Tracking software revolutionising fruit pack house management

Major fruit growing operations on both sides of the Tasman are reaping the benefits of an innovative Napier software development company’s custom-designed systems that track fruit from orchard to market.

ABC Software’s barcode-based software solutions are now tracking a diverse range of fruit, including apples, avocados and grapes - and delivering enormous business benefits to growers.

ABC Software Founder and Director, Sharon Chapman, says all fruit growers have the common needs of accuracy, efficiency, traceability and visibility in their management systems. “ABC pack house management solutions deliver that, irrespective of the type of fruit.”

The company designed a system for Seven Fields’ Treviso estate in Mildura, Victoria, to track more than 300,000 boxes of three different varieties of grapes from up to six farms.

Seven Fields’ Produce Marketing Manager, Clare McMahon, says some of the grapes are owned by Seven Fields, some are owned by investors whose investments Seven Fields manage, and some are owned by its joint venture partner. Up to 90% of the grapes are exported.

“Because the grapes are packed directly into boxes by the pickers, it’s extremely important for our investors that we’re able to trace the returns for each box back to the grower. ABC has enabled us to guarantee that traceability.

“Being able to trace a single box back to a particular day, block of land and picker using the barcode is also great when we have to deal with claims,” says Clare. “It tells me if fruit’s been held on to for too long in the market or if cartons with problems have been picked by the same picker or come from the same block. It’s put us ahead of our competition and enabled us to give better assurances to our customers.

“We can also get on-the-spot reporting whenever we like, and so provide our seven contractors with reports that specify what each picker picked. Our accountants can also easily see the returns that should be allocated to each investor. Previously, we only reported that information at the end of the season.”

Clare says she looked at a number of systems and chose ABC because it was able to be customised to Seven Fields’ needs. “You don’t have to go overboard; you only build the system that you need. They also had a very good understanding of how our business works and were so enthusiastic.”

Advance Packing and Marketing Services (APMS) in Western Australia is using an ABC-designed system to track thousands of kilograms of avocados from 29 avocado growers. Barcode labels on bins from the orchard and on cartons leaving the pack house ensure the company can track the fruit from the orchard to the marketplace. The system also provides on-line reports to growers that detail their financial and fruit pack-out positions, and is a valuable tool for trialling new avocado varieties and comparing different rootstocks and production areas.

APMS Director, Jennie Franceschi says the system maximises both efficiency and profitability. “I can’t believe how much time it’s saved. It’s provided the full functionality we were looking for and has future-proofed our business.”

One of ABC’s first tracking systems was developed for New Zealand’s largest apple grower, packer and exporter, Mr Apple, which processes three million cartons of apples a year. The system effectively manages the fruit from the orchard to the pack houses and cool stores, on to markets and through to customer invoicing and grower payments. Data is only entered once and all parts of the system are fully integrated.

ABC has since designed systems to manage Mr Apple’s cool store operations and the financial transactions for the hundreds of seasonal workers that return each year to work for the company.

www.abcsoftware.co.nz

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