Tracing products and digital information is becoming more and more important throughout the sector, with track & trace systems being a hot topic. Tolsma-Grisnich and Van der Pol Pallets en Kisten joined forces to implement the Tolsma-Grisnich Track & Trace system into crates.
Inventory management and phytosanitary requirements
“Demand for the traceability system is definitely increasing,” says Jan van Maldegem. “The motivation is twofold. On the one hand, there are companies that sort or cut and disinfect seedlings, for instance. In that case a good track & trace system is absolutely vital. For phytosanitary reasons, these companies have to be able to show what happened to a product. On the other hand, the system provides better insight in inventory, and companies can make adjustments more easily.”
Chipped crates
In addition to the Dutch sector, the crates are also exported. Apart from the Benelux, Robert van der Pol has clients in countries like Algeria and Canada. “We supply the crates there as assembly kits.” In the Netherlands and Belgium, many standard sizes are used: 1.20 metres by 1.60 metres and a capacity of 1250 to 1300 kilos is used most. “In France, for instance, you see much larger crates.
The project that Tolsma-Grisnich and Van der Pol are working on now, is especially for ‘de Aardappelhoeve’. During production of the crates, a hole is drilled, into which a chip is put. The chip is embedded in the crate. “In existing systems, the chip was mounted onto the crate, so there was a chance of the chip coming loose during a crash,” Robert explains. “With the Tolsma-Grisnich system, the chip is inside the crate, so this problem doesn’t occur anymore.”
End of blackboard
“The chip basically replaces the barcode and the blackboard,” Robert says. “The information is directly in the client’s system, providing an administrative advantage.” The system provides real-time insight into the stocks and locations of shipments, but the communication between chip and machine also provides benefits. “For instance, you can insert into a crate tipper what product you’re going to process. If a crate with another variety is then supplied, the tipper sees that,” Jan goes on to say. “The technology can also be applied to pallets,” Robert concludes. “It’s not unthinkable that in future, we will also start working with chips in pallets.”
More information
Van der Pol Pallets en Kisten
Robert van der Pol
Palletbedrijf van der Pol bv
Dorpsstraat 94-96
4634 TT Woensdrecht
+31 (0)164 - 61 33 5
robert@polpallets.nl
www.polpallets.nl
Tolsma-Grisnich
Jan van Maldegem
PO Box 1010
8300 BA Emmeloord
Nederland
+31 (0)527 63 64 65
www.polpallets.nl
Tolsma-Grisnich
Jan van Maldegem
PO Box 1010
8300 BA Emmeloord
Nederland
+31 (0)527 63 64 65