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Bins outside your walls, by customer and warehouse, and an agent that gets them back.

BinStride tags show where each returnable bin was last seen and when: at your customers' plants, your 3PL warehouses and on the road in between. The BinStride agent works like a reverse-logistics employee, on 24/7: it chases aged bins, works 3PL discrepancies and keeps your scorecard.

Discuss a pilot See the scorecard

Built for processors and packers that ship in returnable bins.

The problem

Every outstanding bin is money sitting at someone else's dock.

  • Bins age at customers

    The product was used months ago, and the empties are still behind the customer's plant. Nobody owns the follow-up.

  • 3PL counts don't match

    The warehouse report says one number, your ERP says another, and the discrepancy ages.

  • Unaccounted-for bins

    When a bin can't be found, the investigation starts with calls, emails and a spreadsheet.

How it works

Attach. Detect. Locate. Follow through.

  1. Attach a tag

    Fix a long-life tag to each bin, with a mounting method chosen and tested for your bin type, including bins that fold for return. Nothing to charge, pair or plug in.

  2. Let the network detect it

    When a compatible device passes nearby, at your plant, a customer's dock or a 3PL warehouse, it picks up the tag and records the time and the place.

  3. Locate it in BinStride

    See where each bin was last seen and when, by customer and warehouse, beside your ERP and your 3PL's report.

  4. Let the agent follow through

    The agent works every difference with your customers and your 3PL, chases aged bins and keeps your scorecard.

The BinStride network

The BinStride network picks up your bins wherever compatible devices pass nearby: at your plant, your customers' docks, your 3PL warehouses and on the road in between, with no readers to install.

Each sighting comes with its time and place.

The BinStride agent

Your reverse-logistics employee, on 24/7.

Not another dashboard to watch. The BinStride agent is an AI agent that works like a reverse-logistics employee: it watches every bin against your records, follows up until bins come back, and keeps the numbers you're measured on.

  • Watches every bin's sightings against your ERP, shipment list and 3PL reports.
  • Flags what needs action: bins aging past your target, counts that don't match, bins not seen in your window.
  • Follows up with customers and 3PLs by email or text until bins come back and discrepancies close.
  • Coordinates pickups so returns share a truck.
  • Asks receiving to note damaged bins as they come back.
  • Checks the 3PL invoices you forward against the bins it saw there.
  • Prepares your weekly scorecard.
  • Answers "where are our bins at the Joliet plant?" any time.

You decide what it sends on its own and what waits for your OK. Texts go only to people who've agreed to get them.

BinStride agentto you, your weekly scorecard Weekly

Your bins this week · week of Oct 26

  • Outstanding: 9,800 bins at customers and 3PL warehouses, $6.9M at your $700 per bin.
  • Aging past your 90-day target: 1,130 bins at 9 customers. Follow-ups sent to 7; pickups booked at 4.
  • Main 3PL warehouse, Stockton CA: report 4,000, last seen there this month 3,620. I'm working the 380 with the warehouse; 212 closed this week.
  • Returned this week: 1,460 bins, 23 noted damaged at receiving.
  • Cycle time this season: 94 days on average; 8,660 of 14,200 back within target.
  • October storage invoice: billed on 4,000 bins; 380 flagged for review.
  • Not seen in 30 days: 2,650 bins. 310 were last seen at Customer plant, Reno NV, on Sep 2; I've asked their receiving team.
  • Needs you: approve the Fort Worth pickup on Nov 6.

The scorecard

Your KPIs, built in.

Reverse logistics teams are measured on numbers like these. Every one is built into a BinStride pilot: the tags show where your bins are, and the agent does the follow-through.

