Fleet Management systems nationwide

Read the full blog: https://www.abax.com/en-gb/blog/gps-and-bluetooth-tags-for-asset-control


Managing company assets is not just about knowing where they are - it’s about saving time, cutting costs and keeping projects on schedule. From vehicles and machinery to tools and delivery equipment, losing track of assets can quickly create unnecessary expense and disruption.

ABAX tracker tags combine GPS and Bluetooth technology to give UK businesses a clear picture of how assets are being used and where they are located. Whether you run a fleet of vans, manage heavy plant, or rely on smaller equipment across multiple sites, ABAX helps you stay in control.

This article explains the difference between GPS and Bluetooth tracking, how the technology works, the most common applications, and UK customer cases where ABAX has delivered results.

GPS vs Bluetooth: which asset tracking technology fits your business?

Tracking is often associated only with GPS, but ABAX offers two complementary technologies, each designed for specific requirements.

GPS trackers: Best for vehicles, plant and larger equipment that require precise positioning across long distances. Frequently used for electronic mileage logs and nationwide asset monitoring.

Bluetooth tags: Ideal for smaller tools and equipment where short-range localisation is most important, such as on construction sites, in depots or for assets that move in and out of vehicles.

How tracking solutions work

Both technologies send positional data to the ABAX platform, accessible via the app or web service.

GPS tracking devices (e.g. ABAX Fleet)

Receive satellite signals to calculate global position.

Transmit data via the mobile network to ABAX servers for real-time monitoring.

Bluetooth tags (e.g. ABAX Locator)

Transmit Bluetooth signals detected by nearby ABAX GPS units in vehicles or machines, or by smartphones scanning for nearby hardware using the ABAX app.

Relay this information via the mobile network to ABAX servers, showing that the tool or asset is within the detection area of the unit that captured the signal.

Technical characteristics

Gateway architecture: When an ABAX Locator signal is detected by an ABAX GPS device (or ABAX app actively scanning), payload data and timestamp are recorded. This data is packaged with the GPS coordinates of the gateway device and transmitted via LTE/2G to the ABAX Cloud.

Positioning: The system uses position data from the gateways that receive the ABAX Locator signal - ABAX GPS Devices.

Power Management: The device uses a highly energy-efficient SoC (System-on-Chip) with deep sleep mode between advertising intervals, providing a battery life of over 5 years.

Robustness: IP67-rated enclosure, operating temperature from -20°C to +60°C, as well as shock and vibration certified for use in demanding environments such as construction sites and industrial areas.

Advantages in practice

This technology provides a passive, maintenance-free solution where devices continuously broadcast their presence without the need for manual interaction. The data is seamlessly integrated into the ABAX portal, where users can view location, history and receive geofence alerts when an ABAX Locator is detected.

Shared feature: Geofencing

Both GPS and Bluetooth devices support geofencing, allowing you to set virtual boundaries and receive alerts if assets move into or out of defined areas.

How UK businesses use ABAX GPS and Bluetooth tags

ABAX tracking technology is widely used by UK businesses to improve control, efficiency and accountability.

Vehicle fleets – GPS provides HMRC compliant electronic mileage logs, enables effective fleet management and driving behaviour insights.

Construction machinery – GPS trackers deliver detailed usage logs, assist in recovering plant and heavy equipment if moved without authorisation, and improve utilisation.

Tools and smaller equipment – Bluetooth tags help track smaller assets and items that move with vehicles or between sites, such as roll cages or containers.

Misplaced plant machinery leads to stalled projects, wasted labour hours, and unnecessary rental costs. Reliable equipment tracking software eliminates these costly blind spots with real-time visibility. Explore our comparison of the best plant tracking solutions of 2026.

Key takeaways:

Discover the top 5 tracking tools on the market for managing worksite assets and keeping projects strictly on time.

Learn how the best equipment tracking software can completely eliminate the hours wasted searching for misplaced tools, drastically reduce equipment loss, and improve accountability across mixed site environments.

Find expert, actionable advice on evaluating software based on your specific worksite needs, integration requirements, and available budget.

Finding the best equipment tracking software for your business

Whether you are managing a logistics yard, a large industrial plant, or a busy construction site, knowing exactly where every item is at any given time is vital. Implementing a reliable system for plant tracking eliminates the guesswork entirely. In this guide, we review the very best equipment tracking solutions available in 2026, comparing their features, ideal use cases, and pros and cons to help you make the right choice for your business.

