Deposits do not cover the keg.
Deposits are often a fraction of what a new keg costs. A venue that keeps or scraps a keg can still come out ahead.
Q · A
What is keg tracking software?
Keg tracking software records where each keg is, who holds it and how it moves between breweries, distributors and venues. Rotion does this per keg, on the QR, barcode or RFID codes already on your kegs. Venue balances, deposits, dwell time and losses then come from scans at drop-off and pickup instead of deposit lists and annual keg counts.
- Per-keg identity on existing codes
- Balances and deposits per venue from scans
- Autopilot flags venues sitting on kegs
01The problem
Why kegs go missing.
Kegs leave with every delivery and come back on the venue’s schedule. Deposit lists lose track as volumes grow, and every lost keg is bought twice.
The trail stops at the wholesaler.
Most keg histories go cold at the distributor. After that step, nobody can say which venue holds which keg.
Cellars hide the fleet.
Kegs stand full in cellars and empty behind bars. Dwell time drives the size of the fleet you need more than breakage does.
02Loop
Every keg, every handover.
Each handover is a scan on the codes already on the keg. Kegs that go through a distributor stay on the same record as kegs you deliver yourself, so you see where the fleet sits and how long each stage holds it.
- 01 Brewery1,240full and ready, 3 dFill scan
- 02 Distributor2,860East and North, 6 dHandover scan
- Deposit lists stop herePaper lists end at the handover
- Direct delivery skips this stop
- 03 Venues7,410held at venues, 19 dDrop-off scan
- 19 dMedian days at venues, the longest leg
- 04 Returning980empty, 2 dPickup scan
- 05 Cleaning610in the washer, 1 dWash scan
- Scans keep each keg on recordBack to fill, the loop starts again
One loop in median days31 d · Drawn to scale
- Brewery3 d
- Distributor6 d
- Venues19 d
- Returning2 d
- Cleaning1 d
03Partners
One record, a view per partner.
A distributor joins on its own login and sees only the kegs it holds. Its drivers scan at drop-off and pickup with the Rotion app, so nobody starts an IT project.
Kegs / PartnersPartners holding kegs
Signed in as the brewery · all partners
PartnerIn warehouseAt its venuesMedian returnOpen deposit
DEDistributor EastOwn loginIn warehouse1,720At its venues3,050Median return9 daysOpen deposit€143,100
DNDistributor NorthOwn loginIn warehouse1,140At its venues2,180Median return7 daysOpen deposit€99,600
BRDirect routesBrewery driversIn warehouse0At its venues2,180Median return12 daysOpen deposit€65,400
TotalIn warehouse2,860At its venues7,410Open deposit€308,100
Deposit per keg €30.00Each figure comes from the last scan per keg
Distributor East
Signed in as Distributor East · own venues only
VenueKegs heldDays heldStatus
31Venue 3146Held41 daysOverdue
Autopilot · proposal
Venue 31 has held 46 kegs for more than 40 days. It usually returns kegs in 14 days. Proposal: add a pickup at Venue 31 to Distributor East’s Friday route and send the venue its balance.
ApproveReview
Autopilot proposes, on the Custom plan. A person at Distributor East approves before anything changes.
27Venue 2724Held12 daysOn schedule
12Venue 1218Held9 daysOn schedule
08Venue 0811Held6 daysOn schedule
Sorted by days held · 4 of 86 venues
Join
The brewery invites the distributor. It gets its own login, scoped to the kegs it holds.
Scan
Drivers use the Rotion app on their phones at drop-off and pickup. Nothing to install on site.
See
Both sides read the same record, so the count at the warehouse matches the count at the brewery.
04Platform
Built for keg fleets.
Everything a brewery or distributor needs to run kegs across direct delivery, wholesale and events. Pick a feature to see it.
Explore the platformBalance per venueDeposits and settlementsRotation and dwell timeFleet status Autopilot 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 · kegs357 · € 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 timekegs
Avg cycle11.4 d
Dwell at customer6.2 d
Turns per year31
Dwell per customer, days
Fleet by regionkegs
Assets412,300
In circulation71%
Idle at depots9%
utilization
05Deposits
The deposit follows the keg.
