Everett, WA: In light of recent food safety news from around the globe, Intermec, Inc. announced important new food traceability initiatives designed to not only reduce operational costs, but to ensure accuracy and safety measures in the event of time-sensitive product recalls. A recent food traceability implementation at LoBue Citrus, a family-run grower and distributor of California oranges, improved accuracy to nearly 99 percent.
Looking to boost overall product tracking capabilities, LoBue transitioned from a manual tracking system to an automated one. The company deployed Intermec PM4i industrial printers, PB50 mobile label printers, SR30 handheld scanners and CN3 rugged mobile computers, coupled with FoodLogiQ PTI Traceability system and services, at its two California-based warehouses.
"As a result of the Intermec and FoodLogiQ solution, we've seen our accuracy improve to between 98 and 99 percent, and drastically reduce our labor expenses by hundreds of dollars a day," said Tom Clark, LoBue Citrus Operations Manager. "But more importantly, we now have an automated food traceability system to track and trace the nearly five million boxes of oranges we produce each year within a matter of minutes."
With a comprehensive array of technologies including rugged mobile computers and printers, scanners, RFID and Vocollect Voice, Intermec's food traceability solutions are designed to seamlessly integrate into existing operations.
"Food traceability legislation will continue to bring more demands to the industry in the coming year and being able to track food directly from field to fork is absolutely crucial not only for farmers and food operators, but for the entire industry's supply chain network," said Bruce Stubbs, Intermec Director of Industry Marketing Distribution Center Operations. "Implementing new food traceability technologies will not only allow companies to comply with these increasingly demanding legislations, but offer faster, more productive operational efficiency."
A full video case study on LoBue Citrus' food traceability implementation can be found here. For a complete overview on Intermec's food traceability solutions, visit www.intermec.com/foodtraceability .