It is important to note that this guide focuses primarily on worksite equipment - such as heavy machinery, tools, and plant assets - while also touching upon systems that scale to include wider fleet safety and camera functionality.

Top 5 equipment tracking software compared

Finding the best equipment tracking system depends on what matters most to your daily operations - whether that is asset visibility across a site, vehicle cameras for road safety, strict site access compliance, or heavy machinery security. Below is a high-level overview of the top 5 solutions on the market.

Read the full blog: https://www.abax.com/en-gb/blog/5-best-equipment-tracking-software

Discover how UK-based specialist welding company Orbital Fabrications partnered with ABAX to track 500+ high-value assets, streamline compliance, and save thousands of pounds in equipment replacements.

Company overview

Orbital Fabrications is a specialist welding and high-purity fabrication company based in St Ives, Cambridgeshire. Serving highly demanding sectors including the semiconductor, pharmaceutical, chemical, and dairy industries, the company provides both in-house manufacturing and on-site installations across the UK. Orbital Fabrications operates with an extensive site team, managing five supervisor vehicles and over 500 pieces of high-value equipment - including specialist welding plants valued at up to £30,000 each, weld heads, and critical safety assets.

The challenge

Before partnering with ABAX, Orbital Fabrications faced significant difficulties in tracking equipment across multiple active sites. With typically three to five projects running simultaneously nationwide, expensive tools and safety equipment like harnesses and ladders were constantly moving between sites. This lack of location visibility meant that equipment frequently went missing, resulting in high replacement costs. Furthermore, the logistics of retrieving items for mandatory safety compliance - such as electrical PAT testing, calibration of weld plants, and three-monthly ladder inspections - was incredibly time-consuming, with supervisors spending hours manually searching for tools rather than focusing on project delivery.

Orbital Fabrications turned to ABAX for a reliable, automated tracking solution. To address their operational layout, they installed vehicle trackers on their supervisor vans and deployed portable, plug-in hubs on key long-term secure sites, such as their portacabin in Manchester and their cleanroom project in Newport. These hubs automatically monitor nearby assets without requiring manual scans. The setup was highly collaborative, with the ABAX support team, including Account Manager, Jack Fowler and Product Manager, Marta Swierczewska, working closely with the company to configure the system, refine reporting, and adapt the portal features to match their requirements.

“From a service point of view, every time we’ve ever asked to have a meeting or to come and look at something, Jack has been on site with me. The support and customer service have been brilliant, and we’ve worked closely to make sure the system meets our needs.” – Gregg Mason, Site Projects Coordinator, Orbital Fabrications

“Our relationship with Orbital Fabrications highlights how we support our clients directly on the ground. By visiting Gregg on-site, we were able to quickly address initial teething issues and tailor the platform to support their complex operational demands. It's a true collaborative partnership.” — Jack Fowler, Account Manager, ABAX

Key features used

Orbital Fabrications now actively utilises a comprehensive tracking suite from ABAX:

1. ABAX Fleet vehicle tracking: Installed on five supervisor vans to monitor vehicle locations and provide clear visibility over business mileage.
2. ABAX Locator asset tracking: Fitted across 500 pieces of equipment, including high-value £30,000 welding plants, specialised weld heads, and safety gear.
3. Plug-in tracking hubs: Portable hubs that are easily moved and plugged into new locations as projects finish, automatically scanning for surrounding tracked assets.
4. Custom geofencing and area zones: Specialised geographic zones set up inside the portal to differentiate and track equipment across separate units and operational areas.
5. Maintenance and compliance lists: Simplified tracking reports exported to Excel to coordinate with their internal digital database for PAT testing, calibrations, and safety inspections.

“Reporting is a valuable tool for our off-road customers and getting it right requires understanding complex, real-world environments. Working with Gregg helped us refine the ABAX portal to better support asset tracking. We added a geofence layer on top of our reports, so that customers can see which assets are missing from the operational area and where they were last seen. This is especially relevant for the high-value items that Orbital Fabrications works with.” — Marta Swierczewska, Product Manager for the Off-Road Team, ABAX

By partnering with ABAX, Orbital Fabrications has significantly modernised its asset management and realised several key benefits:

Reduced replacement costs: Missing equipment lists have been virtually eliminated, saving thousands of pounds in tool replacement costs.

