+33 680 38 14 46
Nordic ID and Nitica keep organic produce on track for top European wholesaler
France
Thursday 20 March 2008
Nordic ID, Nitica and OXL-Technologies have delivered a RFID tracing system for a French organic fruit and vegetables distributor/wholesaler Alterbio France – the first of its kind in the industry.
The two-year project was finalized last year with the installation of OXL-Technologies’ Fructeo software and Nitica’s integration of a WLAN network. The software gathers all necessary information providing each product with a unique tracking signature encoded in a UHF (ultra high frequency) tag. Nordic ID completes the picture with the provision of hand-held devices able to read the tags with speed and efficiency.
Tracking has become an essential feature of the produce industry and the operations at Alterbio are no exception. Depending on the season, it handles nearly fifty varieties of vegetables and thirty types of fruit putting the company among the top European dispatching centres for fresh produce in the Grand Saint-Charles area of France.
Company founder and Managing Director of Alterbio, Jean-Pierre Mathaly explained that rapid development of activities and data flows had made it necessary to enhance their tracking procedures:
– We have always practiced traceability, but it was based on our excellent knowledge of our producers. We needed to improve our systems in order to better manage volume, quality and communication. Now we’re the first RFID-equipped company in the organic fruit and vegetables industry in Europe, he explained.
Emmanuel Eichner, responsible for Alterbio communications noted the important role that hand-helds have played in the equation of bringing the company’s operations up to speed:
– The Nordic ID hand-held was an obvious choice thanks to its ergonomic design, powerful antenna range and ability to scan several tags at once. Everything going in and out is recorded in real time, which ensures traceability and good data management. Moreover, it reduces the risk of human error. It’s a real step forward. Before, we had to match up our figures to get back to the source, while using different numbers, he concluded.
The two-year project was finalized last year with the installation of OXL-Technologies’ Fructeo software and Nitica’s integration of a WLAN network. The software gathers all necessary information providing each product with a unique tracking signature encoded in a UHF (ultra high frequency) tag. Nordic ID completes the picture with the provision of hand-held devices able to read the tags with speed and efficiency.
Tracking has become an essential feature of the produce industry and the operations at Alterbio are no exception. Depending on the season, it handles nearly fifty varieties of vegetables and thirty types of fruit putting the company among the top European dispatching centres for fresh produce in the Grand Saint-Charles area of France.
Company founder and Managing Director of Alterbio, Jean-Pierre Mathaly explained that rapid development of activities and data flows had made it necessary to enhance their tracking procedures:
– We have always practiced traceability, but it was based on our excellent knowledge of our producers. We needed to improve our systems in order to better manage volume, quality and communication. Now we’re the first RFID-equipped company in the organic fruit and vegetables industry in Europe, he explained.
Emmanuel Eichner, responsible for Alterbio communications noted the important role that hand-helds have played in the equation of bringing the company’s operations up to speed:
– The Nordic ID hand-held was an obvious choice thanks to its ergonomic design, powerful antenna range and ability to scan several tags at once. Everything going in and out is recorded in real time, which ensures traceability and good data management. Moreover, it reduces the risk of human error. It’s a real step forward. Before, we had to match up our figures to get back to the source, while using different numbers, he concluded.
