This case study is the result of a project
conducted on behalf of a company that uses its own
returnable containers to transport purchased parts from
suppliers. The objective of this project was to develop a
proposal to enable the company to more effectively track
and manage its returnable containers. The research
activities in support of this project included (1) the
analysis and documentation of the physical flow and the
information flow associated with the containers and (2)
the investigation of new technologies to improve the
automatic identification and tracking of containers. This
paper explains the automatic identification technologies
and important criteria for selection. A companion paper
details the flow of information and containers within the
logistics chain, and it identifies areas for improving the
management of the containers.
