Containers stand still at customers.
Full or empty, a large share of any IBC fleet waits at customer sites. Without dwell data per site, collection runs follow habit.
Q · A
What is IBC tracking software?
IBC tracking software records where each intermediate bulk container is, who holds it, what it carried and when it was cleaned, inspected and refilled. Rotion does this per container across chemical and food producers, fillers, customers and reconditioners, on the serials, QR codes or RFID tags your IBCs already carry. Site balances, deposits and cleaning trails then come from scans instead of spreadsheets.
- Contents, cleaning and inspection per IBC
- Recall trace by batch or LOT
- A QR sticker is enough, sensors optional
01The problem
Why IBCs go missing.
IBCs spend most of their life on other people’s sites. Spreadsheets lose the trail at the second handover, and every container that does not come back is bought twice.
Cleaning history is on paper.
For food-grade and chemical flows, an IBC without a documented cleaning cycle is a liability. Paper records do not travel with the container.
Service partners are unrecorded.
Containers change state at cleaning and repair partners. When nobody scans there, that is also where they disappear.
02Record
One IBC, one record.
Every container carries its own data plate in Rotion: what it carried, when it was cleaned, when it is due for inspection and who holds it now.
01 SerialSample data
IBC 0x7C41QR sticker, no sensor needed02 Last contents
Product AFilled 28 Sep 2026, Filler 0703 LOTRecall trace ↓
L-2291-BBatch 2291
04 Cleaned on
11 Oct 2026Partner South cleaning05 Next inspectionInspection board ↓
14 Mar 20272.5-year inspection, UN and ADR06 Next test
14 Sep 20295-year test07 Current holder
Filler 07Since 12 Oct 202601From the LOTRecall trace: every IBC that carried it.02From the datesInspection board for the whole fleet.03From the status lightFill check at the filling scan.
03How it works
Your IBC loop, scan by scan.
Scans at dispatch and return fit existing warehouse steps. Customers and service partners confirm with any phone.
- 01
Fill and dispatch
The IBC is filled and scanned out. Product, batch and customer attach to that container.
- 02
At customer
Custody moves to the customer site. Dwell time and the deposit start counting.
- 03
Return and cleaning
The empty IBC is collected and scanned into the cleaning partner. The cleaning cycle logs on the container.
- 04
Inspect and release
Inspection and the next test date are recorded. Only released IBCs go back to filling.
04Recall
A recall becomes a lookup.
Start from the LOT on one IBC, or search by batch or any content data. Rotion lists every IBC that carried it, who holds it now and whether it was cleaned since, ready to export for the auditor.
Search contentsSample data
LOTL-2291-B
Started fromIBC 0x7C41Product A, Batch 2291
14 IBCs carried this LOT
14IBCs
11cleaned
3at customers
| Serial | Current holder | Cleaned since | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0x7C41 | Filler 07 | Yes | Ready to fill |
| 0x7C3A | Customer 22 | No | At customer |
| 0x7B12 | Customer 31 | No | At customer |
| 0x7D08 | Customer 09 | No | At customer |
| 0x6F21 | Partner South cleaning | Yes | Cleaned |
| 0x7C55 | Partner South cleaning | Yes | Cleaned |
| 0x71E0 | Filler 07 | Yes | Ready to fill |
| 0x7A9C | Filler 07 | Yes | Refilled |
| 0x7C02 | Customer 14 | Yes | Refilled |
| 0x6E77 | Depot North | Yes | Cleaned |
| 0x7D1F | Depot North | Yes | Cleaned |
| 0x7B88 | Inspection partner East | Yes | In inspection |
| 0x72C4 | Filler 03 | Yes | Ready to fill |
| 0x7C60 | Partner South cleaning | Yes | Cleaned |
Holder, cleaning cycles and contents per IBCExport for audit ↓
05Platform
Built for IBC fleets.
Everything a filler or processor needs to run IBCs across customers, cleaning partners and regions. Pick a feature to see it.