Built in
part of every pilot.
Tags
from where each bin was last seen.
Agent
the BinStride agent does it.
Tags + agent
both.
KPIWhat BinStride doesHowStatus
Bins outstanding, how manyHow many of your bins were last seen at each customer and 3PL warehouse, by bin type.TagsBuilt in
Bins outstanding, by customer, location, type and ageEvery outstanding bin by customer and warehouse, by type, with its ship date from your list and where and when it was last seen.TagsBuilt in
Value of bins outstandingThe outstanding count at your unit value, by customer: "$6.9M at your $700 per bin".TagsBuilt in
Bins outside your facilitiesWhere each bin was last seen, at customers' plants, 3PL warehouses and on the road, each sighting with its time and place.TagsBuilt in
Bins in transitSightings on the road and at stops along the way, each with its time and place.TagsBuilt in
3PL inventory accuracy, for binsThe agent compares your 3PL's bin report with the bins BinStride last saw at each warehouse, and works every difference with the warehouse until it's closed.Tags + agentBuilt in
Reconciliation discrepancies and how long they stay openEvery discrepancy gets an owner, a follow-up and an age. The agent closes the loop and reports what's still open, and for how long.AgentBuilt in
Exception reportsThe agent flags bins aging past your target, counts that don't match and bins not seen in your window, and tells you what it's doing about each.Tags + agentBuilt in
Bin cycle timeCycle time by customer, from your ship dates and each bin's return to your plant.Tags + agentBuilt in
Bins returned within targetThe share of bins back within the target you set, by customer, with the late ones named.Tags + agentBuilt in
Dwell at customers and warehousesHow long bins have sat at each customer and warehouse, from your ship dates and where each was last seen.TagsBuilt in
Lost bin rateThe agent investigates every bin not seen in your window: it asks the customer, checks the 3PL, and marks a bin lost when you agree. It keeps the rate.Tags + agentBuilt in
Value of lost or unaccounted-for binsLost and unaccounted-for bins at your unit value, by customer.Tags + agentBuilt in
Damaged bin rateThe agent asks receiving to note damaged bins at each return and keeps the rate, by customer. The tags don't see damage; receiving does.AgentBuilt in
Bin recoveryThe agent follows up on every aged bin until it's back or written off, and reports bins recovered, by customer.Tags + agentBuilt in
Charges for lost or unreturned binsThe agent assembles the record for each customer: bins shipped, where and when each was last seen, and every follow-up and reply. It supports the charge conversation; it isn't proof on its own.Tags + agentBuilt in
Return freight costThe agent asks customers which bins are ready, groups pickups that can share a truck, and tracks return freight per bin from the freight invoices you forward.Tags + agentBuilt in
Unnecessary transfers and handlingBefore a transfer or a new bin order, the agent shows where bins are already sitting that could be redeployed, and logs each transfer and redeployment.Tags + agentBuilt in
3PL service levelThe agent tracks every discrepancy and request it raises with the 3PL, the reply and the closure, in a monthly 3PL scorecard.AgentBuilt in
3PL storage and handling cost, and cost trendsThe agent checks the 3PL invoices you forward against the bins it saw there, flags charges that don't match, and tracks cost per bin month by month.Tags + agentBuilt in
3PL corrective actions, closure and recurrenceEach corrective action is tracked to closure, and the agent flags it when the same issue comes back.AgentBuilt in
Questions, any timeAsk where a customer's bins are, what's aging, or what the 3PL still owes you an answer on, and get an answer any time.Tags + agentBuilt in

Your 3PL warehouses

An independent check on each 3PL.

Your 3PL reports what it has on hand. BinStride shows which of your bins were last seen at each warehouse, and when, and the agent works every difference with the warehouse until it's closed. It tracks every request it raises, the reply and the closure, in a monthly 3PL scorecard, and checks the 3PL invoices you forward against the bins it saw there.

Your 3PL's report says 4,000 bins on hand. BinStride last saw 3,620 there this month.

The agent is already working through the 380 it didn't see there, with the warehouse.

There's nothing to install at the warehouse. The 3PL just answers the agent's questions. Discuss a pilot

Your ERP

Works with your ERP.

Your ERP stays the record of what shipped, what came back and what was billed. Bring your bin list, shipment list or 3PL report in as a CSV and the agent works from it, beside where each bin was last seen; export BinStride's last-seen list whenever you need it. ERP and WMS integrations are planned; CSV works from day one.

Pilot program

Put BinStride to work on your bins.

A BinStride pilot puts tags on some of your bins, shipped to two or three of your customers and one 3PL warehouse you choose, with the agent working from day one, so you can see what BinStride does before you decide anything bigger.

Discuss a pilot

What we ask of you

  • Pick the bins, the customers and the warehouse.
  • A contact who can help fit the tags, and your bin list, shipment list and the 3PL's report.
  • Who the agent may contact at each customer and at the 3PL, and what it may send on its own.
  • A short check-in as results come in.

What's in a pilot

  • 50 to 100 tagged bins, chosen with you.
  • Two or three of your customers and one 3PL warehouse, plus your own plant.
  • The BinStride agent from day one: follow-ups with your customers and the 3PL, damage notes at receiving, invoice checks and your weekly scorecard.
  • Every scorecard capability, built in: cycle time, returns within target, dwell, the 3PL scorecard and the rest.
  • Your ERP's bin list and your 3PL's report beside where each bin was last seen.
  • Mounting tested on each of your bin types, under your handling.
  • A review of what turned up and what the agent closed, and a plan for the rest of your bins if it's worth it.