Increased productivity: Supervisors and subcontractors no longer waste valuable hours performing manual inventory lists or searching for lost tools, keeping on-site labour highly efficient and focused on project delivery.

Simplified com

Merlo UK and Ireland manufactures telescopic handlers for the construction and agricultural sectors, operating across the UK and Ireland through a nationwide dealer network. With machines and attachments regularly moving between customers, visibility is essential.

The challenge: high-value attachments in constant circulation

Merlo’s telescopic handlers are built to be versatile. Each machine can be fitted with a range of interchangeable attachments, allowing it to adapt to different customer needs.

Across the demo fleet, around 20–25 attachments are in regular use. These attachments can be worth anywhere from £1,000 to £20,000, and they frequently move between customers alongside machines.

With machines changing hands multiple times per month, there is a genuine risk that attachments can be left behind during collection or transport.

“We have to keep a really good track as to where the attachments are and also make sure that they stay with the machines at all times and don't get left behind when the haulier comes in to collect, to move the machine on to the next customer.” – Owen Buttle, National Sales Manager at Merlo UK

Even one missing attachment represents a significant financial impact.

The previous process: manual and time-consuming

Before implementing ABAX Worksite, locating a missing attachment meant retracing paperwork, checking delivery records, and trying to identify the last known movement.

This reactive process took time and created operational disruption, particularly when attachments needed to be recovered quickly for the next customer.

“Part of the process has always been to go back through the paperwork and look at where the last movements of it were, look at where the last movements were of the machine,” Owen explained.

Merlo needed a faster, more reliable way to track attachments in real time.

The solution: ABAX Worksite for attachments, ABAX Fleet for vehicles

Merlo introduced ABAX Worksite to track each attachment individually. Trackers are fitted as soon as attachments arrive in the UK and are mounted discreetly so they do not interfere with machine performance.

ABAX Worksite works alongside Merlo’s own machine telematics, giving the team visibility of both machines and the attachments that travel with them. “We can identify where the machine is, but in addition we can tell where every single piece of equipment and attachment is, alongside that demonstration unit,” explained Merlo.

Alongside attachment tracking, Merlo uses ABAX Fleet for company vehicle tracking, improving visibility across daily operations. Together, this provides a complete tracking solution.

The results: reduced losses and measurable ROI

Since implementing ABAX Worksite, Merlo has significantly reduced the time spent searching for misplaced equipment.

Instead of investigating paperwork, the team can now log into the portal and immediately see where an attachment is located.

“(ABAX) has helped save us many hours, looking for pieces of equipment that we've lost in the past. And the ABAX system itself has already repaid for itself.” – Owen Buttle, National Sales Manager at Merlo UK

By using ABAX Worksite to track attachments and ABAX Fleet to track company vehicles, Merlo has reduced equipment loss, saved time, and strengthened operational control.

Discover GPS tracking solutions for HGV trailers, horseboxes, caravans and equipment trailers, including features, pros, cons and pricing considerations.

Trailers are critical assets for many UK businesses. From HGV trailers transporting goods to horseboxes, caravans and plant trailers, these assets often move between vehicles, depots and worksites without much visibility.

Trailers and rural crime

This lack of visibility can create operational challenges. Businesses may lose time locating trailers across yards or sites, and security is also a concern. According to the NFU Mutual Rural Crime Report 2025, rural crime cost the UK £44.1 million in 2024, down from £52.8 million in 2023 as more businesses adopted improved security measures and tracking technology. However, high-value assets such as trailers and agricultural equipment remain frequent targets for organised theft.

A trailer tracker helps solve this problem by providing GPS visibility, movement alerts and location history. Modern trailer tracking systems also support features such as geofencing, asset inventory and reporting.

In this guide, we compare the 5 best trailer trackers in the UK, covering solutions used for:

- HGV and articulated trailers
- Flatbed and plant trailers
- Horseboxes and livestock trailers
- Caravans and touring trailers

We also explain the key features to consider when choosing a trailer tracking solution.

Read the full blog: https://www.abax.com/en-gb/blog/best-trailer-trackers-uk