Returnable Container Tracking Software

I had a similar challenge in another industry and we solved it by tweaking our accounting application since it was capable of tracking serial numbers and/or lot codes on items sold.

We just assigned a part number to each type of container and a serial number to each individual container. When the order was originally invoiced, the part number and serial number were entered as a line item and when the container was returned, it was handled as a return for credit using that same part number and serial number.

If your accounting application supports either lot codes or serial numbers (and I would guess that a chemical manufacturer would at least need lot code support), this should be relatively easy to implement and, especially if you have bar code support, would be very easy to maintain.

paul