System offers stock control peace of mind to fresh produce exporters

A good stock management system that offers full visibility, traceability and accountability could cut down “significantly” on production, labour and warehousing costs. “Multi-Weigh Technologies’ custom-fit stock control solutions provide 100% traceability, increase productivity by 50%, boost cash f low and help customers improve their service by providing accountability across the supply chain,” said Jonathan Swiel, managing director of Multi-Weigh Technologies. He told FTW that the company’s stock control solutions had been “highly effective” for exporters of fresh produce such as macadamia nuts and avocados. “There are so many stringent export regulations around fresh produce which demand strict standards and full traceability from orchard to packing to dispatch,” said Swiel. Golden Macadamias, currently one of the largest nut packing houses in the world, uses the Multi-Weigh Technologies stock management system for quality control of the stock and to ensure comprehensive traceability. This means packing problems can be identified and individual producers can be kept updated on how and where their stock is sold. “A bad batch of nuts can immediately be identified and it can be traced to where the problem originated. Furthermore, with improved visibility, there is less handling of the product, which improves the quality of the final export product,” Swiel pointed out. The stock management system is also mobile and easy to use and has a set of traceable checks across the picking, packing and handling process. “Therefore, if one person across the system makes a mistake, there is a greater chance of the error being picked up at the next link,” said Swiel. Management can also pick up where the problem occurred and individual staff members can be held accountable, which ups productivity. “Plus, since staff operate more efficiently, there is a huge saving on labour costs,” Swiel said. Heinrich Grobler, operations manager at Golden Macadamias, said: “I enjoy the fact that although a complex IT system is running my factory, my staff isn’t intimidated as it is so userfriendly. I also like the local support and immediacy of service integrated with Multi- Weigh’s ability and desire to meet my needs even if they fall outside their immediate scope of expertise.” INSERT & CAPTION There are many stringent export regulations around fresh produce which demand strict standards and full traceability from orchard to packing to dispatch. – Jonathan Swiel