Digitalizing waste logistics: Wurzer Umwelt replaces paper lists with transparent container management using the Sensolus tracking solution

Before the project began, container management was based primarily on entries in the ERP system. When a container was placed at a customer site or later moved, the information had to be updated manually. If the entries did not match reality, the dispatch team lacked a reliable overview of where specific containers were located and which were actually available. As a result, individual containers dropped out of sight in day-to-day circulation, remained at customer sites for too long or could no longer be clearly assigned in the system.
Documentation of the annually required UVV inspection of the containers, which includes checks of components such as lifting brackets, locking mechanisms, doors and the general safety condition of the containers, followed by the issue of an inspection sticker, was largely handwritten. Inspection records and certificates were only available on paper in folders, and there was no centralized overview of upcoming due dates. This made it difficult to alert drivers to inspections due in good time and ensure that all containers underwent the required technical inspection on schedule.

For Wurzer Umwelt, the key factors in selecting the solution were easy installation, long battery life and tracker robustness. Equally important was clear, user-friendly software that could be used without complex integration into the existing ERP system.

The rollout of Sensolus trackers began in December 2025 with 50 trackers. Within just a few months, the project was expanded significantly: around 600 devices are already in use, and approximately 700 containers are expected to be equipped by September 2026. In the longer term, almost the entire fleet of around 800 containers will be included.

In day-to-day operations, the dispatch team uses location data to find container types that are rarely available more quickly and arrange their return more effectively. The platform shows the team which containers have been at customer sites for longer periods and may no longer be needed. Customers are contacted proactively to arrange collection where necessary. This brings existing assets back into circulation before additional containers need to be purchased.

UVV inspections are now also managed centrally. A dashboard shows which containers are due for inspection and when. The dispatch team can now inform drivers specifically and combine inspections with already planned emptying or collection processes. In the future, digital checklists and photo documentation are intended to further replace paper-based filing. Location, condition and inspection information will therefore be available in one place.

The tracking project is not an isolated technical solution, but part of a broader modernization program. Following internal changes in IT and organization, management has placed greater priority on digitalization. Across different areas of the company, processes are being automated, existing workflows reviewed and previously manual steps supplemented with digital solutions. Examples include automation at the container scales and initial projects involving artificial intelligence.

For Wurzer Umwelt, digitalization does not mean introducing as many new systems as possible. Rather, the key is to solve specific operational problems and make information reliably usable. Container management is particularly well suited to this: the assets are distributed across many customer sites, move continuously and, until now, have largely been managed using manually maintained data. For the first time, tracking data provides an objective, data-based foundation for systematically assessing availability and utilization.

For Wurzer Umwelt, the main economic lever lies in making better use of its existing inventory. Containers are becoming increasingly expensive, while many older units also need to be replaced. Recovering even individual assets that have gone unused for long periods can therefore make a meaningful contribution. The cost of tracking represents only a small fraction of the purchase price of a container. As a result, the Sensolus solution pays for itself within a short period of time through the reduction in new purchases alone. Savings from improving and optimizing internal processes come on top of this.

The long-term objective is not to continuously expand the fleet, but to achieve more with the existing capacity. To do this, so-called “stranded containers” need to become visible: containers that remain at customer sites for weeks or months, are not being used or no longer appear correctly in the ERP system. Once identified and returned, they can be dispatched again. This improves utilization and can extend purchasing cycles or reduce the number of new containers that need to be acquired.

As the rollout continues, an increasingly complete data foundation for the actual container inventory is being created. Building on this, Wurzer Umwelt will be able to develop additional analyses and automated processes in the future. Possible examples include alerts for unusually long dwell times, automated lists for collection activities or targeted queries for specific container types and regions.

AI-supported applications are also conceivable in the future, as the data stored in the Sensolus platform could be connected to internal AI systems to answer questions in natural language or identify operational anomalies more quickly. One possible use case would be the automated search for containers that have remained unchanged at one location for several weeks. These functions are still at a future stage. However, the prerequisite for them – structured, up-to-date and centrally available data – is already being created through the tracking project.

For Wurzer Umwelt, the solution is thus evolving from a pure tracking tool into a building block of digital business management: it supports day-to-day dispatch, improves the documentation of safety-related inspections and opens up long-term potential for data-driven automation.