Disputed balance
Eko Bar & Grill says 55 crates were collected but never booked in.
For review by finance or the depot managerReusable packaging management
Keep reusable packaging moving.
CrateNacre helps beverage distributors and food suppliers recover reusable crates, pallets and containers. AI predicts overdue returns and recommends collections alongside scheduled deliveries, for dispatchers to approve.
The ledger
Every crate issued, returned, damaged or still out — per customer.
Packaging balances usually live in delivery notes, driver memories and a spreadsheet that never quite agrees with the customer. CrateNacre records each movement so the balance is something you can show, not argue about.
- Returned
- Damaged
- Still out
Mama Nkechi StoresC-101 · Ojota68
Eko Bar & GrillC-102 · Yaba95disputed
Unity SupermarketC-103 · Ikeja2
Ade’s Cold RoomC-104 · Maryland82
Harbour HotelC-105 · Victoria Island24
Campus CanteenC-107 · Akoka35
Return forecasting
When will the empties be ready?
A canteen empties its crates in four days. An events company needs three, then forgets. CrateNacre learns each customer’s own rhythm from delivery and return history and predicts when empties will be released — with a range, because Tuesdays are not all the same.
24–30Mon
48–60Tue
36–54Wed
72–84Thu
60–84Fri
24–30Sat
Illustrative forecast for one depot. Blue crates mark the less certain part of each day’s range.
Collection planning
Pickups ride along on routes you already run.
Instead of sending a truck just for empties, CrateNacre suggests which customers on tomorrow’s delivery route should hand back crates — most overdue first, until the truck’s return space is full. A dispatcher approves each one before it reaches a driver.
Exception detection
Exceptions worth a phone call — not an accusation.
Unusual losses
Lekki Events Ltd: 78 crates out for three weeks against a three-day habit.
For review by finance or the depot managerDamage creeping up
Harbour Hotel’s damaged crates are twice the depot norm.
For review by finance or the depot managerFlags are prompts to check the records. A disputed balance can be a booking error on either side.
How it works
How CrateNacre works, in four steps.
- 01
Load
Import delivery records and existing balances, or connect your dispatch system.
- 02
Reconcile
Every crate movement — issued, returned, damaged — lands in one ledger per customer.
- 03
Predict
Return timing is forecast from each customer’s own history.
- 04
Plan
Collections are suggested alongside scheduled deliveries; dispatchers approve.
People decide
Suggested, never assigned.
CrateNacre recommends; dispatchers dispatch. Every approved pickup, deferred collection and settled balance is recorded with who decided and why.
- Dispatchers approve every pickup before it reaches a driver.
- Balances are settled by people — finance or the depot manager — with a reason on record.
- Forecasts carry ranges and are compared with what actually came back.
- No penalties or charges are raised automatically against customers.
- Collection notes stay notes — AI structures them, a person confirms the count.
Why it matters
A big pool, leaking quietly.
Published estimates from the sources linked; the loss-rate surveys date from 2004 and 2007. They describe the industry, not CrateNacre results.
Who it’s for
Anyone whose packaging is meant to come back.
Beverage distributors
Bottle crates on fixed routes
Produce suppliers
Field crates and pallets
Reusable packaging operators
Pools rented to many customers
Regional logistics businesses
Containers across depots
Organisation types are prospective customers; no affiliation is implied.
Pricing
Priced by depot, not by crate.
Illustrative pricing for a proposed product, to be agreed with pilot customers.
Depot
$390 per depot / month
- Up to 2,000 containers
- Ledger & exceptions
- Return forecasts
- 5 users
Network
$1,150 per month
- Up to 4 depots
- Collection planning on routes
- Dispatch integration
- Unlimited users
Pool operator
Custom
- Many customers & depots
- Container-level tracking
- API access
- Dedicated support
Proposed platform
Built on AWS.
A proposed design. Nothing is connected to this website; the return desk runs in your browser on fictional data.
- Amazon SageMaker AIReturn forecasting
- Amazon BedrockStructuring collection notes
- Amazon S3Delivery records and documents
- Amazon DynamoDBContainer movements
- AWS LambdaReconciliation and scheduling
The team
The team behind CrateNacre.
CN
Founder & CEO
Chisom Nwankwo
Chisom started CrateNacre after years of watching depots chase empties by phone and write off crates nobody could account for. She leads product, distributor partnerships and every pilot route.
TA
Co-founder
Tolulope Adebayo
Tolulope leads the platform: the movement ledger, the return forecasts and the collection planner that slots pickups into routes drivers already run.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions.
Do we need tags or scanners on every crate?
No. CrateNacre starts from the delivery and return records you already keep. Container-level tags can be added later for pool operators who want them.
Who decides which pickups happen?
Dispatchers. CrateNacre suggests collections that fit routes already running; a person approves each one before a driver sees it.
Can it charge customers for lost crates?
No. It flags unusual balances and losses for finance to review. Any charge is your decision, made outside the product.
Is CrateNacre live?
Not yet. It is a proposed product; the return desk is a prototype running in your browser on fictional data.
Pilot
Book a pilot route.
A pilot starts with one depot and a few weeks of delivery and return records. You compare CrateNacre’s balances and suggested pickups with what your team already knows before committing to anything.
Or write to chisom@cratenacre.com — Chisom Nwankwo replies personally.