Frequently asked questions
Answers to common questions about Rotion, covering getting started, scanning, partner adoption, integrations, deposits, and pricing.
Last updated: 29 September 2026
Rotion is a software platform for tracking reusable packaging and returnable assets: crates, pallets, kegs, IBCs, totes, and cups. This page answers the questions buyers ask most about getting started, scanning and labels, partner adoption, integrations, deposits, and pricing. Each answer is self-contained; the linked concept pages go deeper.
Getting started
How quickly can we get started with Rotion?
Rotion is scan-first. Label your assets or batches, record a scan when they go out and when they come back, and history starts building from the first scan. Most teams start with one flow, route, or region and expand from there rather than rolling out everything at once. See how it works for the full setup path.
Can we start small and scale later?
Yes. Many customers start with a limited fleet, pilot flow, or region and scale as reuse expands. Rotion plans are designed to grow with asset volume and operational complexity, so you move between plans as your fleet grows instead of committing to enterprise scope on day one.
How long does implementation take?
Most Rotion customers go live in weeks, not months. The platform is plug-and-play, scan-first, and designed to fit into existing operational workflows rather than replace them. As a reference point, the REPASYS reuse scheme went from a six-month pilot to running 100.000 packages across 6 retailers on Rotion.
Are there setup or onboarding fees?
Yes, depending on complexity. Onboarding may include configuration, integrations, and partner setup, and this is discussed transparently during the sales process. A simple scan-first deployment needs little setup; a multi-party rollout with ERP connections involves more. See plans and features for what each plan includes.
Can Rotion track more than one asset type?
Yes. One Rotion platform covers every returnable asset you run: crates, pallets, kegs, IBC totes, totes, and returnable cups. Most customers operate several asset types at once, and the product is built on that assumption. Each asset type keeps its own identity, history, and circulation rules while sharing the same partners, checkpoints, and reporting.
Scanning and labels
Can we use our existing labels, scanners, and hardware?
Yes. QR codes, barcodes, and RFID all work, alone or mixed, and the labels, serials, and codes already on your assets keep working wherever they can be mapped in. Scanning runs on ordinary phones or the scanners you already own, so partners need no new hardware, and a QR-based return point works without staff. See asset identification for the options.
Does Rotion mean scanning every single item?
No. With SSCC grouping, a stack, pallet, cage, or full load registers with a single scan at each shared checkpoint, and the individual history of every item inside keeps building. That keeps scan volume low at busy handover points without giving up item-level history. See SSCC batching for how grouping works.
Do we need to serialize every item?
No. Identity can sit on each item or on a batch. Give items their own serials where the deposit or the item's value warrants the detail; track uniform, low-value items per batch. Many fleets mix both approaches: serialized kegs and IBCs alongside batch-tracked cups or crates. See asset-level vs balance-level tracking for choosing between the two.
Do we need to buy trackers, tags, or other hardware per asset?
No. Rotion works with printed QR codes and barcodes, or the RFID tags your assets already carry, so there are no trackers to buy per asset, no batteries to replace, and no reader or anchor infrastructure to install per site. That is what keeps asset-level tracking affordable for fleets of a hundred thousand low-value crates or totes.
Does scanning work without an internet connection?
Yes. The Rotion scan app queues scans on the device when there is no connection and syncs them automatically once connectivity returns, so cold stores, trucks, and basement docks do not interrupt tracking. Offline-captured events are marked as such in the record, keeping the audit trail honest about how each scan arrived.
Partners and adoption
Do our customers and partners need to install anything?
No. A partner confirms a handover in the browser or on a phone, and where a partner does nothing, your drivers record the scans. The loop stays accountable even when some customers, venues, stores, or sites never touch the software: partners that only receive and return assets are still fully accounted for. See roles and partners for how partner access is set up.
How does Rotion reduce asset loss?
Each asset carries a named holder and a last confirmed location in its record, whether it is a crate, pallet, keg, IBC tote, or tote. When a partner keeps assets too long or a loop starts leaking, the data flags it as it happens, and getting assets back becomes a standard follow-up instead of a write-off or a replacement order. To put a number on what loss costs your fleet, use the asset loss cost calculator.
Is Rotion suitable for multi-party supply chains?
