In this article, we’ll explore how serial numbers work in Rentman and how to use them effectively.

You'll learn how to add serial numbers - either individually or in bulk - to both physical items and physical combinations.

Rentman manages equipment using items and serial numbers. An item refers to a specific type of equipment, which may include multiple unique serial numbers. Example: One of your items is a Martin Atomix 3000 DMX strobe light. When you have five of these strobe lights, you have five unique serial numbers.

Each serial number consists of two data elements: Internal Reference and Manufacturer Serial Number:

The Internal Reference is used as the default identifier and is displayed throughout the Rentman workspace.
The Manufacturer Serial Number is primarily used for insurance purposes, rentals to third parties, and within the buildMaintenance module.

To effectively track equipment using serial numbers, it is essential to complete both the Internal Reference and the Manufacturer Serial Number fields. Additionally, there are other optional fields you can fill in to enhance traceability and documentation. Check them out here

Serialized vs. Bulk

Using serial numbers is optional. You can also have items without serial numbers (bulk items), such as less expensive equipment like cables. For these items, it's less important to track the location or status.

Add your serial numbers

You can add serial numbers to a physical item or a physical combination.

Note: You cannot add serial numbers to a virtual combination because the content of a virtual combination is flexible and therefore doesn't allow for locking and tracking a unique serial number.

New equipment Existing equipment

Go to the category Equipment module
Click on colour: #0000FF;"+ Add equipment
Fill in the information, and select Serialized as the 'Stock calculation method'.
Click on Save
Based on the quantity entered, the internal references will be generated automatically.
You can edit serial numbers' information. Navigating to the Serial numbers tab of your equipment and double-click on a serial number to Edit. See below for other options you can fill in.

Single serial number

Go to the category Equipment module.
Double-click an existing physical item or combination to edit it.
Go to the Serial numbers tab.
Click on + Add
Fill in the serial number information and other available options.

Multiple serial numbers

Go to the category Equipment module.
Double-click an existing physical item or combination to edit it.
Go to the Serial numbers tab.
Click on three dotsand choose Add multiple.
Fill in the first of number series internal reference and the last of number series internal reference.
Numbers 1 until 5 will generate five unique serial numbers' internal references, and numbers 331 until 340 will generate ten unique serial numbers' internal references.
You can also add a prefix. This is a combination of numbers/letters that will be added in front of your internal references, so you can easily identify what item these serial numbers belong to.
Rentman tip: Prefixes are useful because they let you quickly generate multiple serial numbers at once, with the correct internal references automatically applied. For example, if you've purchased five CDJ-3000s, you can use "CDJ" as the prefix and set the start and end of the number range from 1 to 5. This will automatically create serials like CDJ1, CDJ2, CDJ3, CDJ4, and CDJ5.
However, this approach doesn’t work well with manufacturer serial numbers. Manufacturer serials are typically non-sequential and randomly generated. For instance, my CDJ1 has a manufacturer serial number of C836K8161T9, while CDJ2 has P83629FST826. These kinds of serials can't be created using a prefix and are often more difficult to reference or communicate internally.

See below for other options you can fill in.

Other options

Date of purchase	Set individually for each internal reference/ manufacturer serial number. Used to track warranty periods.
Purchase price	The specific purchase price of the individual item.
Remark	Optional notes for documentation - use this to record any unique details about the item.
Calculate book value automatically	If you select this, you can fill in the Depreciation per month. This information is necessary to let Rentman automatically calculate the current book value. The book value is calculated as follows: Book value = Purchase price - (Depreciation per month * Months since date of purchase)
Active	If you select "No", the serial number will become inactive. It will be unavailable and cannot be planned on projects. This will also happen if you mark a serial number as lost in the Maintenance module.

'Serial numbers' submodule

The 'Serial numbers' submodule displays all serial numbers within your workspace.

It includes a search function to quickly locate individual items, along with access to each item's history - allowing you to track where a specific serial number has been over time.

New serial numbers can be added either when editing existing equipment or when creating new equipment.

Filter by folders

You can easily filter your view by folders and tags.

View 'Combination structure'

This column shows how a serial number is nested within a combination, including any deeper levels of nesting.

Example: Suppose you have a serialized microphone, Shure SM58 Microphone. It's placed inside a serialized physical combination called Vocal Mic Box with serial BOX-VMIC-01, which is then placed inside a Flight Case with serial FC-Tour-01.

The structure displayed in the columns for will be: Vocal Mic Box (BOX-VMIC-01) / FlightCase (FC-TOUR-01).

View 'Actual content from'

This column shows only the direct physical combination the item is in.

Using the same example, for Shure SM58 Microphone, this column would display: Vocal Mic Box (BOX-VMIC-01).

View history of serial numbers

When booking equipment with serial numbers, Rentman keeps an overview of all projects that your serial numbers were planned on. This is useful to pinpoint when an item got lost or when it became defective.

Assigning serial numbers to physical combinations in a project

After doing the steps already mentioned to create serial numbers, you can now assign a specific serial number to a project. This can be useful when you want ensure a specific serial number combination or equipment is attached to this project. This means if your warehouse crew member doesn't choose the assigned combination or equipment, they will not be able to proceed. That warehouse crew member must choose the combination/equipment assigned in the project .

Navigate the table_chartProjects module and choose the project of your choice.
Go to the Equipment tab of the project.
Select serialized physical combination.
Click on More optionsmore_vert and select Assign serial numbers
Select the correct serial number for each item.
Confirm

Check out the video here.

FAQs

Do I have to use serial numbers?

No, serial numbers are optional. You can also have items without serial numbers, such as less expensive items like cables. For these items it's less important to track the location or status.

Why use serial numbers instead of bulk items?

With serial numbers, you can track the location and status of a specific (and unique) piece of equipment. You may also set up QR codes and barcodes to do this by scanning your equipment. You cannot track individual bulk items or assign a unique QR code to an individual bulk item.

How do I import equipment with serial numbers?

Read our article about importing equipment for instructions.

How do I use QR codes with serial numbers?

Read our article about setting up QR codes and barcodes for more information.

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Manage Serial Numbers