The following article was originally published on April 23, 2014. It has been reviewed and updated as necessary by the ProBrewer editorial staff. Footnotes have been included with any updates that may have been made.
Leasing Programs – Many companies offer leasing options through finance companies or keg rental as an alternative to purchasing kegs outright.
KEG Tracking – Many brewers use manual systems or bar codes to track their beer kegs. With large keg inventories, these methods make it difficult to track which customer has which keg and who is responsible for kegs that are returned damaged, or not at all. RFID (Intelligent radio tagging) allows you to keep track of your valuable inventory.
– Current keg location and status
– Fill-to-fill cycle time for each keg
– Length of time at distributor
– Keg turn rates by distributor
Keg Management Programs – Keeping track of your kegs can be a full time job. You must record deposits, track down wayward kegs, order replacement cooperage. There are several companies that offer a service designed to help breweries, manage their inventory; the company collects kegs from distributors, stores them, and ultimately returns them to the brewery.