Yes. Rotion is built for multi-party environments involving producers, fleet owners, service partners, logistics providers, and retailers. Role-based access keeps each party's view scoped to what concerns them, and what is shared with each customer and use case is a configuration choice. See roles and partners for how the roles fit together.
Will Rotion expose sensitive customer or commercial data?
No. Access is set per customer and per use case, and the decision of which data reaches which party, and on what terms, stays with you. Each partner sees the balances and handovers that concern them and nothing more. See security and deployment for how access control and deployment options work together.
Systems and integrations
Do we need to replace our existing ERP, WMS, or TMS?
No. Rotion sits next to the systems you already run and adds what they leave out: a history per asset, patterns in where losses happen, and balances per partner. Rotion integrates with ERP, WMS, and transport systems like SAP and Odoo, so orders and shipments stay where they are today. See integrations for the details.
How is Rotion different from traditional RTI software?
Classic returnable transport item (RTI) tools are built around stock counts and transactions. Rotion is built around the life of each asset: how it rotates, how well it is reused, and how that record connects to brands and regulators. Every asset carries its own history across partners, which turns tracking data into reuse metrics and reporting evidence. See reuse reporting and compliance.
Can Rotion be deployed in a private or on-premise environment?
Yes. For enterprise customers with strict data or compliance requirements, private cloud and on-premise deployment options are available. Standard deployments run in the cloud with nothing to install on the partner side. See security and deployment for the available options and what each requires.
Does Rotion have an API?
Yes. Rotion has a documented REST API with an OpenAPI specification, covering lifecycle events and master data such as assets, products, and stages. Systems authenticate with organization-scoped API keys, and events can be pushed in bulk, so scanners, gateways, and partner systems write into the same record your teams scan into. See integrations.
Is there vendor lock-in?
No. Rotion uses GS1-compliant identifiers and open APIs. Your asset data remains portable and usable across partners and systems, and the labels and codes you already use keep working, so nothing about the setup ties your identifiers or your history to Rotion as the only place they work.
Which languages does Rotion support?
Rotion has a multilingual user interface, so operators, drivers, and partners in a cross-border loop work in their own language across countries and sites. Additional languages are added with customer rollouts. See security and deployment for the multilingual interface details.
Deposits and balances
How do deposits work in Rotion?
A deposit is charged on the issue scan and released on the return scan, and every venue and return point keeps a balance that updates itself, with no spreadsheet reconciliation. In the REPASYS reuse scheme, Rotion runs a 0.30 EUR deposit across 100.000 packages and 6 retailers, with returns processed in under ten seconds. See deposit management.
Can we track exchange pallets like EPAL?
Yes. Exchange flows run as running counts per partner, serialized fleets keep per-asset histories, and both live in one platform. Exchange pallets that partners swap one-for-one are managed as balances per partner, while serialized assets keep individual records, and the two views sit side by side in the same reports.
Does Rotion support both asset-level and balance-level tracking?
Yes. Asset-level tracking follows each serialized item through its lifecycle; balance-level tracking keeps counts per partner without identifying individual items. Rotion supports both in one system, so you give items serials where value or deposits warrant it and run balances where they do not. See asset-level vs balance-level tracking.
Pricing and plans
What does Rotion cost?
Rotion has three plans. Launch is 499 EUR per month, or 399 EUR per month billed annually, for fleets under 100.000 assets. Scale is 999 EUR per month, or 799 EUR per month billed annually, for fleets under 500.000 assets. Custom plans cover unlimited assets with pricing on request. See plans and features.
What kind of support is included?
Support levels depend on the plan. Enterprise plans include dedicated account management and defined support SLAs. Onboarding support, configuration help, and partner setup are scoped during the sales process, depending on the complexity of your deployment. See plans and features for the full comparison of what each plan includes.
How does Rotion help us commercially, not just operationally?
Rotion lets you sell digital services on top of your fleet, raises the return on the assets you already own by keeping them circulating, and makes you a partner brands and retailers can build on as the EU Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) takes effect. Fewer lost assets and faster rotations translate directly into lower replacement spend.
Asset loss cost calculator
Calculate what losing crates, pallets, kegs, or totes costs your operation per year, from your own fleet size, loss rate, and replacement cost.
Reusable packaging glossary
Definitions of reusable packaging and returnable asset terms, from asset-level tracking and RTIs to SSCC batching and totes.