Skip to content
Supply chain pooling

Pooling: The simplest path to reusables

Pooling service lets you stay focused on your business while Tosca manages, repairs, cleans, and delivers your crates, bins, and pallets when and where you need them.

A Tosca service center worker wearing safety gear oversees placing crates on a conveyor belt at an automated wash station, which is used for cleaning reusable containers and pallets before placing them back into the supply chain.

How pooling works

Your supply chain assets such as reusable plastic crates, plastic pallets, and bulk bins will be managed by Tosca.  We ensure that assets are cleaned and sanitized to the industry’s highest safety standards at every turn.

Delivery of assets to supplier 1
Assets shipped to distribution center 1
Retailer
Sorting 1 (1)
Washing 1
Delivery of assets to supplier 1

Delivery of assets to the supplier

Clean Tosca reusables are delivered when and where they’re needed.

Assets shipped to distribution center 1

Assets shipped to the distribution center

Reusable assets are loaded and transported to the distribution center, where they’re palletized and shipped for retail stores.

Retailer

Assets delivered to retail stores

Reusables are stored neatly in the backroom or cooler at the store. They are unloaded or in the case of retail-ready assets, they can be placed directly at the point of sale in the store.

Sorting 1 (1)

Assets are sorted (as needed)

Reusables are transported to the salvage sorting center, where they’re sorted for return.

Washing 1

Washing at Tosca service center

Tosca picks up used reusables from the sort center and delivers them to one of our service centers for an efficient process. They’re inspected, repaired if necessary, and washed under the industry’s most rigorous food safety program.

Bulk Bin
Assets shipped to distribution center 1
Bulk Bin

Supplier delivery

Tosca reusables are delivered to you—when and where they’re needed.

Assets shipped to distribution center 1

Assets shipped to packaging or processing facility

The reusables are loaded with goods and shipped to the manufacturing facility, where they’ll be packaged, processed, or converted.

Washing at a Tosca service center

After use, assets are transported to one of our 50 global Tosca service centers. They’re inspected, repaired if necessary, and washed under the industry’s most rigorous food safety program.

Why should you pool?

By using our pooling service, you minimize environmental impact while maximizing supply chain efficiency.

Compliance

All Tosca pooled assets are washed according to the industry’s most rigorous food safety program, ISO 22000, so you can be confident in meeting your food safety standards.

Checklist _ Right asset, right place, right time

Tosca’s industry-best on-time delivery performance and largest wash network in the US means consistent asset availability.

savings

Tosca owns and manages all the reusables. We also maintain and do all repairs so you can focus on your business.

Approval

Six individual product lines from one provider cover your supply chain from end to end. All assets are optimized for product protection and labor efficiency.

Zero capital outlay

Save your capital for projects that add value to your business, and prevent hidden costs of assets ownership such as repairs, administration, loss, disposal, etc.

The right assets at the right time with the largest U.S. service centers network

Our service centers are strategically located to ensure we reduce transportation time and CO2 emissions at every turn.

Pooling FAQs

How much does pooling cost?

Pooling is based on the number of times an asset “turns” in your supply chain, meaning it makes a full rotation between Tosca and your open- or closed-loop network. Pricing is based on multiple factors, including volume, the market price of resin, etc., at the time of the contract. 

The transportation costs of the assets to and from Tosca are pass-through costs. The supplier or manufacturer pays pooling expenses as a cost of goods sold, like corrugated boxes, bins, and wooden pallets. Start understanding your potential savings with our calculator or contact us for an in-depth savings analysis.

How long does it take to switch?

This typically depends more on how quickly your organization wants to move than on our ability to begin pooling for you. The steps to get started are found here. Post-piloting, assuming you have existing reverse logistics (asset return to Tosca), your pooling service can begin as soon as the contract is signed. 

Should you need us to help you establish reverse logistics, we can set this up in about 30 days. The only exception is if you need an extremely large volume of assets. In this scenario, we advise conversion in stages to ensure time for quality assurance and organizational adjustment.

Can you guarantee surety of supply?

Tosca has the highest on-time delivery (OTD) rates globally, but no service can provide 100% certainty of supply. Though we have disaster contingency plans and slack in our network, extreme circumstances on our end or yours could prevent perfect delivery. 

Nonetheless, we strive for it and measure and report on our OTD percentage daily. Our longevity of customer partners speaks to our service levels.

What are my other options instead of pooling?

While pooling is the preferred model of most Tosca partners because it offers zero capital outlay and eliminates the need to manage, wash, and repair assets, we do offer a variety of options to best suit your needs:

  • Wash service: If you own your reusable containers, bins, or pallets, you can still have them washed and maintained by Tosca.
  • Purchase: Tosca RPCs, pallets, bulk bins, and reusable supply chain solutions can be purchased directly from Tosca. However, there are hidden costs of ownership to consider. 

Repair services: If you own your reusable containers, bins, or pallets, you can still have them repaired or replaced by Tosca.

Do you offer support to onboard my team?

This is one of our specialties, and we are committed to setting your organization up for success from the very beginning. Whether it’s providing you with a model of the predicted impacts for savings and sustainability, creating presentation and collateral materials so you can answer questions, having our experts work with members of your team, connecting you with customers using RPCs to see them in use, or providing training on how to order or return crates, or solving ancillary needs like reverse logistics and automation, we are here to help you and your organization be completely comfortable with reusables and understand the value thereof.

Do I need to worry about the return logistics, or do you handle that?

If you do not currently have reverse logistics, we will help you establish it. If you are working with multiple reusables providers, sort can be handled by your organization or as a service provided by Tosca.

What kinds of assets do you pool?

We currently pool reusable shipping crates and plastic pallets.

See how pooling can benefit your business

Our experts are ready to answer your questions and guide you towards a more sustainable packaging solution.