either financial or social) to our customers.

Asset Receipt

Receipting of assets into the warehouse can be handled in a number of ways. Typically a client would notify Multi R IT of a pending “return”, or batch of equipment that requires disposal. The notification could include such detail as the return date, client name and contact details, product listing and any relevant lease, schedule or contract numbers. Each return may be assigned an RMA number (Return Material Authorisation) to define each receipt/delivery from the next, regardless of contract/schedule number.

The client can arrange for the goods to be sent to Multi R IT premises with their own couriers, or Multi R IT can provide full logistics services and arrange pickup on the client’s behalf.

Upon receipt of goods, Multi R IT print the required number of barcodes to label each item and initiate an automated client return email directed to the nominated client representative. In the case of leasing organisations, for example, this is typically the company’s asset manager and such immediate notification enables client billing to cease. All receipts are logged with the date, client, contract number, client name, RMA number and unit count – all of these details stay attached to the entire asset/client receipt for reporting purposes. 

Audit

Multi R IT auditing can include a preliminary on-site audit and/or a full audit on Multi R IT premises. A preliminary audit is usually only required if the client needs a third party to assess their equipment and to provide pricing or recommendations on disposal (see Logistics section below). Alternatively, the clients can provide their own equipment details for pricing.

The full asset audit process on Multi R IT premises incorporates the following steps:

• All assets are assigned a unique Multi R IT identifying barcode.
• Assets are checked for physical condition and completeness.
• Asset detail is recorded such as – Type, Make, Model, Serial/Asset #, Monitor Size, Hard Disk Drive, Memory, CD/DVD, Cards and Software License etc.
• A full diagnostic test is performed on each asset - checking and verifying all components to be in good working order.
• The overall asset condition is recorded using one of the following categories – Good, Cosmetic, Incomplete, Faulty or Write-off. Any other relevant comments relating to the condition or other factors are recorded in asset field comments.
• The asset is readied for the next stage of disposition, whether that be re-deployment, storage pending decision, sale, donation or environmental recycling.

Throughout all phases of the audit process the asset is tracked and can be clearly defined within the overall workflow. 

Sanitisation and Data Security

Multi R IT treats the sanitisation of systems and deletion of client data seriously and understands the sensitive nature of this function.  Not only is client specific data a concern, but there may be software licensing issues associated with operating systems or applications left on a client’s assets.

Simple formatting of a hard drive is not adequate to remove sensitive company information before disposal or re-deployment. A format can usually be reversed with the right tools.

Any assets with data storage capabilities including but not limited to Desktops, Laptops, Servers and storage units are completely wiped using a tool which is listed as an approved disk sanitizing tool by the U.S. Department of Defense (US DoD 5220.22-M 8-306. /E). The utility handles most drive types and wipes all partition tables and drive formats using multiple passes. Alternatively a client-specified tool can be used.

If the drive cannot be wiped, for whatever reason, it is physically destroyed by drilling or crushing.

If required we can provide the client with a signed Data Wipe Certificate stating the asset serial number, description and the date/time the wipe was performed.

In addition to disk wiping, all client-related information, such as asset stickers or identifying labels, can be removed during the sanitisation process.

Refurbishment & Cleaning

As part of the normal asset recovery services, Multi R IT attempts to maximise the value of its clients’ assets by making a ‘good’ system out of two or more faulty systems, where possible. We are also able to assist companies with the maintenance and upgrade of company assets identified for re-deployment or required to remain in a re-deployment pool for use as required in the future.

The following services may form part of the refurbishment suite – testing and diagnostics, erase of hard drive, software installation, hardware upgrades, parts repair and replacement, cleaning, packing and delivery.

Cleaning

In some instances, equipment may require more than a brief external surface wipe, to prepare it for redeployment or sale. In these cases, an internal cleanse is performed by removing chassis covers and removing all internal dust and grime by use of a high-pressure air gun.

Externally, a suitable solvent is used to remove all customer identifiers (unless otherwise specified), stickers and labels. The equipment is wiped and buffed to make it presentable for the next user.

Reporting

Multi R IT uses a sophisticated asset management system, MultiManager, that provides comprehensive reporting on all assets processed by Multi R.

 

  with File download area

 

 

Some reports in this area are automated to upload from MultiManager at certain frequencies: Observe time-stamp on the file to check currency. Reports can be tailored to suit customer-specific requirements, to include any of the available 150+ fields (in any order or naming convention), or any frequency.

(Click + to expand files. Hover mouse pointer over file name for description of file detail.)

 

MultiManager is the asset management system that lies at the heart of Multi R IT's ability to provide such high levels of logistics and project management, as well as accurate reporting for its clients.

The system is used to manage the tracking and movement of assets from pre-deployment of new equipment (including staging and image load), through storage and re-deployment of client-owned equipment, to return and disposal of end-of-life assets.

MultiManager has a robust SQL/.Net database that provides for the electronic scanning of asset data to reduce errors, automate certain functions and connect electronically to suppliers and customers.

It has built in audit security such that receipt of each scanned asset is time-stamped, signed and reportable on through each subsequent step. Changes to any record are logged down to the user who made the change and the time it was changed, providing a complete audit history and minimising opportunities for fraud or inaccurate reporting.

A key feature of MultiManager is the extremely flexible report builder allowing it to produce and distribute electronically almost any report that might be required by a customer. Essentially, any field within the system can be included in a report, in any order, and reports can be produced ad-hoc or according to specified times/schedules.

 

 

 

MultiManager has a number of features that allow it to be tailored to specific customer requirements, such as the ability to reconcile returned product against lease schedules, ensuring that finance companies can close off their leases in a timely manner.

In addition, all the information entered into MultiManager during the course of a product refresh project can be reported back to a customer in the most appropriate format and time, including both product delivered and product removed.

Full details of end-of-life product, such as specification and condition (upon which market pricing is based), is captured during the audit process and can be reported on.