Alara gains competitive edge with Xsense perishables monitoring system
03 Feb 2010
FRUIT LOGISTICA, Berlin, 3 February 2010 Alara Agri Business, a company belonging to the UNIVEG group, announces today that they are using the Xsense™ Perishables Quality Monitoring System from StePac L.A. Ltd., a DS Smith PLC company.
This system monitors in real time temperature and relative humidity from inside produce cartons. Using this technology, Alara gains new insights about the condition of their cherries and figs as they travel from Alara’s packing facility in Turkey to receivers throughout Europe.
Alara participated in one of StePac’s first commercial pilot programs during the 2008 cherry season. The Xsense System’s real time alerts, sent to Alara supervisors via SMS and email, enabled Alara to intervene during transport and reduce risk of freezing damage in over 60 cherry shipments and over 50 fig shipments during the 2009 season. Alara supervisors were able to take corrective actions such as contacting drivers and requesting that they adjust the set point of the refrigeration unit or by quickly identifying temperature compromised pallets when they arrived at distribution centers. The availability of real time GPS location updates also enabled Alara and its consignees to know where shipments were at any moment in time. This resulted in improved scheduling of deliveries.
Alara noted many additional benefits, such as optimized pallet loading, whereby warmer pallets are placed in cooler locations in the truck; reduced waste and produce weight loss; and enhanced shelf life on arrival.
“While we maintain the strictest cold chain protocols at our packing facilities, we had little knowledge about the condition of our products once they left our plant,” comments Alara CEO Kerim Taner. “Xsense real time temperature and relative humidity monitoring, along with its GPS tracking, has enabled us to stay in control, helping us to meet our promise to consistently deliver top quality produce throughout the season. We see the use of Xsense as an important brand building tool by enabling us to improve customer service, visibility and satisfaction,” continues Taner.
Xsense was developed by StePac as part of its strategy to provide systems-based solutions to the post-harvest industry. “When we realized that there was no successful technology available that could monitor and report in real time the temperature and relative humidity of the environment inside produce cartons and that all investments in post-harvest procedures and technologies are at risk due to lack of this critical information, we set out to develop it ourselves,” remarks Asaf Shachnai, VP Commercial Management & Technology, at StePac. “We found Alara and its innovative management team to be perfect partners in piloting the Xsense program.”
Xsense™ Perishables Quality Monitoring technology
Xsense monitoring and real time reporting begins at palletization, when Xsensers™ (disposable Xsense sensor tags) are activated and placed in selected cartons, and continues during pre-cooling and loading.
An Xsense Communications Unit (CU) installed at the packing house transmits temperature and relative humidity data to the Xsense System, which can then be viewed on screen—in real time—from the secure Xsense website. If a portable CU is placed in the produce truck, monitored data will continue to be viewable on screen throughout the shipment. GPS tracking lets you view the geographic progress of the shipment as well. When the shipping vehicle does not have a CU onboard, Xsensers log the data until the shipment reaches a CU equipped facility, where all collected data is instantly downloaded and viewable on screen. When produce arrives at the distribution center (where an additional CU is installed), Xsensers continue to monitor and transmit temperature and relative humidity data. Whenever preset temperature and relative humidity thresholds are breached, Xsense sends real time alerts via SMS or email to designated supervisors.
To learn more about the Xsense system and Alara, visit the UNIVEG stand in Hall 5.2, Stand A-03 or the StePac stand in Hall 3.2, Stand C-21.
About Alara
Alara (founded 1986) is located in Bursa, Turkey. Alara is member of the UNIVEG group, with headquarters in Belgium. Since 2007 UNIVEG holds a majority share in Alara.
Alara specializes in growing, packing and exporting sweet cherries, brine cherries and fresh black figs. Alara’s products are distributed to major retailers in 22 countries across 5 continents. Alara’s strong brand recognition coupled with highly sophisticated cherry and fig line processes enabled the company’s significant growth over the last 12 years.
About StePac
StePac L.A. Ltd. (founded 1992) is a part of UK-based DS Smith Plc. The company's Xtend® products and services serve the fresh produce industry with produce specific, modified atmosphere/modified humidity packaging solutions and accompanying post-harvest services. Xsense™ is a comprehensive, web-based, real time, cold chain management system that monitors temperature and relative humidity of product at the pallet level throughout the entire supply chain. StePac's laboratories and manufacturing facilities are located in the Tefen Industrial Park, Israel. StePac maintains sales and technical support offices and representatives at 16 locations around the world.
Nancy Goovaerts
3 February 2010
Further information:
Alara
Kerim Taner, CEO Alara
Telephone: +90 224 2808040
Fax: +90 224 3717272
E-mail: ktaner@alaraagri.com
Web: www.UNIVEG.com
StePac
Asaf Schnai, VP Commercial Management & Technology StePac
Telephone: +972 4 987-2131
Fax: +972 4 987 2946
E-mail: asaf@stepac.com
Web: www.stepac.com