Case Study: Equipment management is unassailably a component of broadcast operations in Scandinavia

Smooth operations and staying on schedule are essential for successful TV productions. While it’s impossible to eliminate all risks and delays, many aspects can be influenced in advance.

Risks related to broadcast equipment can be minimized by improving its management. It is no wonder that managing broadcast equipment is an increasingly important trend.

The primary goal of equipment management is to ensure that the right equipment is available on time and fully operational for production. This way, adherence to tight production schedules won’t be jeopardized by missing or faulty equipment that needs to be sourced or replaced.

At Finnish National Broadcast Company YLE, production efficiency has improved by enhancing the planning and tracking of equipment usage through implementing Trail, a digital equipment management system. When the production management system alone couldn’t provide the required capabilities for equipment handling, production planning had to be built modularly: separate systems for production planning and equipment planning were implemented. The important part was to ensure that the processes are aligned with the two systems and that information flows seamlessly.

With a dedicated equipment management system, YLE’s equipment professionals can ensure that all gear heading out for productions is available and maintained. Trail as their digital system has made equipment information more transparent, saving warehouse staff time previously spent searching for equipment. The warehouse team now has real-time information on what equipment is in use for each production, allowing equipment to be transferred between productions without losing visibility of its whereabouts.

Naturally, there are ad hoc situations where the broadcast equipment is needed quickly. In these cases, setting up self-service for logging equipment checkouts is a useful way of monitoring equipment usage.

At TV2 Norway, Trail was also the selected solution for equipment management. Trail ensures that camera crews have access to a digital self-service portal where they can reserve and check out equipment. The data stored in the system helps other staff members understand what equipment is available.

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While the planning and tracking of broadcast equipment use is essential, it is as important to ensure that the equipment is and stays in full working condition. This approach prevents equipment malfunctions or downtime from disrupting production schedules.

A key part of the digital equipment management system at both Yleisradio and Norway’s TV2 is managing equipment maintenance. Notifications about new defects on an item level are reported directly by user, and recurring maintenance and inspections can be systematically scheduled. With advance notifications about upcoming maintenance needs, production equipment risks can be significantly reduced. Maintenance history is also available when needed.

At its core, equipment management is about generating and sharing information with the right people. This information streamlines processes and reduces risks, but it also allows for effective use of fewer resources. Being able to deliver the right, fully operational equipment at the right time means that excess equipment doesn’t need to be stored. Accessible data helps plan purchases more effectively, avoiding unnecessary investments and allowing the budget to be used more efficiently.

As Ville Venell of Yleisradio states, “When we implemented the digital equipment management system, the flow of information in the booking process began to work seamlessly. It brought a smooth booking process and centralized information in one place.

Antti Kirmanen, Trail SystemsThe author is a partner at Trail Systems Ltd. and has helped broadcasting companies integrate equipment management into streamlined production processes.