Learn what Operating Areas are, how they work within Asset Manager, and how they help organize equipment and parts by geographic region, operating division, service territory, or field operations.
What is an Operating Area?
Operating Areas are organizational tags used to group equipment and parts based on where they are primarily deployed, operated, maintained, or managed.
Unlike Locations, which represent a specific physical site, yard, warehouse, or facility, Operating Areas represent a broader operational region or area of responsibility.
Operating Areas can be assigned to both:
Equipment
Parts
within Asset Manager.
Why Use Operating Areas?
Operating Areas help organizations:
Organize assets across large geographic regions
Separate inventory by operating district or field
Track equipment deployment across multiple service areas
Improve filtering and reporting
Manage inventory for specific operating teams
Support regional maintenance and operations planning
For companies operating across multiple regions, Operating Areas provide an additional layer of organization beyond Locations and Business Units.
Operating Areas vs Locations
Location
A Location represents a specific physical place where equipment or parts are stored or operating.
Examples:
Grande Prairie Yard
Fort St. John Warehouse
Calgary Service Center
Red Deer Shop
Operating Area
An Operating Area represents a broader operational region or territory.
Examples:
Montney
Duvernay
Peace River
Alberta Central Region
North Operations
South Operations
Saskatchewan Division
One Operating Area may contain many Locations.
For example:
Operating Area: Montney
Locations:
Grande Prairie Yard
Dawson Creek Shop
Fort St. John Warehouse
Operating Areas vs Business Units
Business Unit
Business Units define ownership or responsibility within your organization.
Examples:
Drilling Division
Production Division
Rentals Division
Midstream Operations
Operating Area
Operating Areas define where assets operate.
Examples:
Montney
Duvernay
Permian Basin
Northern Alberta
An asset can belong to:
One Business Unit
One Location
One Operating Area
at the same time.
Example:
Field | Value |
Business Unit | Rentals Division |
Operating Area | Montney |
Location | Grande Prairie Yard |
Tagging Equipment with Operating Areas
Operating Areas can be assigned to equipment records to indicate where the asset is primarily used or managed.
Examples:
Compressors
Separators
Tanks
Generators
Line Heaters
Pump Packages
Dehydrators
This makes it easier to:
Filter equipment by region
Report on asset distribution
Identify equipment availability within an operating area
Manage redeployment planning
Tagging Parts with Operating Areas
Operating Areas can also be assigned to parts inventory.
Examples:
Valves
Pumps
Motors
Flanges
Instrumentation
Electrical Components
This helps teams:
Locate inventory faster
Manage regional spare parts
Track stock levels by operating region
Support maintenance planning
Common Operating Area Examples
Oil & Gas Operators
Montney
Duvernay
Deep Basin
Peace River
Viking
Bakken
Service Companies
Northern Alberta
Southern Alberta
Northeast BC
Saskatchewan
United States
Equipment Rental Companies
Western Canada
Alberta North
Alberta South
BC Operations
Saskatchewan Operations
Filtering by Operating Area
Operating Areas can be used throughout Asset Manager to quickly locate assets and inventory.
Common use cases include:
Finding all equipment in a specific region
Viewing parts inventory for an operating area
Generating regional asset reports
Planning equipment transfers
Tracking utilization by operating territory
Best Practices
Fuelled recommends:
Creating Operating Areas based on actual operational regions
Using consistent naming conventions
Avoiding duplicate area names
Keeping Locations and Operating Areas separate
Using Business Units for ownership and Operating Areas for geography
Example Structure
Business Unit
Production Division
Operating Area
Montney
Location
Grande Prairie Yard
This structure provides clear visibility into who owns an asset, where it operates, and where it is physically located.
Summary
Operating Areas help organize equipment and parts by operational region rather than physical location or ownership group. When used alongside Locations and Business Units, Operating Areas provide a powerful way to manage inventory, track equipment deployment, and improve reporting across your organization.