IFCO Spain announced that the firm has completed the installation of the control technology SmartGuardian at its two service centres for Reusable Transport Packaging (ERT). SmartGuardian is an innovative new software program that monitors and controls the processes of sanitization and cleaning of reusable transport packaging to ensure that both the sector and the company's strict standards are met.
"IFCO's reusable plastic containers have earned a well-deserved reputation in terms of safety, efficiency and sustainability," said Manuel Montero López, vice president for southern Europe. "As a global leader in reusable packaging of fresh food, we constantly strive to improve our products and services and SmartGuardian is the latest example of our commitment to that basic principle. "
In February 2016, the installation of SmartGuardian was completed on the two reusable transport packaging plants IFCO has in Spain:
• Picassent, Valencia
• Yunquera de Henares, Guadalajara
In both processing plants, the installation process has required more than 20 workers working full-time in the system's implementation.
SmartGuardian ensures that the processes required to wash reusable packaging meet the strict IFCO hygiene standards, monitoring the concentration of detergent products for sanitation, the temperature of the water and the water pressure during washing. If, at any time, one of the washing parameters does not meet the standards set by IFCO, SmartGuardian stops the process and alerts the staff. The process does not continue until IFCO experts have diagnosed the problem and made sure the system meets the standards once again.
Each pallet with clean products is then assigned a traceability label to identify the location where the washing took place, the washing machine used and the date and time when the process took place. Lastly, when the pallets are loaded onto trucks for distribution, the system tracks the customers that have to receive the reusable packaging.
Frank Neugebauer, project manager, explains: "Sustainability can only be managed when the underlying data are known, as you can only manage and use objective data. The process data management system (PDM) measures the consumption of water, electricity and chemicals that can be used in order to carry out a comparative evaluation in different places and machines. Furthermore, the PDM system is used to avoid excessive use of chemicals and limit the washing temperature, helping IFCO reduce the consumption of natural resources and the environmental impact."
More information:
Hillary Femal
Global Marketing Vice President
T: + 1813 463 4124
F: + 1 813 286 2070
M: + 1 813 992 1470