Inventory and returnables
Know whether stock is on site, in transit or has gone quiet.
Cages, pallets, crates, gas bottles and demo stock move between your sites and your customers’ and do not always come back. Tag the valuable containers and let zones tell you where each one is.
What to tag
- Roll cages and pallets
- Crates, kegs and gas bottles
- Consignment and demo stock
- Display units and stands
- Returnable packaging
- High-value cartons in transit
How NovaTrack helps
Built around how inventory and returnables works.
Site status from zones
Inside a zone means on site. Outside every zone means in transit. It is a simple, readable status.
Not-seen alerts
Items that stop reporting are flagged, so you chase the missing cage this week, not at stock-take.
Customer-site history
See how long returnables sit at each customer before they come back.
API for your ERP
Pull positions and events into your own stock system over the REST API or webhooks.
How it works · 5 simple steps
From order to map in days, not weeks.
Your order
- AirTag (2nd generation) × 10
- Set up on your account
- Named and labelled per asset
- Delivered to your depot
Tags on your account
4 readyTrailer 12 arrived at Depot
Zone alert · emailed to dispatch
Always accounted for
Every tagged asset on one map, with history.
Better odds of recovery
A last known position the moment something goes missing.
No more search parties
Check the map instead of phoning round every site.
Focus on the work
Run the business, not a lost-and-found desk.
Mounting tips
Where to put the tag.
- Cages and crates
- A screw-on holder on a corner post, high enough to avoid forklift tines.
- Kegs and bottles
- Use a holder on the collar or handle. Avoid spots that go through a washer.
- Pallets
- Recess the tag into a block, covered with a plastic plate.
Good to know
AirTags suit items worth tracking individually. For thousands of low-value items, a barcode or RFID count is cheaper. Tag the containers, not every item inside.
Cost
No SIM, no data bundle, no charging.
Compare AirTags on NovaTrack with battery GPS trackers for the same number of assets.
Cost over time
The hardware and GPS numbers are examples. Put in the prices you have been quoted.
AirTags with NovaTrack
Tags, subscription and a yearly coin cell
Battery GPS trackers
Units and monthly fees
Difference
The honest answers.
Is it real-time?
No, and we will not pretend it is. A tag’s position updates when an Apple device passes close enough to hear it: every few minutes in busy areas, hours apart in quiet ones. NovaTrack fetches new reports every 15 minutes.
What happens when a thief has an iPhone?
Apple’s anti-stalking features can warn an iPhone user that an unknown AirTag is travelling with them, and a tag away from its owner for a while may beep. Hide tags well, use more than one on valuable items, and treat tracking as a recovery aid.
Does it work in remote areas?
Only where Apple devices pass. On a farm, a remote site or underground, updates can be very slow or stop. Tags are strongest where people are: towns, roads, sites and depots.
What about metal?
Solid metal all round blocks Bluetooth. Mount tags behind plastic, near a gap or a vent, or on the outside in a rugged holder.
How long does the battery last?
About a year on a standard CR2032 coin cell. NovaTrack shows battery status so you know which tags to service.
Related
Start tracking your inventory this week.
14 days free for up to 2 tags. Then R99 per tag per month. No contract.