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Asset Utilization Report - Measure Asset Usage and Efficiency

6 min readintermediateLast updated: January 2, 2026

Overview

Asset Utilization Reports help you understand how effectively your assets are being used. By tracking assignment status, location distribution, and departmental allocation, you can identify idle equipment, optimize resource placement, and make data-driven decisions about asset acquisition and disposal.

UniAsset measures utilization through assignment tracking, showing which assets are actively deployed versus sitting unassigned or inactive.

Who Can Access This

View Utilization Data:

  • Owner
  • Admin
  • Manager

Generate Utilization Reports:

  • Owner
  • Admin
  • Manager

Export Utilization Reports:

  • Owner
  • Admin

How to Access This Section

Asset Distribution Reports

  1. Go to Reports in the sidebar
  2. Click the Assets tab
  3. View distribution charts:
    • By Status - Active, Damaged, Disposed
    • By Department - Asset count per department
    • By Category - Asset count per category
    • By Location - Asset count per location

Asset List with Assignment Filters

  1. Go to Assets in the sidebar
  2. Use filters to analyze utilization:
    • Assigned To - Filter by user assignment
    • Location - Filter by location
    • Department - Filter by department
    • Status - Filter by status

Configuration / Page Breakdown

Key Utilization Metrics

Assigned vs Unassigned

  • Assets assigned to users indicate active utilization
  • Unassigned assets may be idle or in storage
  • Location-only assignments show deployed but unassigned equipment

Status Distribution

  • ACTIVE - Assets in use
  • DAMAGED - Assets needing repair (idle)
  • DISPOSED - Assets no longer in service

Department Distribution

  • Shows which departments hold the most assets
  • Identifies potential over-allocation or under-allocation
  • Supports budget allocation decisions

Location Distribution

  • Shows physical asset concentration
  • Identifies underutilized facilities
  • Supports space planning

Asset Status Report

Shows count and percentage of assets by status.

Columns:

  • Status - ACTIVE, DAMAGED, DISPOSED
  • Count - Number of assets
  • Percentage - Percent of total assets

Utilization Insight:

  • High ACTIVE percentage = good utilization
  • High DAMAGED percentage = maintenance issues
  • Unassigned assets = potential under-utilization

Assets by Department Report

Shows asset distribution across departments.

Columns:

  • Department - Department name (or "Unassigned")
  • Asset Count - Number of assets
  • Percentage - Percent of total

Utilization Insight:

  • Identifies departments with excess equipment
  • Shows departments that may need more assets
  • Supports equitable resource allocation

Assets by Location Report

Shows asset distribution across physical locations.

Columns:

  • Location - Location name (or "Unassigned")
  • Asset Count - Number of assets
  • Percentage - Percent of total

Utilization Insight:

  • Locations with no assets may be unused
  • High concentration in one location may indicate inefficiency
  • Supports facility optimization

Assets by Category Report

Shows asset distribution by type.

Columns:

  • Category - Asset category (IT Equipment, Furniture, etc.)
  • Asset Count - Number of assets
  • Percentage - Percent of total

Utilization Insight:

  • Shows which types of equipment you own
  • Identifies over-investment in specific categories
  • Supports procurement planning

Common Use Cases

Identifying Idle Equipment

You want to find assets that are not being used.

Steps:

  1. Go to Assets
  2. Filter by:
    • Assigned To: None (unassigned)
    • Status: ACTIVE
  3. Review the list of unassigned active assets
  4. Options:
    • Assign to users who need them
    • Move to storage
    • Consider selling or donating

Optimizing Office Space

You're consolidating offices and need to know which locations have the most equipment.

Steps:

  1. Go to Reports → Assets
  2. Review Assets by Location chart
  3. Export CSV for detailed analysis
  4. Identify locations with:
    • High asset counts (difficult to move)
    • Low asset counts (easy to relocate)
  5. Plan office moves based on asset distribution

Balancing Department Resources

One department claims they need more laptops, but you suspect assets are poorly distributed.

Steps:

  1. Go to Reports → Assets
  2. Review Assets by Department chart
  3. Compare laptop counts across departments
  4. If one department has disproportionate allocation:
    • Reassign excess assets
    • Balance distribution

Planning Asset Purchases

You're deciding whether to buy more equipment or better utilize existing assets.

Steps:

  1. Go to Reports → Assets
  2. Check Assets by Status
  3. If many assets are ACTIVE and assigned = high utilization, purchase justified
  4. If many assets are ACTIVE but unassigned = low utilization, reassign before buying
  5. Use data to justify budget requests

Best Practices

Track assignments rigorously

  • Assign assets to users when deployed
  • Update assignments when assets change hands
  • Unassign when assets are returned to inventory

Use locations for shared equipment

  • Not all assets need user assignments
  • Conference room projectors should have location only
  • Shared equipment utilization is based on location, not user

Review utilization quarterly

  • Run asset distribution reports every quarter
  • Identify trends: growing departments, shrinking locations
  • Adjust asset allocation before problems occur

Define your utilization threshold

  • Decide what percentage of unassigned assets is acceptable
  • For IT equipment: <10% unassigned is healthy
  • For consumables: higher unassigned percentage is normal

Combine with status tracking

  • An assigned asset marked DAMAGED is not utilized
  • Focus on ACTIVE + Assigned = true utilization

Use department assignments even without user assignments

  • Department allocation shows which business units hold assets
  • Supports cost allocation and budgeting

Important Notes & Limitations

Utilization is based on assignment, not actual usage

  • UniAsset tracks who has the asset, not how much they use it
  • An assigned laptop may sit unused
  • True utilization requires additional logging (not currently tracked)

Shared equipment appears underutilized

  • Assets with location-only assignments may seem idle
  • Conference room equipment is highly utilized but not assigned to users
  • Context matters when interpreting reports

Unassigned does not always mean idle

  • New assets in stock are unassigned
  • Backup equipment is intentionally unassigned
  • Reserve inventory should remain unassigned

Consumables are not included in utilization reports

  • Utilization focuses on fixed assets
  • Consumable usage is tracked separately in inventory reports

Employee role cannot generate utilization reports

  • Employees see only assigned assets
  • Managers and above see organization-wide data

Archived assets are excluded

  • Utilization reports show only active assets
  • Archived assets do not appear in distribution charts

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I calculate actual utilization percentage?

UniAsset tracks assignment, not usage hours. To calculate basic utilization:

  • (Assigned Assets / Total Active Assets) × 100 = Assignment Utilization %
  • For example: 80 assigned out of 100 active = 80% utilization

What's a good utilization rate?

Depends on asset type:

  • IT equipment: 80-90% assigned = healthy
  • Furniture: 90-100% assigned = normal
  • Tools and equipment: 70-80% assigned = acceptable (reserve for maintenance)

Why do I have so many unassigned assets?

Common reasons:

  • New assets not yet deployed
  • Assets awaiting repair (should be marked DAMAGED)
  • Backup equipment held in reserve
  • Assets awaiting disposal (consider archiving)

How do I find assets assigned to departed employees?

UniAsset doesn't automatically unassign when users are deactivated. To find:

  1. Deactivate the user first
  2. Go to Assets
  3. Filter by that user
  4. Bulk unassign or reassign to new users

Can I track utilization by time period?

Not directly. UniAsset shows current assignment status. For historical utilization, review assignment history in asset event logs.

What if I have assets assigned to locations but no users?

That's normal for shared equipment. Location assignment indicates deployment and utilization even without user assignment.

Need Help?

If you have questions not covered in this article, our support team is here to help.

Contact Support