Tracing carts and crates with barcodes

Introduction: What is tracing carts and crates?

Tracing carts and crates means keeping track of which transport equipment (roll containers, crates, CC carts) you send to which customer and when you get them back. You attach a barcode to each cart or crate, and by scanning it the system knows exactly where each cart is.

Why trace carts and crates?

You want to trace carts and crates because:

• You always know where your carts and crates are (with which customer)
• You can see which customers have not yet returned their carts
• You can take into account how many carts you still have available
• You can calculate deposit fees (security deposit for the cart or crate)
• You prevent carts from "disappearing" or being forgotten at customers
• You have a complete overview of all your transport equipment

How do you trace carts and crates?

Step 1: Creating carts or crates (one-time setup)

First you need to create the cart or crate in the system. You do this once per type of cart.

To the carts menu

1. Go to "Articles"
2. Click on "(Other) Carts"
3. Click on "New"

Fill in cart details Fill in the following information:

• Code: A short code for the cart (for example "CC01" for CC cart type 1)
• Short name: A short recognisable name (for example "CC cart large")
• Cart: Choose the type of cart from the list (for example CC cart, DC cart, or crates)
• Rest is optional: You can add more details, but this is not required

Click "Save"

Step 2: Creating and linking barcodes

Now you create a barcode for each individual cart or crate. If you have 10 carts, you create 10 different barcodes.

To the cart barcode menu

1. Go to "Articles"
2. Click on "(Other) Cart barcode"
3. Click on "New"

Link barcode

1. Cart: Choose the cart you created in step 1 (for example "CC cart large")
2. Barcode: Enter the barcode number (this is on the sticker you attach to the cart)
3. Click "Save"

Repeat this for each cart If you have 10 carts, create 10 cart barcodes each with a unique number.

Example:

• Cart 1: Barcode 1001
• Cart 2: Barcode 1002
• Cart 3: Barcode 1003
• And so on...

Step 3: Distributing carts to customers (sending out)

When you send a cart or crate to a customer, you need to register this in the system.

To the customer

1. Go to "Logistics distribution"
2. Click on "(General) Per debtor"
3. Find and click on the customer you are sending the cart to

Register cart

1. Click on "(General) Carts"
2. You now have two options:

Option A: With scanner

• Scan the barcode on the cart
• The system automatically registers that this cart is going to this customer
• Done!

Option B: Without scanner (manually)

• Click on "New"
• Choose the cart you are sending
• Fill in the quantity if needed (how many carts of this type)
• Click "Save"

What happens now? The system now knows that this cart is with this customer. You can view this later in the reports.

Step 4: Receiving carts back from customers (checking in)

When a customer returns a cart or crate, you also need to register this.

To the cart check-in menu

1. Go to "Logistics check-in"
2. Click on "Carts"

Register cart return You again have two options:

Option A: With scanner

• Scan the barcode on the returning cart
• The system automatically registers that this cart is back
• Done!

Option B: Without scanner (manually)

• Click on "New"
• Choose the cart that has returned
• Click "Save"

What happens now? The system now knows that this cart is available again and is no longer with the customer.

Step 5: Viewing registration and reports

You can always request an overview of where all your carts are.

To the report

1. Go to "Reporting"
2. Click on "(Logistics) Other logistics"
3. Click on "Scanned cart barcodes"

What do you see in this overview?

• Which carts have gone to which customers
• When the carts were sent out
• Which carts have already been returned
• Which carts are still with customers
• How many carts you have in total

Summary

Tracing carts and crates with barcodes is done in four steps:

• Step 1: Create carts in the system with a code and name (one-time)
• Step 2: Create a unique barcode for each individual cart and link it (one-time per cart)
• Step 3: Register carts going to customers via Logistics distribution → Per debtor → Carts (scan or manually)
• Step 4: Register returning carts via Logistics check-in → Carts (scan or manually)
• Bonus: View reports to see where all your carts are and which customers still need to return carts