Book a Demo Demo
Metal shelves filled with blue plastic bins in a warehouse; an automated robotic system operates between the shelves.
  • Empties Management

Keep containers available without building excess stock

SupplyOn connects reusable packaging processes from empties ordering and booking through account balancing, stock taking, and fee settlement across suppliers, plants, warehouses, and repair networks.

✓ Prevent container shortages
✓ Reduce manual coordination
✓ Control excess stock and container-related costs

Reusable Packaging Process

Keep containers available throughout the material flow

Reusable packaging has to move between multiple partners while bookings, balances, physical stock, and fees remain aligned.

  1. Request required empties: Suppliers request the container types and quantities needed for upcoming material supply.
  2. Record and align movements: Container movements are booked and aligned between the participating partners.
  3. Reconcile container accounts: Partners review bookings and resolve deviations through regular account balancing.
  4. Validate physical stock: Stock taking verifies container inventories and enables required corrections.
  5. Settle usage fees: Relevant container stock and defined rules provide the basis for fee calculation and billing.
The Challenge

Fragmented container processes put supply and cost control at risk

Reusable containers are critical to material flow, but ordering, bookings, stock information, reconciliation, and partner communication are often spread across spreadsheets and separate systems.

Missing containers can disrupt material supply

If the required packaging is not available at the right time, material supply and production can be put at risk.

Bookings and reconciliation create manual work

Manual bookings, missing confirmations, claims, and delayed reconciliation create recurring coordination effort between partners.

Limited transparency drives stock and cost problems

Without a consistent view of container stock and movements, unused containers, excess stock, wrong allocations, and fee disputes are harder to identify and resolve.

The SupplyOn Approach

Manage the reusable packaging lifecycle in one connected process

SupplyOn connects empties demand and ordering with bookings, partner alignment, account balancing, stock taking, and fee settlement.

Plan empties supply against material demand

Suppliers can request defined container types for specific relations and delivery dates. SupplyOn supports container rules including provision times, bundles, ownership logic, and quantity restrictions, and can generate empties order proposals based on material demand and packaging rules. Planners can review open orders and existing stock before deciding how requests should be fulfilled.

Business impact
  • Lower the risk of material shortages caused by missing containers
  • Balance upcoming container demand against available stock
  • Reduce wrong orders and manual coordination
A person sits at a desk using a computer displaying a spreadsheet or database interface in a modern office environment.
Person points at a computer monitor displaying business analytics dashboards with charts, graphs, and coloured circular diagrams in an office environment.

Keep container movements and partner alignment under control

Create bookings manually, through external systems, or automatically from confirmed and standing orders. Confirmation and storno rules, claim handling, and exception-focused confirmation help partners resolve deviations without manually chasing every movement.

Business impact
  • Reduce booking effort across partners
  • Clarify deviations faster
  • Reduce workload from missing confirmations and disputed movements

Reconcile stock and settle container fees consistently

Monthly account balancing helps partners validate bookings close to the booking date. Global or focused stock taking supports physical validation and correction bookings, while usage-fee calculation applies defined stock and charging rules. Billing data can then be transferred to ERP systems for invoicing and payment tracking.

Business impact
  • Make reconciliation faster and more reliable
  • Improve control of container losses, overstock, and billing disputes
  • Improve cost allocation and reduce capital tied up in empties
Person working at a desk in a modern office, viewing a data management or spreadsheet software on a large computer monitor.
Why it matters

Keep containers available while reducing the cost of managing them

Up to 40%

reduction of process costs through implementation of an empties management system

Lower transport cost

Consolidate orders and use defined turnaround times and delivery cycles to reduce unnecessary transport effort.

Lower inventory and administration costs

Increase transparency into containers in stock, in motion, and in maintenance while identifying wrong allocations, excess stock, and unused containers.

Allocate container costs more consistently

Use account balancing, stock taking, and loss-related corrections to improve accountability and cost allocation across the container network.

Secure production. Reduce process cost. Minimize inert capital in empties.

Frequently Asked Questions

SupplyOn Empties Management is a digital process for managing reusable packaging and container flows across a supply network. It connects empties ordering, booking, partner alignment, account balancing, stock taking, and usage-fee settlement in one system.

Material suppliers can request defined container types and quantities for specific delivery dates and relations. SupplyOn can also generate empties order proposals based on material demand and packaging rules. Planners can review open orders, supplier stock, and fulfillment priorities before confirming, changing, partially fulfilling, or canceling requests.

Yes. SupplyOn supports customized empties order proposals based on material demand and packaging rules, connecting packaging requirements more closely with material demand.

Bookings can be created manually, transferred from external systems, or generated automatically from confirmed orders or standing orders. Confirmation, storno, claim, and exception-handling rules help keep bookings aligned between partners.

Account balancing reconciles container bookings over a defined period, typically monthly. Partners review the relevant bookings, raise claims for deviations, and close the balancing period with documented results and follow-up actions.

SupplyOn supports global or focused stock taking for selected relations or container types, including correction bookings. Usage-fee calculation uses stock levels and defined rules to determine billable quantities and exceptions, with billing data available for transfer to ERP systems.

See Empties Management in action

See how container demand, movements, stock, and fees stay aligned

Explore how SupplyOn connects reusable packaging processes across suppliers, plants, warehouses, and other participating partners.

Request a demo detail