Radfords Software, a fresh produce software provider in New Zealand, has secured a contract with Australia's Red Rich Fruits which will see its proprietary FreshPack system integrated into a central markets' environment for the first time.
Radfords' product owner - multi produce, Bobby Barnes said post-harvest solution, FreshPack, would be installed at four key Red Rich Fruits' sites - the Sydney Markets stand, Eastern Creek distribution centre, New South Wales and packhouses at Gayndah, Queensland and the Yarra Valley, Victoria by July 1. Stage two will see it installed at its Darwin, Northern Territory packhouse in 2020.
The technology will consolidate and capture critical information by tracking the live movement of product between all locations which supply the wholesale markets in two states and supermarket chains direct from two distribution facilities.
"The market stand integration is a first for Radfords and will provide significant leverage for growth in the Australian wholesale markets' space," Mr Barnes said.
"There are more than 700 businesses alone at the Sydney Markets, mostly taking records by pen and paper for manual data entry. We're bringing technology to the market floor in a useful form. Operators will use tablets to record and capture live information."
Red Rich Fruits has been a leading Australian grower, packer, marketer and exporter of superior quality fresh fruit, owned and operated by the Napoleone family since 1948. The vertically integrated business has orchards across Australia, stands at Melbourne and Sydney wholesale markets and state-of-the-art fruit packing, ripening and cold storage facilities in Queensland, Victoria and the Northern Territory. Its products include apples, pears, stonefruit, citrus, mangoes and berries for domestic and export consumption.
Red Rich Fruits' managing director (New South Wales) Matt Palise said the project was the single biggest investment the broader business had made in IT and infrastructure in its 71-year history.
He said Red Rich Fruits' project objectives included saving time and money, improving accuracy and boosting traceability.
Automated data entry replaces pen and paper
"The markets' floor component requires a slick user interface for fast data entry because, in the market' environment, buyers come in and out quickly throughout the day and buy small amounts of produce frequently.
"The software will capture this activity accurately and replace the current time-consuming system where operators record information by pen and paper during the day and enter data at the end of the day. It will provide a high-spec functionality that will be live, automated and enable Red Rich Fruits to re-allocate operators to product planning."
Mr Palise said Red Rich Fruits expected to achieve significant operational efficiencies throughout all sites with an easy-to-use system which would be conducive to building stronger relationships with customers and growers alike.
"We wanted a fully live and transparent system that would track stock from the customer right through to grower payments and provide traceability capabilities to equip the business for growth," he said.
"Using tablets in the wholesale business means we'll be able to raise sales orders, allocate dockets and stick dockets to products on the way out. It will save us considerable time and free up several people for other responsibilities."
Mr Palise said Red Rich Fruits considered various options for upgrading its stock management technology before engaging Radfords.
"There are a lack of options for this type of technology available in Australia and Radfords demonstrated a stronger customer focus than all other competitors. The ability to engage customers and growers with a fully automated and easy to use system is critical for our business," he said.
Upgrade includes another first for Radfords
Mr Barnes said as part of the project, Radfords was collaborating with MAF Roda of France which is installing a high-tech grading and sizing machine at Red Rich Fruits' Victorian packhouse.
"We've interfaced with that technology previously but it will be a first for Radfords in Australia.
"Enhancements to FreshPack for the Eastern Creek distribution facility will enable Red Rich Fruits to create detailed daily production plans to drive accuracy and efficiency through pre-packing operations."
Traceability knowledge honed on export compliance
Radfords' presence on the market floor represented new ground for the company which had dominated New Zealand's fresh produce technology space for more than 30 years, Mr Barnes said.
"This is because New Zealand's fresh produce wholesalers operate independently, rather than out of central markets," he said.
"As food safety and traceability concerns have become heightened with consumers, Radfords brings 30 years of experience in driving best practice in New Zealand's export-focused fresh produce industry. This ensures the highest standards can be met through the complex Australian supply chain."
He said project testing would begin in May prior to deployment on July 1. A team of six technology experts from Radfords has worked on the project since January.
FreshPack features at a glance:
- Grower payments
- Order and sales management
- Traceability
- Inventory control
- Production planning
- Logistics
- Advanced reporting
- Automation integration
- Automated label printing from tablet
- Minimal training and 24/7 support
For more information:
Bobby Barnes
Radfords
Tel: +64 21 878238
Toni Lucke
Aqua Public Relations
Tel: +61 7 3312 2505
Email: toni@aquapr.com.au