Explore the platform
History per IBCBalance per siteDeposits and settlementsRotation and dwell time Autopilot Asset historyIBC 0x7C41UN 31HA1/Y · 1000 L · 23 cycles
- 28 SepFilledFiller 07 · Product A, LOT L-2291-B
- 29 SepDispatchedFiller 07 → Customer 22
- 09 OctReturned emptyDriver scan · route 3
- 11 OctCleanedPartner South · cleaning cycle 23
- 12 OctReceivedFiller 07 · ready to fill
Next inspection 14 Mar 2027 · UN and ADR
Balance per customerAll regions · last 30 days
| Customer | Out | Back | Open | Dwell |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Store 2214 Ghent | 1,240 | 1,196 | 44 | 5 d |
| Customer 14 | 860 | 648 | 212 | 21 d |
| DC Zellik | 2,310 | 2,287 | 23 | 2 d |
| Grower Hoogstraten | 1,580 | 1,531 | 49 | 7 d |
| Store 0917 Leuven | 640 | 611 | 29 | 6 d |
Open total · IBCs357 · € 1,785 deposit value
Deposit statementReady to send
Q3 2026 · Customer 14
Issued4,820
Returned4,571
Open or lost249 × € 5.00 per unit
Balance due€ 1,245.00
Send statementExport PDFBacked by 9,391 scans
Rotation and dwell timeIBCs
Avg cycle11.4 d
Dwell at customer6.2 d
Turns per year31
Dwell per customer, days
06Inspection
No IBC goes out past its date.
Each IBC carries its 2.5-year inspection and 5-year test date. Rotion counts what falls due each month, blocks filling or dispatch once a date has passed, and checks the last contents at every filling scan.
Due this month38
Done8
Upcoming24
Overdue, blocked6
OctoberInspection and test dates
MTWTFSS12223453617819310111221314315216171819420212223232425265272822930331
DoneOverdueUpcoming
Blocked from filling6
IBC 0x3A12Filler 07Test, 2 Oct
IBC 0x3A40Filler 07Inspection, 2 Oct
IBC 0x51D8Customer 22Inspection, 6 Oct
IBC 0x6B07Partner SouthInspection, 9 Oct
IBC 0x6B11Partner SouthInspection, 9 Oct
IBC 0x6B2ECustomer 14Test, 9 Oct
Autopilot proposal
Route the 6 overdue IBCs to the inspection partner. 2 already sit at Partner South, so one collection covers them.
Custom plan. Acts only on approval.Approve routeReview
Next 12 monthsIBCs due per month
IBC 0x7C41Filling line 2, scanned now
Fill checkReady to fill
- Last contents
- Product A
- Cleaned
- 2 days ago
- Inspection valid until
- Mar 2027
IBC 0x7D09Filling line 2, scanned now
Fill checkClean first
- Last contents
- Product B
- Cleaned
- Not since last fill
- Inspection valid until
- Aug 2027
The filling scan reads the last contents and the cleaning record before a drop goes in.
Field results from operators running Rotion across pools, retail and industry.
28%
S.01fewer assets lost
9%
S.02smaller fleet needed
575,310
S.03assets tracked
Trusted by these organizations.
07Customer
Running IBC loops in the USA.
Horizons ISG in the USA uses Rotion for its IBCs to optimize the reuse flow.
IBC fleet, USA08Field notes
What IBC data shows.
Cleaning history is compliance history.
Per-container cleaning trails turn quality audits into a lookup, and blocked containers stop entering the wrong loop.
Dwell at customers is the hidden fleet.
Site-level dwell data shows where containers wait, which customers need collection runs, and how much fleet you could release.
Inspection dates need an owner.
UN-marked IBCs carry periodic inspection and test dates. With the date on the record, a container due for testing does not go out full.
Run more than one asset type?
Q.01Do we need to replace our ERP?
No. Rotion runs alongside your ERP and logistics systems and fills what they do not cover: container-level history, loss patterns and per-site balances. Connectors exist for SAP, Odoo, WMS and TMS.
Q.02Can we use our existing IBC serials?
Yes. Rotion reads QR codes, barcodes, RFID and GS1 GRAI identifiers, and existing serials can be linked to a code. Relabeling is usually not needed.
Q.03Can Rotion record what an IBC last carried?
Yes. Product and batch attach to the container at filling, and cleaning cycles log against it. Whether an IBC can be refilled with a given product becomes a lookup.
Q.04Do we need sensors on every container?
No. A QR sticker is enough: Rotion records handovers by scan, with no device or data plan per container. Sensors are optional, whether BLE, RFID, 4G or any other, and their readings land on the same record. For a comparison with sensor-based tools, see the best IBC and tote tracking software.
Q.05Can we trace a recall by batch or LOT?
Yes. Search by batch, LOT or other content data and Rotion lists every IBC that carried it, who holds it now and whether it was cleaned since, ready to export for an audit.
Q.06Can Rotion stop an IBC past its inspection date?
Yes. Each IBC carries its periodic inspection and test dates, the 2.5-year inspection and the 5-year test under UN and ADR rules. Rotion can block filling or dispatch once a date has passed, and the filling scan warns about the last contents or a missing cleaning.
Q.07How does Rotion reduce IBC loss?
Every IBC has a holder and a location at all times. Autopilot flags sites holding containers too long and proposes a collection, so recovery is routine instead of a write-off. Read more in how to reduce IBC losses across partners.
