For a reusable crate or pallet pool, first decide whether you need to identify an asset type or each physical asset, then choose how each handoff will be captured. A GRAI can identify a returnable asset; a serial component distinguishes individual assets when instance-level history is required. The SSCC on a loaded shipping unit answers a different question: which logistic unit is moving now. A barcode may be enough for deliberate hand scans; UHF RFID is worth evaluating where the workflow needs reads without presenting every asset individually. Neither carrier fixes an undefined ownership or return rule.
Separate the reusable asset from the goods it carries
A crate may make hundreds of trips while its contents, customer and shipment change. Give the returnable asset its own record: asset type, owner, custody, condition and retirement state. For a GS1-based cross-company design, the Global Returnable Asset Identifier (GRAI) is intended for returnable assets such as pallets and crates. Its optional serial component lets a system follow an individual asset; without it, the identifier can represent an asset type. If an EPC is required for a GS1 RFID encoding, GS1 says a GRAI needs that serial component. Agree on the identifier and assignment authority before ordering labels or tags.
Do not substitute the crate identifier for the logistic-unit identifier. GS1 identifies a logistic unit with an SSCC, while a returnable crate can have a GRAI. The asset identity persists; the application should associate it with the current logistic unit and transport record while preserving earlier associations. A new SSCC is not required at every asset handoff: assignment follows the actual logistic unit and business process, not the movement of the empty or reusable asset alone. A local, non-GS1 asset number can also be workable inside a closed system, but its owner, uniqueness and partner interoperability must be specified; calling it a GRAI would be incorrect without the required GS1 structure and allocation rights.
Choose the capture arrangement around each handoff
| Purchase question | Barcode-first direction | UHF RFID direction |
|---|---|---|
| Where is custody confirmed? | Barcode: An operator presents the marked crate at dispatch, receipt, wash or repair. Quote the actual scan-capable handheld and label or durable mark. | UHF RFID: Readers observe tagged crates at a defined point or during a mobile sweep. Quote tags, reader configuration, antennas or handhelds, software events and site work as one system. |
| What must the record prove? | Barcode: A deliberate scan can be tied to an operator and transaction, but an unscanned handoff remains unknown. | UHF RFID: A read is an observation, not proof of physical custody by itself. The application still needs zone, direction, timing and exception rules. |
| What survives the asset’s life? | Barcode: Verify readability after cleaning, stacking, abrasion and label replacement. | UHF RFID: Qualify tag mounting and RF behavior on the real crate material, contents, stacking pattern and wash process; keep the visible identity plan. |
| Who pays for exceptions? | Barcode: Price staff scanning time, missed transactions, damaged marks and re-labeling. | UHF RFID: Price tags, readers, installation, event filtering, failed-read investigation and replacement. Do not assume automatic reading makes exceptions disappear. |
This is a choice of evidence and operating cost, not an assertion that one carrier is universally faster or cheaper. A mixed arrangement can be sensible: a visible barcode for exception handling with RFID at selected high-volume read points, provided both resolve to the same asset record. A barcode-versus-RFID comparison for general workflows is covered in the capture-method guide; this page addresses the returnable asset and its repeated custody handoffs.
Build a quote that includes the identity and event path
Start with an asset sample set: each crate or pallet type, material, size, expected handling and cleaning, lifetime and whether an individual repair or deposit history matters. Record who owns each item and whether trading partners must read the same identifier. Ask the identifier owner to specify GRAI allocation and serialisation where applicable. If an SSCC is also used on loaded units, state how the application associates the current logistic unit and transport record with the persistent returnable asset, retains prior associations and ends the current association when appropriate.
Then draw each transfer point, including the awkward ones: crates arriving nested, wet, empty, damaged, mixed with other owners’ assets or returned without the expected paperwork. Identify where a person can reliably scan and where an RF read zone would have to distinguish neighboring assets. For RFID, compare a fixed read point with handheld inventory against the actual observation needed; the two are not interchangeable evidence. For a barcode workflow, ensure the SSCC receiving transaction does not accidentally replace the reusable asset’s identity.
Request an itemised response covering identifier assignment, marking or tagging, representative hardware, regional RF configuration if applicable, application data mapping, installation, exception handling, support responsibility and sample acceptance. AIDC GO lists barcode handheld directions and mobile UHF RFID directions; these are product-family starting points, not a promise that a named model, tag or integration service has been qualified for this pool. Use Integration Support or contact AIDC GO with the asset samples and transaction map to discuss a configuration and the actual supply scope.
Accept the proposal on real trips, not a single read
Use a small, explicitly hypothetical sample: several returnable crate types carrying changing goods through dispatch, partner receipt, empty return and repair. Assign each sample the approved asset identity. Record the SSCC of the loaded logistic unit where that unit requires one, and retain the associated transport history. At each handoff, compare the captured event with the expected asset, custodian, place, time and condition. Include a nested-crate stack, a damaged mark or tag, a missed read, a duplicate read and a crate belonging to another owner. The pass condition is a correct business record or a visible unresolved exception—not simply a scanner beep or a reader count.
Repeat after washing or handling that reflects the intended environment, and check replacement of a failed label or tag without silently creating a new asset. If the project cannot demonstrate a stable identifier-to-asset mapping and an exception owner, postpone fleet purchasing even if a laboratory capture works. Confirm the exact reader, tag, software, country and accessories in the supplier’s offer; no throughput, range, compatibility, certification or AIDC GO model capability is implied by this general guide.