Malmstrom Inns & Suites – Case Study

Automating Asset and Inventory Audits for Air Force Inns

About Malmstrom Inns & Suites

Located at Malmstrom Air Force Base in Montana, Malmstrom Inns & Suites is part of Air Force Inns, a Department of Defense Lodging division operating at 88 locations worldwide. Each property is responsible for safeguarding, tracking, and maintaining government-furnished assets, such as televisions, linens, toiletries, and furnishings.

The Challenge: Reducing Audit Time and Human Error

Lodging Manager Eldon "Nick" Drain and his team were managing millions of dollars’ worth of serialized assets manually:

Inefficiencies: Inventory audits took three employees up to three weeks to complete. Staff had to manually write serial numbers, increasing the chance of error.
Physical Challenges: Heavy lifting of furniture was often required just to verify serial numbers, leading to disconnected cables and injury risk.
Compliance Pressure: Required to comply with Air Force and federal asset recordkeeping and maintenance standards.

"Taking a manual system and converting to an automated one that now sits on my desktop is a dream come true." – Eldon "Nick" Drain, Lodging Manager

Why Malmstrom Inns Chose Our System

Our Inventory system implemented a complete Passport Suite package with barcode labels, Motorola mobile scanners, and a barcode label printer. Key features included:

Barcode Labeling: Detailed tags with make, model, serial number, and purchase date.
Mobile Accessibility: Passport Mobile enabled scanning, reporting, and tracking on the go.
Custom Configurations: Tailored fields and reports specific to Department of Defense compliance needs.
Professional Support: Included installation, training, and ongoing technical support.

Check Our Inventory Management System’s Features →

Industry

Military Lodging

Key Challenge

Manual pen-and-paper tracking prone to human error
Bi-annual audits took up to three weeks with three people
Difficult to track and verify serialized assets across 130+ rooms
Employees risked injury moving heavy items to locate serial numbers

Benefits

Reduced audit time from 3 weeks to 1 day
Increased audit accuracy with real-time barcode scanning
Improved asset visibility and maintenance scheduling
Safer inventory process and fewer employee injuries

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Implementation and Results: From Manual to Automated in One Step

Our Asset Tracking System delivered fast implementation, and the team saw immediate improvements:

Audit Time Reduction: Completed audits in one day versus three weeks.
Improved Accuracy: Real-time updates eliminated backtracking and incorrect entries.
Asset Insight: Visibility into what needed replacement, reordering, or maintenance.
Employee Safety: Barcode tags minimized the need to move heavy items during audits.

“It’s like being in a dark room and someone just turned the light on—now I can see everything with a push of a button.”

– Eldon “Nick” Drain, Lodging Manager

Looking to Automate Asset Tracking in Military or Government Facilities?

If your agency needs to reduce audit time, increase accuracy, and improve safety, our Systems can help.
Contact us to schedule a demo today at barcloud.com

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