FQcode | SEPTEMBER 2007

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FQcode brings traceability solutions to Ecuador

Leading traceability solution provider FQcode has made steady progress in Ecuador since opening its office in Guayaquil, in the heart of the country’s thriving banana industry, at the end of 2006.

According to Peter Bjerre Mosquera, general manager of FQcode Ecuador, the company has four of the country’s 10 leading banana exporters in its sights and will soon be opening a new office in Machala, in addition to further subsidiaries in Chile and Mexico.

“FQcode has been developing systems for agricultural products since 1996, and for more than five years, our traceability solutions have been used to tie produce grown on the smallest sections of land to whole product cases received by retailers in the US, Europe and South America,” says Mr Bjerre.

The systems comprise software, hardware and processes for data collection in the field and packing plant. These are deployed during harvesting, packing and shipping, tracking every moment of a product’s life. “The system enables customers to distinguish any type of packaging, be it individual clamshells, boxes or pallets, assigning to each a unique identification number that allows it to be recalled instantly and precisely,” explains Mr Bjerre.

As the world’s leading banana exporter, Ecuador has been keen to adopt the latest traceability systems to not only protect producers but also to measure and optimize production and post-harvest processes in the drive for greater competitiveness.

“Ecuador has taken on the concept traceability as a matter of necessity,” continues Mr Bjerre. “In 2006, the Ecuadorean Health Service for Agriculture ruled in favor of mandatory traceability for the banana sector.”

Demand for traceability solutions has risen substantially in the wake of a number of food safety scares in the US last year, since such a crisis impacts on the whole trade right back to the producer, causing huge financial losses, while also presenting a potentially dangerous situation for the consumer.

Mr Bjerre believes the Ecuadorean banana industry is clearly ready to adopt this type of system. “Ecuador is very keen to achieve its short-term goal of meeting international standards for traceability to guarantee the quality of its product and processes,” he explains. “At the moment, we are negotiating deals with some of the largest operators in the banana industry. From experience, we need to target those companies who recognize traceability as a method by which they can differentiate themselves in the marketplace as a quality supplier.”

This year, FQcode is set to launch its Automatic Warehouse Management System which allows automatic tracing on case and pallet movements inside a warehouse, and several pilot programs are already in place according to Mr Bjerre. FQcode claims this is the world’s first system to incorporate 3D Inventory Positioning into a traceability solution for the fresh produce industry.

By FQcode:

Publicated in September, 2007, Americafruit Magazine