Rail Freight

Empty Returns: Automating the Return Flow for Faster Turnaround

Free up assets faster and eliminate manual return planning — effortlessly.

Read the case

CHALLENGE

Returning empty containers, railcars, and special transport assets is a pain for shippers and customers alike:

Most ERP systems like SAP handle shipments, but not returns.
Customers must manually arrange return transport — often by phone and email.
Delays and misrouting cause valuable assets to sit idle for days or get returned to the wrong depot.
Planning where to send an empty next (back to origin, to cleaning, or directly to another customer) is complex and error-prone.
Every day an asset stands still, it costs money and blocks capacity.

Bottom line: Empty Returns drain resources, slow asset rotation, and inflate operating costs.

The ovinto solution

Ovinto turns Empty Returns into an automated, flexible, and cost-efficient flow — from simple round trips to complex multi-site routing.

Connect: Ovinto integrates with your customer systems and operations (e.g., SAP, yard triggers, weighbridge data). It listens for a ‘trigger’ (like Goods Accepted or final weighbridge weight) that signals when an asset is ready to return.
Orchestrate: Once triggered, Ovinto automatically creates the return plan: generating the transport documents, instructing the carrier, and routing the empty container optimally — whether back to the origin, to cleaning, to a workshop, or to the next loading point.
Deliver: Customers no longer need to arrange return transport manually. Your fleet rotates faster, you cut idle time, and everyone stays informed in real time.

Configured for you. No IT involvement necessary.

Results & Benefits

Visibility

Real-time tracking of empty assets ready for return.
Smart dashboards showing next destination and planned pickups.
Single source of truth for all return flows — no more calls and emails.

Insights

Dynamic routing optimizes reuse: e.g., instead of sending a railcar back to Antwerp, reuse it from Dormagen.
Fleet rotation analytics to uncover bottlenecks and improve asset productivity.

Control

100% automated return booking — from trigger to transport document.
Fewer manual steps for your team and your customers.
Faster turnaround means fewer railcars idle and lower leasing costs.

"Before Ovinto, our customers had to phone the rail operator every time a railcar was empty. Now, they just empty the railcar — Ovinto handles the rest. Our fleet rotates 30% faster, and we spend far less on excess railcar leases."

Logistics Director, Major Chemical Manufacturer