How to Integrate AI into Asset Inventory
The coming years will bring major technological changes in the field of enterprise information systems (IS), which will likely impact every industry. That’s why, together with our customers, we’re focusing on building strategies for the next generation of enterprise systems—to guide them through this transformation. In previous posts, we introduced SAP Business AI technology, including generative AI, which represents a powerful tool for introducing revolutionary innovations into business.
Prebuilt AI-supported services from SAP are already increasing in number. However, they are currently only available for the latest SAP Cloud products and are mostly integrated directly into standard processes and applications. The real availability of these solutions for a typical SAP customer using on-premise systems is still very limited. This will naturally change over time as customers migrate to new cloud solutions like S/4HANA, provided they follow the “clean core” philosophy.
👉 In addition to SAP’s prebuilt AI services, it is already possible to create custom business AI services—and do so immediately! That’s why we at ORIWIN, s.r.o. started developing new AI functions and extensions for various business areas. Our first AI features have been integrated into the next generation of our product FAIN Cloud, which helps with better tracking and management of tangible assets, including inventory processes. This was a logical step for us, as we have over 20 years of experience in this area and a deep understanding of our customers’ needs.
FAIN Cloud extends standard SAP functionality, supports asset labeling, and automates the asset inventory process. Traditionally, asset inventory involved physical inspections by inventory teams using mobile apps and QR code scanning.
Today, the process is changing significantly for our new clients. The new trend is to have assets verified directly by employees to whom they are assigned.
This is enabled through FAIN’s new cloud portal built on SAP Work Zone. This method is much faster but comes with new challenges. That’s why we’ve introduced the first AI-powered features for self-checking and asset search. Since these new features require visual input (camera), both are available through the new SAP Mobile Start client.
📌 The first AI feature replaces the inventory committee representative.
AI steps into the role of virtual assistant and inspector. The boundary between the two roles depends on the app settings, which can be customized to client needs 😊.
During inventory, depending on asset type or value, either a scheduled or random check is triggered. The app then requires a visual of the asset, and based on the asset card data and image, evaluates whether it is the correct asset. If uncertain, it asks for further verification. If all is fine, the asset is marked as verified. If there is any doubt, the system logs this in the check record and may attach a photo—especially in cases of damage. These records are then reviewed by the administrator, who also proposes corrective actions if necessary.
📌 The second AI feature helps identify unlabeled assets based on their visual appearance. This is a much more complex task. Based on visual attributes, identified texts, labels, or even location, the AI attempts to match the asset with records in the system and returns a probability score for each match. The application displays the best candidates in a ranked list, allowing the user to make the final decision based on detailed data.
👉 These AI functions are just the first signs of next-generation solutions. Revolutionary AI-based innovations and enhancements are still ahead. The technology is already ready—all that’s missing are new ideas!
