Returnable Asset Tracking

Many businesses receive or deliver products in reusable cases or carriers of significant value, including reusable barrels, tubes, or pallets that are ultimately returned to the original vendor. The items often have detachable lids, and/or are nested together in sets, with each item having an asset tag / serial number.

InSync’s Returnable Asset Tracking application allows businesses to manage their inventories / pools of returnable assets at the item serial number level, with accurate knowledge of which case sets are presently at which customer, supplier, internal work station, or storage closet. Principal benefits include –

• Lower safety stocks of returnables
• Lower transport costs
• Lower investment in returnable pool
• Lower control costs
• Lower shrinkage of returnables
• Better cost-justification of non-disposable packaging

A typical project to manage retail distribution returnable transport items pays for itself in 2-3 years, with 150% ROI (expressed as NPV) over 5 years. (Source: “RFID Adoption in Returnable Packaging,” LogicaCMG, 2004)