ID Tech Solutions implements RAIN RFID-based tracking for Indorama Ventures across 5+ warehouse locations internationally, improving visibility, dispatch verification, and returnable asset management.
In manufacturing and logistics, returnable packaging plays an important role in moving goods between production facilities, warehouses, customers, and repair centers. But managing these reusable assets becomes challenging when thousands of them are continuously moving across different locations.
A metal cage may leave a manufacturing plant with finished goods, reach a customer, return to a warehouse, or be sent for repair before entering the next dispatch cycle. Keeping track of each movement, its current status, and how long it has been away from the facility requires reliable identification and accurate records.
This was one of the challenges faced by Indorama Ventures, a global chemical manufacturing company that uses returnable metal cages to transport finished products across its operations.
To address this, ID Tech Solutions implemented a RAIN RFID-based Returnable Asset Tracking solution, enabling the identification and management of more than 18,000 metal cages across 5+ warehouse locations.
The Challenge: Managing Returnable Assets Across Multiple Locations
Indorama Ventures operates manufacturing and distribution facilities across several countries. As part of its logistics operations, the company uses reusable metal cages, also known as Returnable Transport Packaging (RTP), to transport finished products between plants, warehouses, customers, and repair facilities.
Unlike single-use packaging, these cages remain in circulation for multiple cycles. Each cage needs to be accounted for, whether it is in storage, dispatched to a customer, awaiting return, or undergoing repair.
With thousands of cages moving between different locations, manual verification and inventory reconciliation made it difficult to maintain consistent visibility.
The key operational challenges included:
- Limited visibility into cage movements and availability
- Manual dispatch and return verification
- Cage losses and delayed returns
- Difficulty tracking how long cages remained with individual customers
- Limited visibility into repair and maintenance history
- Time-consuming inventory reconciliation across locations
The requirement was not simply to identify the cages, but to establish a reliable system for tracking their movements and maintaining their lifecycle records.
The Solution: Giving Every Metal Cage a Digital Identity
ID Tech Solutions implemented a RAIN RFID-based asset tracking platform to automate the identification and management of returnable metal cages.
Each cage was assigned a unique electronic identity using a rugged, on-metal RAIN RFID tag. The tags were securely mounted onto the metal cages using rivets, making them suitable for routine industrial handling.
The solution uses ID Tech’s Ferric 100 on-metal RAIN RFID tags, IDT RHC72 handheld RAIN RFID readers, and centralized web-based RFID management software.
The tags are designed for metal surfaces and rated for more than five years of operational life under normal industrial conditions, making them suitable for reusable assets that remain in circulation over multiple years.
Once tagged, every cage can be identified through its unique Electronic Product Code (EPC), allowing its movements and operational status to be recorded digitally.
The solution covers the complete returnable asset lifecycle, including dispatch, receiving, returns, inventory verification, and repair management.
How the RAIN RFID System Works
The process begins with asset information imported from Indorama’s existing ERP system into the RFID management platform.
Each metal cage is then registered and associated with a unique RAIN RFID tag, creating a link between the physical asset and its digital record.
Warehouse teams use the IDT RHC72 handheld RFID reader at different stages of the cage lifecycle.
Dispatch Verification
Before dispatch, operators use handheld RFID readers to identify the cages being sent out. The captured information is recorded in the software, creating a digital dispatch record.
Receiving and Returns
When cages arrive at a warehouse or return from customers, the handheld reader identifies them and updates the corresponding movement records.
This helps teams reconcile returned assets against previous dispatch information.
Inventory Audits
Warehouse personnel use RFID handheld readers to identify tagged cages during inventory checks.
Instead of relying entirely on manual identification, the system captures cage identities electronically and helps reconcile them with the inventory records.
Repair and Maintenance Tracking
Cages requiring repair can be identified and their maintenance activities recorded in the software.
This creates a history of repair events associated with each asset.
The captured information is synchronized with the centralized RFID management software, enabling teams across different warehouse locations to access updated cage records.
Turning RAIN RFID Data into Operational Visibility
Identifying assets is only one part of the solution. The real value comes from making the captured information useful for day-to-day operations.
The web-based RFID management software connects cage identification with inventory, dispatch, returns, repair activities, and lifecycle records.
It provides several reporting and monitoring capabilities:
- Customer-wise cage ageing: Understanding how long cages remain with individual customers.
- Customer location-wise reports: Reviewing cage records across different customer locations.
- Repair frequency analysis: Tracking maintenance activities and identifying cages requiring repeated repairs.
- Cage lifecycle history: Maintaining records of asset movements and operational events.
- Batch-wise tracking: Managing cages associated with specific batches.
- Live inventory dashboard: Viewing updated inventory information across warehouse locations.
- Movement history: Reviewing recorded dispatch, receiving, and return activities.
- Asset utilization reports: Supporting analysis of how reusable cages are being utilized.
For example, if a cage has not returned within the expected period, the team can refer to its recorded dispatch history and customer information to investigate the delay.
Similarly, repair records help maintain visibility into the maintenance history of individual cages.
This allows the organization to move beyond simply counting available cages and develop a more structured approach to returnable asset management.
The Results: 18,000+ Metal Cages Tracked Across 5+ Warehouses
The RAIN RFID solution has helped Indorama Ventures improve the tracking and management of returnable metal cages across multiple locations.
Each cage now has a unique RFID identity, making it easier to track its movement from dispatch to return.
The system has simplified inventory checks, dispatch verification, return management, and repair tracking. With all records available in one centralized platform, teams can easily monitor cage movements and manage reusable assets across different warehouses.
RAIN RFID: Enabling Better Visibility into Returnable Assets
Tracking metal cages in industrial environments can be challenging due to frequent movement, stacking, and their metal construction. RAIN RFID addresses these challenges through rugged on-metal tags and handheld readers, enabling reliable identification without requiring direct line of sight.
At Indorama Ventures, the integration of RAIN RFID hardware with centralized software has given each cage a unique digital identity, making it easier to track movements, manage returns, and maintain lifecycle records.
With 18,000+ metal cages tagged across 5+ warehouse locations, the project demonstrates how RAIN RFID can improve asset visibility, traceability, and returnable packaging management across industrial supply chains.
About ID Tech Solutions
ID Tech Solutions Pvt. Ltd. is an India-based RFID technology and solutions provider offering RAIN RFID readers, antennas, tags, handheld devices, and integrated identification solutions for asset tracking, warehouse automation, logistics, manufacturing, and other industrial applications.
Website: https://www.idsolutionsindia.com