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Returnable Assets · UHF RFID

Crates & Cylinders
That Come Back.

Returnable crates, totes, kegs and cylinders leak out of Indian networks continuously, and the loss is written off as consumables because nobody can attribute it to a customer or a route. Identium’s RFID Returnable Crate & Cylinder Tracking System tags every unit, reads it at each hand-off, and keeps a per-customer ledger of what went out and what came back.

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Out Today
480
Fill plant gate
Forwarded
462
Depot dock
Unaccounted
5
This customer
Per-customerLoss ledger
GateHands-free reads
4GRemote depot reads
On-metalCylinder tags
Powerful Features

Attribute Every Missing Unit

The point is not counting crates — it is knowing which customer still has 5 of yours. Every hand-off is a read; the ledger falls out of the reads.

🚚

Dock-Gate Reads at Plant & DC

UHF gates on the dock doors capture every tagged crate or cylinder leaving and returning — hands-free, in bulk, on the forklift.

📡

Remote Depots on 4G

An IF9A 4G integrated reader gives distributor depots a read point without a network drop — events sync straight to the cloud.

📱

Customer-Site Returns

A CX1500N or a MUBR01 paired to a phone reads returns at the customer gate — the return is booked against that customer at that moment.

📋

Per-Customer Ledger

Issued minus forwarded minus returned, per customer, per route, per note. Chase the specific 5, with proof.

🔥

Tags Built for Yard Life

UHF strip tags for plastic crates; cable-tie or ceramic on-metal tags for cylinders and kegs that get dropped, stacked and hosed down.

🔄

Cycle & Trip Count

How many trips has this crate done? Which cylinders are due for testing? The tag ID makes each unit an asset with a history.

How It Flows

Plant → Depot → Customer → Back

Every hand-off is a read point. Because reads are booked against a note and a customer, the loss ledger is arithmetic, not a year-end guess.

FILL PLANT / DCGate read: OUT · 480 unitsGRN-2210 · issuedDISTRIBUTOR / DEPOTDock read: IN 480 · OUT 46218 held · 462 forwardCUSTOMER SITEHandheld/MUBR01 read31 returned · 5 overdue RETURN LEG LEDGER: 480 out − 462 fwd − 31 back = 5 unaccounted · by customer
Deployment

Four Steps to a Tracked Fleet

01
🏷️
Tag the fleet

Strip tags on crates and totes; on-metal ceramic or cable-tie tags on cylinders and kegs. Every unit gets a permanent ID.

02
🚪
Read at plant & DC

UHF gates on the busy dock doors; a fixed reader on the filling or washing line if you want per-unit cycle counts.

03
📡
Cover the depots & customers

4G integrated readers at depots; handhelds and MUBR01 at customer sites for returns.

04
📊
Run the ledger

Outstanding by customer and route, ageing of un-returned units, cylinders due for test. Recover the specific units.

Tags & Read Points

The Right Tag for the Right Container

A crate and a gas cylinder live very different lives. Plastic takes a strip tag; steel needs an on-metal or cable-tie tag that uses the surface rather than fights it.

TAG BY CONTAINER Plastic crate / tote — UHF strip tagCRATE TAG LPG / IND. GASBEER KEG CERAMIC CABLE-TIEOn-metal ceramic or cable-tie tag — survives yard life READ POINTS Dock-door gateplant / DC IF9A 4G integrated readerremote depot, no LAN CX1500N / MUBR01customer-site returns
Hardware & Tags

Recommended Products

Enterprise-grade UHF RFID hardware, sourced from our sister store IndiaRFIDStore.com.

UHF RFID strip tag for plastic crates
Crate Tag

UHF Crate Strip Tag

Slim strip tag that sits in the crate rib — survives washing, stacking and forklift life on plastic crates and totes.

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UHF RFID cylinder tag for LPG and industrial gas
Cylinder Tag

Cylinder Cable-Tie Tag

Rugged cable-tie tag around the cylinder neck or handle — reads on steel, survives yard handling.

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CR400 ceramic UHF on-metal RFID tag
On-Metal Tag

Ceramic On-Metal Tag

Ceramic on-metal tag for kegs and cylinders — the metal becomes part of the antenna instead of killing the read.

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UHF RFID gate reader for dock doors
Gate Reader

UHF RFID Gate

Dock-door portal for the plant and DC — every tagged unit crossing it is captured hands-free.

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IF9A 4G integrated UHF RFID reader
4G Reader

IF9A 4G Integrated Reader

Integrated reader with a 4G modem for depots without a network — reads sync straight to the cloud.

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Identium CX1500N UHF RFID handheld reader
Handheld

CX1500N Handheld

Android UHF handheld for customer-site returns and depot audits — offline queue, syncs when back in coverage.

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FAQ

Crate & Cylinder Tracking, Answered

What are returnable transport items (RTIs)?

Crates, totes, kegs, cylinders, roll cages and pallets that your business owns and expects back from customers or distributors. They are assets, but most companies account for them as consumables because they cannot attribute the losses. RFID makes the attribution possible.

Can RFID tags be read on steel cylinders and kegs?

Yes, with the right tag. Standard labels fail on metal, but on-metal ceramic tags and cable-tie tags are designed for it — the metal surface becomes part of the antenna. Identium specifies the tag per container type in the pilot.

How do you read at distributor depots with no network?

With a 4G integrated reader such as the IF9A. It reads at the depot dock and pushes events over mobile data to the cloud, so remote depots become read points without any local IT.

How does the loss ledger work?

Every read is booked against a note and a customer or route. Issued minus forwarded minus returned equals unaccounted, per customer. You chase the specific units and have the read history as proof.

Does this replace our pallet tracking?

It complements it. Pallets have their own flow and their own page — the RFID Pallet Tracking System — but crates, cylinders and kegs behave differently (more hand-offs, smaller units, more customer sites), so the read points and tags differ.

What is a realistic pilot?

One product line, one route, one to two customers, tag 300–500 units, run for one full return cycle. Compare the ledger to what you wrote off last quarter.

Stop writing off assets you can get back.

Tag one route’s crates or cylinders, read at plant, depot and two customer sites for one cycle, and see the ledger.

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Further Reading

This is the smaller-unit sibling of our RFID Pallet Tracking System. For the wider network see RFID in logistics and supply chain, and for why bulk gate reads beat scanning each unit, RFID vs barcode.