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Inventory Units

Inventory units are the individual physical items behind your products. While a product is what the customer books, inventory units are the actual items you hand over. Tracking them properly means you always know how many are available, which ones are out on rental, and which need maintenance.

Group Tracking vs Item Tracking​

EquipDash offers two ways to track inventory. You choose the tracking type from the Tracking card on the Details tab of the product detail page (or in Step 3: Additional Information when creating a new product).

Group tracking​

Group tracking keeps a simple count of how many units you have. It is best for products where individual items are interchangeable -- for example, 20 identical life jackets.

  • You set a stock quantity (e.g., 20).
  • EquipDash deducts from the count when bookings are made.
  • You do not track which specific item goes to which customer.

Item tracking​

Item tracking gives each unit its own identity. It is best when you need to know exactly which item went out and came back -- for example, bikes with serial numbers.

  • Each unit has a unique identifier (e.g., "BIKE-001").
  • You can assign specific units to bookings.
  • Each unit has its own status, activity log, and booking history.

Viewing Inventory​

Go to Rentals > Products, click on a product name, and open the Inventory tab on the product detail page.

Group tracking view​

For group-tracked products, the Inventory tab shows summary cards for each variation (or the product as a whole if there are no variations). Each card displays the Total, Available, Reserved, Picked up, and In workshop counts. Below the cards, a table lists each inventory entry with its status, quantity, and available-until date.

The Inventory tab for a group-tracked product, showing stock count cards per variation and the inventory table below.

Item tracking view​

For item-tracked products, the Inventory tab shows a summary card with total counts, and below it a table listing every individual item. Each row shows the item's Identifier, Variation, Status, Available until, Location, and action buttons for editing, managing barcodes, and deleting.

The Inventory tab for an item-tracked product, showing individual items with identifiers, variations, statuses, and actions.

Adding Inventory​

On the Inventory tab, each variation row has an inline + Add button on the right (and a + Add inventory button at the top of the table for products without variations). The form that appears depends on the tracking type.

The Inventory tab on a product detail page, with the inventory summary card highlighted, the location filter, current / expected / expired sub-tabs, the per-variation inventory rows, and the inline + Add buttons on each variation row.

Adding group inventory​

  1. If the product has variations, select the Variation from the dropdown.
  2. Set the Quantity (the number of units to add).
  3. Choose the Stock type: Current stock (available now) or Expected stock (arriving later).
  4. Optionally set an Available until date if the stock is temporary (e.g., seasonal rentals).
  5. Optionally enter a Location (e.g., "Warehouse Shelf A3").
  6. Click Add Inventory.

The Add inventory panel for a group-tracked product, showing variation, quantity, stock type, available until, and location fields.

Adding individual items​

You give each item its own code. There are two ways to do it, and a live preview under the field always shows exactly what will be created:

  • Let EquipDash number them. Type the code for your first item (e.g. A-0001) and set a Quantity. EquipDash numbers the rest for you, keeping whatever padding you typed -- A-0001, A-0002, A-0003, and so on. A single item (quantity 1) is saved exactly as you typed it, with no number added.
  • Type each code yourself. Paste a list of exact codes, one per line -- handy for real serial numbers from a spreadsheet. Each line becomes one item, saved exactly as written.

A number is only ever added when it's needed to keep two items apart. If a code is already in use, EquipDash tells you and leaves it out rather than creating a duplicate.

  1. Enter the Item unique identifier -- one code, or paste one per line. Check the preview shows what you expect.
  2. Set the Quantity when you're numbering a run from a single code.
  3. Choose the Stock type: Current stock or Expected stock.
  4. Optionally set an Available until date.
  5. Optionally enter a Location.
  6. Optionally toggle Add barcode? to automatically create a barcode for each new item.
  7. Click Add Inventory.

The Add inventory panel for an item-tracked product, showing the item identifier field with a live preview of the codes that will be created, quantity, stock type, available until, location, and barcode toggle.

Updating Several Items at Once​

For item-tracked products you can change many units in one go instead of editing them one at a time.

  1. On the Inventory tab, tick the checkbox next to each item you want to change. The checkbox at the top of a table selects everything in that group, and Select all in the toolbar selects every item shown on the page.
  2. Click Actions -- the button shows how many items are selected -- and pick what to do.
  3. Fill in the details and click Update (or Confirm when deleting).

The Inventory tab with three items selected and the Actions menu open, showing the bulk actions available for the selected items.

ActionWhat it does
Change locationMoves the selected items to another of your locations.
Change storageSets the storage spot for the items (e.g., "Rack B, Shelf 3"). Leave the field empty to clear it.
Change available untilSets the date the items stop being available to book, or choose No end date to keep them available permanently.
Mark in stock / expectedSwitches items between in stock now and expected -- arriving on a later date.
Send to workshopSends every selected item to the workshop with the same notes, reason, and schedule. Items already in the workshop are skipped.
Generate barcodesCreates a barcode for each selected item that does not have one yet.
Delete selectedDeletes the selected items. Bookings holding a deleted item are moved to another available item, or flagged for you to review.

After the change, a message confirms how many items were updated and whether any were skipped (for example, items that were already in the workshop).

Inventory Unit Statuses​

Each inventory unit (in item tracking mode) can be in one of these statuses:

StatusMeaning
AvailableThe item is in stock and ready to rent
ReservedThe item has been assigned to an upcoming booking
Picked UpThe item is currently out with a customer
In WorkshopThe item is undergoing maintenance or repair

The status is updated automatically as bookings progress, or you can manually change it.

Inventory Unit Detail Page​

Click on an inventory unit's identifier to open its detail page. Here you can see:

  • The unit's identifier and variation (if applicable)
  • Its current status
  • A list of bookings associated with this unit (Bookings tab)
  • A complete activity log showing every status change, workshop entry, and booking assignment (Activity Log tab)
  • A condition reports history showing every condition assessment logged at pickup and return (Condition Reports tab)
  • An availability checker to see when the item is free (Availability tab)
  • Options to send to workshop or edit the unit

Condition Reports​

For item-tracked products, every condition assessment logged during pickup and return is stored against the specific inventory unit. Open the Condition Reports tab on the inventory unit detail page to see:

  • Date the condition was logged
  • Context -- whether it was at pickup or return
  • Condition rating -- Excellent, Good, Fair, Poor, or Damaged
  • Notes describing the condition
  • Photos taken as evidence (click to view full-size)
  • Booking reference linking back to the booking
  • Staff member who logged the report

This history is useful for:

  • Spotting items that get damaged frequently
  • Tracking an item's condition over its lifetime
  • Supporting insurance claims with documented evidence
  • Identifying customers who consistently return items in poor condition

The Condition Reports tab on an inventory unit detail page, showing a table of condition reports with dates, ratings, and booking references.

Maintenance History​

For item-tracked products, each inventory unit keeps a record of every workshop visit. On the unit's detail page, the activity log shows when the item was sent to the workshop, what checklists were completed during each visit, and when it was returned to available inventory.

If your team uses workshop checklists, completed checklist results are stored against the unit -- giving you a full maintenance history over time. This is useful for spotting items that need frequent repairs or verifying that routine inspections have been carried out.

Editing and Removing Inventory Units​

  • To edit a unit, click the edit icon on the inventory table or the detail page. You can update the identifier.
  • To remove a unit, use the delete action. This is only possible if the unit has no upcoming bookings.
  • To change or delete several units in one go, see Updating Several Items at Once.
caution

Removing an inventory unit is permanent. If the unit has historical bookings, those records will no longer reference a specific unit.