What is Equipment?

Definition and examples

Equipment is a tangible long-term asset that benefits a business over several years
of use.

Or

The word equipment may refer to machinery, devices, instruments, tools, and sports
gear.

Computers, trucks and manufacturing machinery are all examples of equipment.

They are tangible because they have a physical form—unlike intangible assets (such
as patents, trademarks or copyrights) that do not.

Things that we use to perform various activities or tasks are typically pieces of
equipment.

Items of equipment vary in size considerably, from tiny screwdrivers to giant cranes
used by the construction industry. They may be automated, manual, simple,
complex, and can serve many different functions.
“Equipment most commonly refers to a set of tools or other objects commonly used
to achieve a particular objective.” (Quote: Wikipedia)

Examples of where we can find equipment

 Manufacturing
Examples of equipment in manufacturing include lathes, drills, presses, and
conveyors. Manufacturing is the process of converting components and/or raw
materials into finished products.

 Sports
Gloves, helmets, bats, shin-pads, and balls are examples of equipment for baseball
or cricket.

 Business
In the world of business, equipment refers to anything that helps us do our work,
such as computers, printers, smartphones, photocopiers, modems, shredders,
security systems, and vehicles.
  Labs, research, medical centers
We can find equipment in virtually every workplace. Scientists work with
spectrometers, centrifuges, microscopes, telescopes, and test-tubes, i.e., scientific
equipment.

The equipment that hospitals use are known as medical devices.

 Military
The army, air force, and navy have personal equipment such as uniforms, helmets,
sleeping bags, boots, etc.

Examples of combat equipment are tanks, machine guns, fighter planes, helicopters,
rifles, ammunition, assault boats, night vision goggles, and missiles.

We can often interchange the terms equipment and machinery, although machinery
typically includes larger items.

Steps in Equipment Selection:

a) Create awareness about the equipment planning and management among
all the functionaries of the organization.
b) Planning and assessment, demand estimation.
c) Provision of budgets and finance.
d) Technology assessment and selection.
e) Procurement and logistics.
f) Installation and commissioning.
g) Training and skill development.
h) Operation and safety of equipment as well as occupational safety.
i) Maintenance and repair.
j) Monitoring and evaluation
k) Decommissioning and disposal.