Equipment Tracking System

The Challenge

TV48 had no system to track expensive broadcast equipment (cameras, microphones, tripods, etc.). Equipment accountability was poor — items were lost, damaged without records, and inventory counts took hours of manual work. Field reporters needed a simple way to check out equipment, and management needed visibility into what was where.

What We Built

A full-stack web application covering the entire equipment lifecycle: QR/barcode scanning via phone camera, equipment check-out requests with admin approval workflow, inventory counting sessions with discrepancy reports, fault reporting and repair tracking, pre-defined equipment sets for quick checkout, multi-role user management (admin + reporters), and Excel export for reporting. The system runs on Vercel with blob storage for equipment photos.

The Process

Built with Node.js and Express, using JWT for authentication, jsQR for camera-based barcode scanning, QRCode library for label generation, and ExcelJS for report exports. The workflow: reporters scan equipment QR codes with their phones → request checkout → admin approves → equipment is tracked as 'in field' → reporter returns and requests check-in → admin confirms → full audit trail preserved.

How It Works

Reporter scans QR code → Requests equipment checkout → Admin approves → Equipment status tracked → Reporter returns → Scans for check-in → Admin confirms → Full audit trail maintained. All interactions happen via smartphone camera and web interface.

Tech Stack

Results

• Deployed and used daily by TV48 team
• Improved equipment accountability with full audit trail
• Reduced inventory counting time from hours to minutes
• QR-based workflow accessible from any smartphone
• Role-based access for admins and field reporters