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The field test started at a German private brewery with a large fleet of reusable kegs. Like many companies, it had an established container management system, but no real-time view of the circulation, downtimes, and temperature profiles of individual containers. The test aimed at evaluating the practical value added of additional data in operation, and not at demonstrating the technical feasibility of IoT solutions.

In the project, several hundred stainless steel kegs were equipped with robust sensor technology. The position and temperature data collected was continuously transferred to the existing system landscape via an IoT and tracking platform. This made it possible to track how circulation times develop across defined markets, where kegs remain longer than expected, and how stable process conditions are along different distribution channels.

The evaluations showed that additional transparency regarding movements and process statuses opens up new opportunities for improvement. Unusual downtimes of individual kegs became visible and were addressed in a systematic approach. Temperature curves allowed for a differentiated view of the cold chain, especially at transfer points between logistics stages. The brewery gained a more accurate picture of the actual processes beyond planned values and assumptions.

Another focus of the field test was integrating the data into the existing IT and ERP environment. The objective was to evaluate how real-time information from container logistics can support planning, inventory, and forecasting processes. Initial findings indicate that return forecasts and demand planning can be improved if the movements and statuses of reusable assets are incorporated into scheduling. In the long term, safety stocks could be reduced, shrinkage better identified, and search efforts reduced.

“Many companies still manage the circulation of their reusables based on assumptions. The practical test shows that real-time data enables reliable assessments about circulation times, locations, and process statuses. This fundamentally changes the quality of decisions in logistics and planning,” says Matthias Piekarczyk, Chief Sales Officer at BOX ID.

The field test was implemented by the container manufacturer SCHÄFER Container Systems and a hardware partner of BOX ID Systems GmbH. The primary focus was placed on practical relevance: the findings will be incorporated into the further development of solutions and the evaluation of specific investment decisions.

The results are not limited to the beverage industry. Companies in manufacturing, automotive, retail, and pooling systems face similar challenges in circular logistics. The test shows how digital asset data can help make reusable systems more transparent, predictable, and economical to manage.