Returnable assets confirmations: get this business out of the way.

UPDATED: 10-05-2021

When products are transported to the end customer, the load carriers, such as Danish carts, kegs and crates, remain on location to unload the products. Eventually, these need to be returned on the next trip to this location, ensuring that you have enough load carriers available to transport your next orders. When you foresee that you are short of load carriers or you notice that a certain location holds a lot of load carriers you can ask for them to be returned. But it may be that your relation is using the carts and crates himself or according to him/her the load carriers or the mentioned number of load carriers are not present at his/her location and it is your word against his.

Problems and uncertainties about the packaging balance at the various locations are easily solved with balance reconciliation in TrackOnline. By reconciling the balance with your relationships, everyone is aware of the actual amount and discussions are prevented. With our free functionality TrackOnline CONNECT you can let your relations look into TrackOnline for free. This way everyone in the chain has insight in the mutual packaging transactions. Read here how packaging balance reconciliation works and get a grip on your packaging.

Grip on packaging balance

In busy periods it sometimes seems as if the trolleys, Danish trolleys and CC containers are always in short supply. In such a period, you want the packaging balance on paper to correspond to the actual stock levels.

Reconciling the number of load carriers helps you maintain an overview and control your packaging. Products are transported back and forth by and to several parties in the logistics chain. Therefore the packaging transactions between you, your customer, supplier and/or carrier must be clear and transparent.

Reconcile the number of returnable assets

Peak periods pass and the packaging transactions are approved. To close such a busy period you can ask your customer, supplier or transporter to approve previous transactions of a specific period, this is called balance reconciliation. By deciding for yourself over which period you want to perform a balance reconciliation, you keep a grip on the critical product flows at all times. The advantage of a digital reconciliation is that a period is closed and you no longer need to have discussions about the number of returnable transport items.

Balance reconciliation in practice

How does the digital reconciliation work? First, you select the transactions over a certain period that you want to reconcile the balance of. The customer receives an email from the TrackOnline application, in which the balance can be confirmed, changed or more details can be viewed. The customer can also place a comment. If the customer does not respond, they will receive a reminder email within a few days.

Faster work process

As soon as the balance reconciliation is confirmed, the period is closed. Possible corrections for the closed period will be included in the next coordination. With balance reconciliations you always have an overview of confirmed, outstanding and rejected reconciliations.

Balancing balances makes work efficient because it is no longer necessary to mail or phone back and forth. In addition, discussions about the packaging balance are prevented.

Digital collaboration

With digital balance reconciliations, you and your  relations can look at the same returnable assets data in real-time. This is one of the features of TrackOnline that makes digital collaboration possible. The communication lines between different parties in the chain become shorter. Because both parties can see the mutual transactions, there are no discussions about the actual number of returnable assets. So you know exactly how much returnable assets are at each location and from whom you can still expect to receive RTI’s in return. By sharing packaging data with your customers, you can collaborate better and everyone is aware of the status.

Digital collaboration is possible with TrackOnline CONNECT, the free functionality of TrackOnline, the returnable transport items registration platform. Easily connect with your customer, supplier or transporter with CONNECT and view the same data in real-time.

Enable digital collaboration yourself by inviting your customers, suppliers and transporters to use TrackOnline CONNECT, read here how you do it or contact 1 of our TrackOnline Experts. You’re not using TrackOnline yet? Try the application free for 30 days.