How are reusable assets identified?
Rotion identifies reusable assets with QR codes, barcodes, RFID, or combinations, using GS1-compliant asset IDs. Existing labels and scanners are reused.
Last updated: 29 September 2026
Rotion identifies reusable assets with QR codes, barcodes, RFID, or a mix of these, backed by GS1-compliant asset IDs. Identity can sit on each item or on a batch, labels and serials already on your assets keep working wherever they can be mapped in, and scanning runs on ordinary phones or the scanners you already own. No new hardware is required to start tracking crates, pallets, kegs, totes, or IBC totes.
Which identification technologies does Rotion support?
Rotion supports QR codes, barcodes, RFID, or combinations. Mixed setups are normal: a fleet can run QR codes on crates, RFID on dollies, and barcodes on returnable containers in the same system. Rotion is hardware-agnostic, so the choice follows the asset and the process, not the software.
The economics follow from that choice: there are no trackers to buy per asset, no batteries to replace, and no reader or anchor infrastructure to install at every site. A printed code costs close to nothing per asset, which is what makes asset-level tracking viable for fleets of a hundred thousand low-value crates, not just a few hundred high-value containers.
| Technology | Typical fit |
|---|---|
| QR codes | Phone scanning, unattended return points, customer-facing flows |
| Barcodes | Warehouses with existing scanner fleets and label printers |
| RFID | High-speed handling where line-of-sight scanning is impractical |
| Combinations | Mixed fleets where each asset type keeps its best-fit carrier |
What are GS1-compliant asset IDs and GS1 Digital Link?
Rotion uses GS1-compliant asset IDs, so identifiers follow GS1 standards and remain readable by partners and other systems instead of being proprietary to one vendor. With GS1 Digital Link, a scanned code resolves to a web page for that specific asset, so anyone with a phone camera can reach the asset's record without installing anything.
Rotion supports the GS1 identifier families that matter for reusable assets, and an organization can register multiple GS1 company prefixes, for example after an acquisition or across subsidiaries. Codes can resolve on your own domain, so the page a customer or partner lands on carries your branding, and labels can be generated in bulk for printing.
| GS1 key | What it identifies in Rotion |
|---|---|
| GRAI | A returnable asset type and serial: crates, kegs, trays |
| GIAI | An individual asset: a specific container, rack, or piece of equipment |
| GTIN (with serial) | A product item, serialized per unit |
| SSCC | A logistic unit: a full pallet, stack, or cage (see SSCC batching) |
That standards base is what keeps a multi-party loop open: every producer, carrier, and retailer scans the same IDs and contributes to the same record, the digital packaging passport.
Should every item be serialized, or is per-batch identity enough?
Rotion assigns identity at item level or at batch level, and most fleets combine the two. Give items their own serials where the deposit or the item's value warrants the extra detail: kegs, IBC totes, dunnage racks, deposit-bearing trays. Stay at batch level where it does not: low-value returnable containers or reusable plastic containers (RPCs) that circulate in uniform lots.
The two models coexist in one system, and batches can still move through shared checkpoints as one scan using SSCC batching. The broader choice between per-item history and per-partner balances is covered in asset-level vs balance-level tracking.
Can existing labels, serials, and scanners be reused?
Yes. Rotion reuses existing labels, codes, and container serials where possible, so relabeling a fleet is not a precondition for starting. Every asset can carry additional external identifiers alongside its GS1 ID, with per-fleet ID schemes that validate formats and can auto-number new assets, so the serials your operation already uses stay first-class.
Scanning hardware is equally flexible. The Rotion scan app runs on ordinary iOS and Android phones and reads QR codes and common barcode formats with the camera, and it also works with dedicated handheld scanners, including Zebra devices with barcode and RFID triggers. RFID and EPC codes can be used as asset identifiers, so tagged returnable transport items (RTIs) resolve like any other scan.
In practice, onboarding means mapping the codes you already have into GS1-compliant asset IDs, printing labels only for assets that carry none, and letting drivers and partners scan with whatever device is in their hand.
Check what your labels can do
What is a digital packaging passport?
A digital packaging passport is one digital identity per reusable asset, carrying a complete lifecycle record. Rotion creates one for every asset it tracks.
Asset-level vs balance-level tracking
Balance-level tracking keeps per-partner exchange balances; asset-level tracking keeps serialized per-item history. Rotion runs both in one system.