Count what is out, not what you bought
Most distributors know how many containers they purchased and roughly how many are in the yard. The number that matters is the difference: how many are with customers right now, and for how long.
That figure moves every single day, which is why a monthly stock count never catches it. It has to come out of the delivery flow itself - every stop records what went out and what came back.
Put a price on it
Multiply containers outstanding by replacement cost and you get the capital you have lent your customers, interest-free. For a mid-sized depot this is routinely larger than a month of profit, which is what makes it worth managing.
Deposits only work if they are tracked
A deposit protects you only when it is recorded against the specific customer and reconciled when containers come back. A deposit collected once and never revisited is just an old receipt.
Chase by age, not by feeling
Sort customers by how long they have held your containers and work the top of that list. Ten focused calls usually recover more than a general announcement to every customer.
FAQ
- What counts as a returnable container?
- Anything you expect back: 19-litre water bottles, LPG cylinders, milk crates and glass bottles, pallets, and shells. They all behave the same way financially.
- How often should I review containers outstanding?
- Weekly for the top holders, monthly for the full list. Anything less frequent and losses are discovered long after the customer has moved on.