Freshness ‘blindness’ causes a lot of waste in produce supply chains. Here we explain the role of the Condition-based Expiration Date–a critical element to solving this problem. We look at what it takes to create a reliable and accurate algorithm that models deterioration of different varieties of produce exposed to different temperature histories.
Cold Chain
Cold chain logistics and technology, e.g. for temperature sensitive products (biologics, fresh foods, etc.)
Preemptive Freshness Management: Part Two – Cold Chain Process Mapping and Predictive Analytics
In order to preemptively prescribe optimal actions to workers across the produce cold chain, a system must reasonably accurately model the processes across the chain. The model becomes the basis for making predictive analytics, ultimately guiding the actions taken at each process step in the end-to-end cold chain.
Preemptive Freshness Management: Part One – Empowering Workers to Improve Delivered Freshness
Preemptive Freshness Management takes a proactive approach to reducing waste and spoilage in the produce supply chain, from grower to retailer. A process model that incorporates product characteristics, customer requirements, and resource constraints–informed by continuous situational awareness–provides field, packhouse, and DC workers with early warnings, clear guidance on goals and tradeoffs, and prescriptive corrective actions to maximize freshness and minimize loss.
Agile Integration: Part Two – Characteristics of a Purpose-built Integration Platform for Supply Chain Planning and Optimization; Roadmap to Agile Integration
We explore what to look for in an integration platform to achieve rapid integration for supply chain planning and optimization systems. We also describe a potential roadmap to agile, incremental integration and value realization.
Achieving Consistent Produce Quality: Applying Quality Management Methodologies to the Cold Chain
For decades, manufacturers have used statistical process control and related process disciplines to continually reduce process variation, minimize waste, and reliably create products consistently conforming to precise specifications. In contrast, the produce industry does not have a tradition of strong process controls. There is a major opportunity to dramatically improve produce quality and shelf life by adopting modern process disciplines.
Pallet-level Monitoring for the Fresh Food Supply Chain
Freshness of produce is a key competitive battleground for grocers. The common practice is to monitor the temperature of the field, cooler, trailer, and warehouse. By instead monitoring the temperature within each pallet–from the moment it is picked in the field until the end delivery at the retailer–smarter decisions can be made, based on that information, and losses can be cut in half for both the grower and the grocer.
Why Quality Consistency Matters
About 30% of harvested produce is wasted. The profitability of each player in the food chain is impacted by this inconsistent quality and control. There are tremendous opportunities to improve. Here we look at the issues of the fresh food supply chain and offer some diagnosis and remedies.
Good Enough to Eat
How SMB Food Companies Embrace Technology and Thrive.
Winning the Freshness Wars: Creating Shopper Loyalty and Profitability in Retail Grocery
How end-to-end temperature monitoring improves produce quality, reduces waste, and increases customer satisfaction and profitability.
Winning the Freshness Wars: Creating Shopper Loyalty and Profitability in Retail Grocery
How end-to-end temperature monitoring improves produce quality, reduces waste, and increases customer satisfaction and profitability.
RFID in Pharmaceuticals
The discussion has moved from if to how for many major pharmaceutical manufacturers. The barriers to adoption are down and the benefits are up. So you may have a good reason to look at solutions now.