What Are You Storing?

The items being stored determine bay size, charging requirement, security level, and locker type. Match the item first before any other decision.

• Laptops & tablets — Requires AC or USB-C charging per bay. Device Lockers or Charging Lockers.
• Mobile phones — Smaller trays, USB charging. Charging Lockers or Employee Lockers with phone shelf.
• IT peripherals & equipment — Variable bay sizes, optional charging. IT Issue/Return Lockers or Asset Lockers.
• Tools & instruments — No charging needed. Asset & Tool Lockers with RFID tracking.
• Personal belongings — Standard bay, no charging. Employee Smart Lockers.
• Parcels & deliveries — Large bays, QR or PIN access. Parcel / Visitor Lockers.
• Medications & clinical supplies — Controlled access, audit trail, compliance. Contact our team for medical-grade configurations.

Who Needs Access?

The user population determines the access method, enrolment process, and management complexity.

• Known staff with ID cards — RFID card access. Fast, auditable, integrates with existing staff ID infrastructure.
• Students or visitors without cards — PIN or QR code. No card infrastructure required.
• High-security environments — Face recognition. Cannot be shared or transferred.
• Multiple access levels — Role-based access. Managers can access all bays; staff access only assigned bays.
• Delivery personnel / external visitors — QR code or one-time PIN. No enrolment required.

RFID Card, PIN, QR or Biometric?

The access method is the most consequential decision. It determines security, audit capability, user experience, and total cost.

Fixed Assignment vs Dynamic Allocation?

• Fixed assignment — Each user has a permanently assigned bay. Simple, no software needed for basic use. Best for personal storage (employee lockers).
• Dynamic allocation — Any user can use any available bay. Requires locker management software. Best for hot-desking, device lending, IT issue/return and parcel lockers.
• Hybrid — Some bays fixed, some dynamic. Common in large enterprise deployments with mixed use cases.

Charging Required or Not?

• Charging required — Laptops, tablets, phones and medical devices need AC or USB-C charging per bay. Specify wattage per bay (20W, 45W or 65W USB-C) based on device type.
• No charging needed — Tools, equipment, personal belongings and parcels do not require charging. Non-powered bays are lower cost and simpler to install.
• Mixed — Some bays with charging, some without. Available on selected Ergo models. Confirm configuration when ordering.

Do You Need Issue / Return Tracking?

• Simple storage only — User stores and retrieves their own items. No issue/return workflow needed. Employee Lockers or Charging Lockers.
• Managed lending — Items are issued to specific users and must be returned by a deadline. Requires locker management software with lending workflow. Device Lockers, IT Issue/Return Lockers.
• Asset accountability — Every removal and return is logged against a specific asset ID and user ID. Required for tools, medical devices and IT equipment. Asset & Tool Lockers with RFID tracking.

Cloud vs Local Management?

• Cloud-based — Locker management software hosted in the cloud. Access reports and manage users from any browser. Requires internet connectivity. Best for multi-site deployments.
• Local / on-premise — Software runs on your own server. No internet dependency. Required for high-security, government and defence environments.
• Offline operation — All Ergo smart lockers operate in offline mode during network outages using locally cached data, syncing automatically on reconnection.

Number and Size of Compartments

• Number of bays — Match to your peak concurrent user count, not total headcount. For dynamic allocation, 60–70% of headcount is typically sufficient.
• Bay size — Small (phones, accessories), medium (tablets, small laptops), large (15"+ laptops, equipment). Mixed bay configurations available.
• Tower vs wall-mounted — Freestanding towers for open areas; wall-mounted units for corridors and compact spaces.
• Modular expansion — Ergo lockers support modular expansion. Start with the bays you need now and add columns as your deployment grows.

Integration & API Requirements

• HR / Active Directory — Sync user lists automatically. No manual enrolment for new staff.
• ITSM / helpdesk — Integrate IT Issue/Return Lockers with ServiceNow, Jira or your existing helpdesk platform.
• RFID asset tracking — Link locker access events to your RFID asset management system for end-to-end asset visibility.
• Hospital information systems — For clinical deployments, integrate with HIS/EMR for staff authentication and equipment accountability.
• Parcel management — For parcel lockers, integrate with courier APIs for automated delivery notifications and QR code generation.

How to Choose the Correct Locker Architecture

Use this summary to match your requirements to the right Ergo locker system.