RFID Deployment in Nut, Seed and Dried Fruit Wholesaling
American Nuts LLC is one of the largest processors and importers of nuts, seeds and dried fruits in North America, with five locations in California and Ohio. Company services include sourcing, roasting, blending, packaging, warehousing and delivery of these food products.
The company's inventory and warehousing, production, and quality management departments were to be optimized with a solution that would combine all processes on a uniform digital platform. The company wanted to integrate all employees, from warehouse staff and production managers to suppliers and managers, into the new solution in order to achieve a transparent and complete overview of all activities.
(Image Source: American Nuts LLC)
Process Requirements
American Nuts offers custom blends of nuts, fruits, seeds and kernels, as well as various roasting processes and packaging of products. The company must accurately weigh products and create the desired blend for each customer, in sizes ranging from small bags for supermarkets to large bags for wholesalers. Products must be accurately identified in order to correctly produce, store, and deliver each blend to customers.
Objectives of American Nuts
- Increase inventory accuracy
- Digitize production control, warehouse management, quality control, order planning, communication, real-time alerts and data analytics
- Combine all production aspects in one digital platform
The American Nuts Solution
American Nuts is deploying an Enterprise Resource Control (ERC) system from Senitron and Avery Dennison Smartrac in its operations. The solution is a combination of RFID and software to handle, monitor and control activities and business decisions in real time. All operational processes are handled via the software platform.
Finished products are loaded onto pallets. Employees enter product information such as quantity and time of manufacture into the system. The information is printed on an RFID tag and applied to the pallets. The management receives an overview of produced goods in real time. After production, the RFID tags are read and resource consumption is compared with production orders. It is ensured that the correct mixtures of fruits, kernels, seeds, and nuts have been produced. Deviations from the recipe are detected in the system and a warning email is sent.
Finished products are transferred to a warehouse equipped with stationary RFID readers. Goods movements in the warehouse are accurately tracked and the information is made visible in the software platform. Inventory accuracy is increased and goods for sale are quickly located. Thanks to RFID, each pallet of nuts, seeds, kernels or fruits, as well as the customized recipes and mixes, is accurately identified. Before delivery, the RFID tag is read and matched with the order to ensure that customers receive the correct products.
In the software platform, production, goods delivery, stock levels and products sold can be tracked in real time. Inventory accuracy is increased and a history is created from produced and sold quantities as well as goods movements. Based on the data, correct recipes are ensured and a fulfillment of customer requirements is guaranteed.
Hardware & Software
- Sentiron - RFID-enabled ERC system
- Avery Dennison Smartrac - AD-665u8 UHF RFID Tag and Inlay
Vorteile
- Production planning is optimized
- Inventory accuracy is increased
- Security backlogs of the goods are reduced
- A sales increase of three to five percent is achieved
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