Summer is peak season and that means more projects, more equipment on the road, and more returns to process.

This article walks you through how to handle equipment returns efficiently in Rentman, from a single case to a full truck.

What are physical combinations?

A physical combination in Rentman is a grouped unit of equipment treated as a single entity. Think of a flight case containing a moving head, power cables, trigger clamps, and a safety cable - all registered in Rentman as one combination.

For each item within a physical combination, you can set whether it should be removed from the combination when it is emptied. This determines what your warehouse team needs to physically scan versus what only needs a quick visual check.

Key idea: "Remove when emptying" function in Rentman determines which items are removed from the combination in the system. Items set to do not empty remain in the combination and don't need to be taken out or scanned separately — saving significant time for accessories without serial numbers that can be verified with a visual check.

Example: the moving head flight case

Imagine a flight case with the following contents:

1x Moving head (serialised: has a unique serial number)
2x Trigger clamp
1x Power cable
1x Safety cable

The trigger clamps, power cable, and safety cable have no serial number. You can verify their presence with a visual check, without taking them out of the case. Set these to do not empty - they stay in the combination in Rentman and don't need to be scanned individually.

The moving head does have a serial number. During pack-down, multiple moving heads may end up in whatever case is nearest - not necessarily the one they came in. By setting the moving head to empty, Rentman will prompt you to scan the actual serial number in the case when processing the return.

The truck is back - how do you approach this?

A fully loaded truck pulls up to your loading dock. Dozens of flight cases, roll containers, and loose items are returning from a production. There are two ways to process equipment returns in Rentman - choose whichever fits the situation best.

Method 1: Scan Return Feature

Open the Rentman mobile app and scan serial numbers directly. Rentman automatically recognises each item and asks whether you want to check and refill it. For bulk items (equipment without a serial number), select the project to return them to. Scan Return works across multiple projects at once.

Tip: Always use the Rentman app for Scan Return and not the web version. The mobile app has more features and is required to get the most out of this workflow.

Method 2: Via the project in the warehouse module

Open the project in the Rentman warehouse module and work through the return step by step. This method runs in two phases.

Phase 1 — Physically sealed and single-unit combinations

Start with combinations where you can be certain the contents haven't changed since they left the warehouse. You can scan these straight back without needing to empty and rebuild the combination in Rentman.

Two situations where Phase 1 applies:

The flight case still has a physical seal through the butterfly latch. The seal hasn't been broken, so the contents are guaranteed to be identical to when it left.
Only one unit of this type was on location — for example, one laptop in its case. If there was only ever one of this item at the event, a different serial number simply cannot be inside.

The process for Phase 1 cases is straightforward:

Visually check that the case is complete and undamaged.
Scan the case back in Rentman as a complete combination. No need to empty it — you're certain the contents are unchanged.

Why not empty combinations on location?

If you empty combinations at the venue, you lose the ability to use Phase 1 when equipment returns. Cases that could have been scanned straight back now need to be fully rebuilt in Rentman — more work for you and your colleagues, not less. Phase 1 only works because certain cases arrive back with their contents guaranteed to be unchanged. Keep it that way.

Exception: If you had 6 moving heads on location and 6 identical flight cases, you cannot be certain which head ended up in which case. Skip Phase 1 entirely and go straight to Phase 2 — empty each case individually.

Phase 2 — All remaining combinations

Once all Phase 1 cases have been processed, work through the rest. These are the cases where the contents may have changed — different serial numbers, mixed items, or cases that were opened and repacked on location.

Empty all relevant combinations in Rentman.
Make all combinations complete with the correct serial numbers, then scan them back to return to stock.

Quick reference: empty or not?

Set to empty?	When to use	Examples	What happens
Yes — empty	Item has a serial number	Moving head, other serialised equipment	Rentman prompts you to scan the correct serial number
No — do not empty	No serial number, visual check is enough	Clamps, cables, safety cable	Item stays in the combination — no scan needed

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Best Practices - How to Process Equipment Returns Efficiently