Real-time visibility and reduced theft mark a new era in reusable plastic container tracking.
Smart Traceability for Reusables Gains Ground
Doncaster, UK-based Junction 4 Pallets has joined forces with Irish tech company Tracworx to develop a digital traceability solution for reusable plastic containers (RPCs) and other returnable transport items (RTIs). The collaboration combines Junction 4’s extensive expertise in returnable packaging and logistics with Tracworx’s established digital tracking technology to deliver a scalable, cloud-based solution that gives customers full control and visibility of their reusable packaging assets.
This new system allows customers to manage their RPC inventory in real time from anywhere in the world. By leveraging RFID tags, satellite-connected readers, and cloud analytics, the system can monitor movement, track asset usage, reduce theft, and identify areas for improvement in reuse cycles, maintenance, and returns.
Chris Kelly, CEO of Tracworx, says the technology is rooted in the company’s early success managing patient flow in hospitals across Ireland and the UK. “Tracworx started in 2016. At the time, it was patient tracking, we were focused on hospitals and managing the flow of patients, helping hospitals optimise operating theatres,” he explained. That changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We started working with Apple TV and other companies like Reagecon. Initially, it was just tracking contacts for COVID. Out of that, we then realised there’s a bigger supply chain opportunity we should go after.”
Unlocking Operational Efficiency Through Data
The traceability solution helps users address common challenges such as asset loss, theft, and underutilisation. According to Kelly, “At Tracworx, we manage returnable transport items, essentially providing a system for customers to manage those assets digitally. We place smart tags on assets and turn them from being silent pieces of equipment to pieces of equipment that give back data.”
The partnership with Junction 4 is focused on turning these insights into measurable improvements in operations. “We’re working with a fresh food supplier in terms of supplying pallets. The challenge is pool management, being able to move away from single-use pallets and allowing the company to own their own pool of pallets. So not only are you getting your own pallet, but you can now manage that digitally as well by being able to know who you gave it to, how many returns it has done and when it was last maintained, extracting value from your supply chain.”
Junction 4’s Steve Raybould, who leads the company’s reverse logistics strategy, sees the collaboration as a natural fit. “Combining the skill sets of Tracworx and Junction4 Pallets is a no-brainer. Working closely together on projects, we jointly bring real synergies to customer supply chains using technology,” Raybould said. “Tracworx provides a full, end-to-end solution (tags, readers, software, systems and data interrogation); which when combined with the traditional equipment management expertise of J4 (manufacturing, transport, equipment repair, sortation and inspection) gives customers a truly connected supply chain for loose equipment and the products they carry.”
According to Raybould, the resulting gains are significant: “This combined approach allows informed choices to be made, optimises equipment usage through better, more timely data. In the end, the equipment works harder and maximises the original capex investment in the equipment, reducing costs and promoting circularity.”
Performance Gains and Market Potential
The system has already demonstrated promising results. Reports from Tracworx indicate that asset reuse rates can improve by up to 20% through real-time tracking and analytics. Theft and loss are reduced through enhanced chain-of-custody visibility and behavioural alerts, while administrative time spent on manual tracking is significantly lowered.
The combined offering is well suited for logistics operators, 3PLs, and any business with significant RTI fleets. It holds particular appeal in food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, and fast-moving consumer goods sectors, where visibility, sanitation, and reuse cycles are all mission critical.
About Junction 4 Pallets
Junction 4 is one of the UK’s most experienced providers of reusable packaging solutions. The company manufactures and reconditions millions of pallets annually and offers a comprehensive suite of reverse logistics, equipment repair, and asset management services.
About Tracworx
Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Limerick, Ireland, Tracworx provides digital tracking solutions for a wide range of industries. Initially developed for healthcare, the company’s asset management technology now supports supply chains across Europe, offering end-to-end visibility and real-time insights through RFID and satellite-enabled systems.
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Rick LeBlanc, EMBA, is the founder and editor of Reusable Packaging News (subscribe to the free newsletter) and editor of Western Pallet Magazine. A supply chain journalist with more than 30 years of experience, he specializes in pallets, reusable packaging, material handling and related operations. Rick is co-author of Pallets: A North American Perspective and Pallets & Progress: A Collected History of Pallets and Palletized Handling 1922–1945. He is also an advisory board member of the Virginia Tech Center for Packaging and Unit Load Design. Read Rick’s full bio.