Each charge and each refund on a venue statement ties to the scan behind it. When a venue questions its balance, the statement answers with the keg, the date, the route and the time.
Deposit statementVenue 31 · September 2026Supplied through Distributor East · Friday route 4
Sample dataDateKegEventDepositScan behind it
Sep 04KEG 0x2B90Delivered full+€30.00Driver scan · route 4 · 07:42
- Code read
- GS1 GRAI
- Scanned by
- Driver, Distributor East
- Place
- Venue 31, cellar door
- Device
- Rotion app
- Signed
- Sep 04 07:42
Sep 04KEG 0x2B91Delivered full+€30.00Driver scan · route 4 · 07:42
Sep 04KEG 0x1F07Returned empty-€30.00Driver scan · route 4 · 07:44
Sep 11KEG 0x2C14Delivered full+€30.00Driver scan · route 4 · 08:05
Sep 11KEG 0x2B90Returned empty-€30.00Driver scan · route 4 · 08:07
Sep 11KEG 0x1E9AReturned empty-€30.00Driver scan · route 4 · 08:08
Sep 18KEG 0x2C3FDelivered full+€30.00Driver scan · route 4 · 07:51
Sep 18KEG 0x2C40Delivered full+€30.00Driver scan · route 4 · 07:51
Sep 25KEG 0x2C91Delivered full+€30.00Driver scan · route 4 · 07:38
Sep 25KEG 0x2C14Returned empty-€30.00Driver scan · route 4 · 07:40
Showing 10 of 23 scan lines
Opening balance · 41 kegs€1,230.00
Delivered full · 14 kegs+€420.00
Returned empty · 9 kegs-€270.00
Open balance · 46 kegs€1,380.00
What a deposit covers
A small number next to a large one.
Replacement cost, 30 L keg (sample)€160Deposit charged to the venue€30
Uncovered per lost keg€130
Keg deposits are commonly 15 to 20% of replacement value (Brewers Association).
So
Custody per keg stops the loss deposits cannot. A scan at every handover shows who held the keg last, and that is the party you collect from.
A dispute, closed
Venue 31 says it returned KEG 0x2C14 early. The record shows two scans on Friday route 4.
- Sep 11 08:05Delivered full
- Sep 25 07:40Returned empty
Deposit charged and refunded once each. Nothing open on this keg.
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.
06Field notes
What keg data shows.
Venue dwell time drives fleet size.
Per-venue dwell data shows which accounts turn kegs in days and which hold them for weeks.
Seasonality hides structural loss.
Summer and festival peaks mask kegs that never return. With an identity per keg, you can tell seasonal float from real loss, and end-of-season recovery becomes a route plan.
Wholesale handovers are where history breaks.
Scanned handovers keep custody continuous across tiers, so deposit balances survive the step that used to erase them.
Run more than one asset type?
Q.01Do we need to replace our ERP or route planning?
No. Rotion runs alongside your ERP and route planning and fills what they do not cover: keg-level history, loss patterns and per-customer balances. Connectors exist for SAP, Odoo, WMS and TMS.
Q.02Do venues and distributors need to install anything?
No. Partners confirm handovers on the web or a phone, and drivers can scan for them. Adoption does not depend on every venue cooperating.
Q.03Can we use our existing keg codes?
Yes. Rotion reads QR codes, barcodes, RFID and GS1 GRAI identifiers, so relabeling is usually not needed.
Q.04Are keg deposits enough to prevent losses?
No. Kegs usually remain brewery property, and deposits are commonly a fraction of replacement value, so they do not stop a keg from leaving the loop. Custody evidence per keg and fast follow-up on overdue venues do. See how to reduce keg losses across distributors and venues.
Q.05How does Rotion reduce keg loss?
Every keg has a holder and a location at all times. Autopilot flags venues holding kegs too long and proposes a pickup or reminder, so recovery is routine instead of a write-off. Operators running Rotion report 28% fewer assets lost.