Questions

Questions and answers

Plain answers, including what the tags can't see.

The agent

What is the BinStride agent?

An AI agent that works like a reverse-logistics employee, on 24/7. It watches every bin against your ERP, shipment list and 3PL reports, follows up with customers and your 3PL until bins come back and counts match, and keeps your scorecard.

Who does the agent contact, and as whom?

The people you name at each customer and at your 3PL, by email, or by text if they've agreed to get texts. Messages come from your returns desk and say they're sent by the BinStride agent. You decide what it sends on its own and what waits for your OK.

Is everything on the scorecard really in the pilot?

Yes. Everything marked Built in is part of every pilot, and we deliver it there.

How it works

How does BinStride work with returnable bins?

A long-life tag on each bin is picked up by compatible devices passing nearby. Each sighting records the time and the place, BinStride shows where each bin was last seen, by customer and warehouse, and the agent follows through from there.

Does BinStride use GPS?

No. There's no GPS receiver in the tag. Each sighting comes with the time and the place it was heard.

Can I see where a bin is right now?

You see where each bin was last seen, and when. BinStride isn't live tracking: a bin is picked up when a compatible device passes nearby, and each sighting comes with its time and place.

Do our customers or our 3PL need to install anything?

No. There's nothing to install at their sites. They just answer the agent's questions.

How accurate is the location?

Close enough to tell you which warehouse, customer plant or dock a bin was heard at, not which aisle, rack or bay.

Your KPIs

Does BinStride track the product in the bins?

The tags see bins, not the product inside. The agent asks customers which bins are empty and ready to go back, and your ERP and your 3PL's records stay the source for product inventory.

Can it reconcile our 3PL's count?

Yes. The agent compares the 3PL's report with the bins BinStride last saw at each warehouse and works every difference with the warehouse until it's closed.

Can it measure bin cycle time?

Yes, built into every pilot: cycle time by customer, from your ship dates and each bin's return to your plant, and the share back within your target.

Can it track damaged bins?

Yes. The agent asks receiving to note damaged bins at each return and keeps the rate, by customer. The tags don't see damage; receiving does.

Does it measure our 3PL's service and cost?

Yes, in every pilot. The agent tracks each request and discrepancy it raises with the 3PL, the reply and the closure, in a monthly 3PL scorecard, and checks the invoices you forward against the bins it saw there.

Will it tell us when bins are overdue?

Yes. The agent flags bins aging past your target, follows up with the customer, and puts it all in your weekly scorecard.

Can it prove a customer lost our bins?

It gives you the record for that conversation: every bin shipped, where and when each was last seen, and every follow-up and reply. That record supports the charge; it isn't proof on its own.

Tags and bins

Our wood bins come back knocked down, as parts. Where does the tag go?

On the part that always travels, usually the pallet base. We test where it goes on your bins, under your handling, in the pilot.

Our bins are wood, steel or plastic, and some fold down. Will it work?

Metal can block or weaken the tag's signal, and folding bins need the tag in the right place. Mounting is chosen and tested for each of your bin types in the pilot.

What happens if a tag comes off?

The bin stops being seen, and BinStride shows where and when it was last seen. BinStride can't tell a removed tag from a bin that simply hasn't been picked up since, which is why mounting is one of the first things the pilot tests.

How long do the batteries last?

The tag is designed for long life with no charging. We'll confirm battery life for the production tag before we quote it.

Your systems

We're looking at barcodes or RFID. How does BinStride compare?

They can work together, but a read only tells you a bin passed a door you control. BinStride sees your bins at customers' plants and 3PL warehouses, where there's no reader, and its agent does the follow-up a scan never will.

Does it work with our ERP?

Bring your bin list, shipment list or 3PL report in as a CSV, and the agent works from it; export BinStride's last-seen list any time. ERP and WMS integrations are planned.

Pilots and pricing

How much does it cost?

It depends on how many bins you have, the tag and mounting your bins need, and service terms. BinStride is built around the economics of reusable containers. Ask us about a pilot.

How do I get started?

Tell us about your bins below, and we'll set up a short call about a pilot.

Contact

Your bins are out there. Let's get them back.

BinStride is starting pilots with food processors now.

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