Load carrier management for manufacturers
From machine builders to chemical producers: your products leave the plant on racks, crates, pallets, boxes and IBCs that are often as valuable as the cargo itself. TrackOnline shows where every load carrier is, who holds it and when it comes back, so production never waits for packaging.
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Sound familiar?
Your load carriers keep production running. Do you know where they are?
Costly carriers go missing
Every lost carrier means a new purchase and a shipment that has to wait.
No central overview
Nobody sees the whole pool, or where each carrier is right now.
A complex network
Many suppliers, sites and external logistics partners all handle your carriers.
Returns come back late
Or not at all. Carriers stay at customers and suppliers longer than agreed.
Excel and manual counts
Hours of administration, and balances you cannot fully trust.
Not there when needed
Plants and suppliers run short of carriers, and planning ahead is guesswork.
Unnecessary costs
Extra purchases, empty trips and too much stock in the wrong place.
No proof for the PPWR
No hard evidence of delivery, use and return, while the PPWR asks you to prove that packaging is reused.
Load carrier types
Every type of load carrier in one platform
Racks & frames
Designed around one product. High value and hard to replace.
Crates & boxes
Wood or plastic, often with inserts to protect parts.
Pallets
Wood, plastic or metal, standard or special sizes.
IBCs & drums
For liquids and chemicals, with cleaning and inspection.
Stillages & bins
Steel stillages and collapsible containers in closed loops.
Tote bins & KLTs
Small load carriers that circulate in large numbers between suppliers and plants.
Liquid totes & kegs
For liquids, from chemicals to beverages, with cleaning between uses.
Cable drums & reels
Large, valuable carriers that often stay at customer sites for a long time.
Glass racks & A-frames
Custom-built for glass and panels. Costly and hard to replace.
…and many more
Your own load carrier type? We set it up in TrackOnline.
When a load carrier goes missing, you lose more than a carrier.
Load carriers in manufacturing are often designed around one product: a frame for a machine part, a rack for glass or panels, a box with foam inserts for sensitive components. They are expensive, and replacing one can take weeks. In the meantime, the next shipment has nothing to go on.
In manufacturing that is not a packaging problem, it is a production problem. Just-in-time supply chains depend on the right carrier being in the right place at the right moment. When carriers pile up at a customer or disappear in transit, lines stand still.
What TrackOnline does for manufacturers
Know what is available before you plan the next shipment
Central overview
All load carriers, all locations and all partners in one platform, with or without trackers. Everyone works from the same numbers.
Real-time location with IoT
Trackers on your most valuable carriers report their position by themselves. Geofences register arrival and departure at plants, warehouses and customers automatically.
Balances per location and partner
See how many carriers are at each plant, supplier and customer, and how many are empty and ready to use. One shared version, so disputes stop.
Signals before a shortage
Alerts when a carrier stays at a customer longer than agreed, so you can chase it back before production needs it.
A portal for customers and suppliers
Partners log in to their own environment, see their own balance and register returns. They only see what is relevant to them.
Reliable data for decisions
Cycle times, return rates and losses in dashboards, so you plan purchases and stock on facts.
The result
Fewer losses, less manual work, carriers available when you need them
- Fewer lost carriers, because every movement is recorded and late returns are flagged.
- Better availability for plants and suppliers, so production does not wait for packaging.
- Lower costs from fewer extra purchases and fewer unnecessary transport movements.
- One shared balance with your partners, so discussions end with data.
- Proof of delivery and return, ready for customers, auditors and reporting.
Which tracking technology fits your needs?
No single technology is the best fit for every process. Choose what you want to know about your assets.
Barcode
Barcodes and QR codes
A printed code on your packaging, scanned with a handheld scanner or smartphone. Familiar, affordable and quick to implement.
RFID
Radio Frequency Identification
A label with a chip that's read by radio signal, without line of sight or manual scanning.
Smart labels
Smart stickers
Thin labels with built-in electronics that you apply to packaging just like a sticker. Depending on the type, they transmit location or condition data.
IoT (BLE and GPS)
BLE, GPS and sensors
Battery-powered trackers that send data on their own. BLE tracks assets on site or between fixed points, GPS works in transit, and IoT sensors monitor condition, such as temperature or impact.
With or without identification, or a mix of both.
Not every load carrier needs a tracker. Your assets and processes determine whether you need tracking technology, and if so, which kind. TrackOnline lets you track load carriers with tracking technology, without it, or with a combination of both, all in one platform.
Integrations
Fits your existing landscape
API-first. Connect to whatever core system you use. TrackOnline connects to your existing ERP, WMS, TMS or financial systems and follows the processes you already have.
PPWR
Reusable load carriers, with the data to prove it
The EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation applies since 12 August 2026 and asks companies to show that their reusable packaging is actually reused. TrackOnline records how your load carriers move, return and are replaced, so you have that insight at hand.
Questions
Asked before you ask
Yes. You define your own load carrier types, with their own dimensions, value and rules. A special rack is managed the same way as a standard pallet.
No. Many manufacturers put trackers on their most valuable carriers and manage the rest with scans or registrations from their ERP. All of it ends up in the same balances and reports.
No. TrackOnline works alongside your ERP, WMS and TMS as a specialised layer for load carrier management, connected through our REST API.
TrackOnline is ISO 27001 certified. User rights control exactly who sees what, so partners only see their own position.
Getting started
From first step to full control
Talk about your situation
We look at your load carriers, locations, partners and the problems you want to solve first.
Set up your pool
Your carrier types, locations and partners go into TrackOnline. We decide together where tracking hardware adds value.
Connect your systems
Orders and shipments flow in from your ERP, so movements are registered without double work.
Start and improve
Start with one flow or site, use the reports to improve, then expand to the rest of your pool.
Talk to our team about relevant use cases
Discover how manufacturers in automotive, chemicals and other industries can improve load carrier management. We are happy to share examples that match your situation.
- Examples from your own industry
- Advice on which carriers are worth a tracker
- A clear view of how to get started
Request a demo
Why choose TrackOnline?
TrackOnline has more than 25 years of experience with returnable assets. The platform works with every type of load carrier and connects to whatever core system you use: ERP, WMS, TMS or finance. Put tracking hardware where it adds value and manage the rest without it.
Curious how manufacturers in automotive, chemicals and other industries manage their load carriers? Talk to our team about relevant use cases.
