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Sweet potato packer implements PTI

Produce packer implements inventory, traceability, and case-labeling solution for Produce Traceability Initiative compliance, while maintaining packaging line speeds of 700 cases/hr.

GOOD FIT. The QX 830 barcode reader was selected for the project for its ability to meet the speed requirements of the line and its industrial design, which enables it to operate continuously in the dusty bin dumper environment.
GOOD FIT. The QX 830 barcode reader was selected for the project for its ability to meet the speed requirements of the line and its industrial design, which enables it to operate continuously in the dusty bin dumper environment.

The Wayne E. Bailey Produce Co. (WEB) of Chadbourn, NC, has a long tradition of adopting new ideas and technologies. Started in 1935, the family-owned producer of sweet potatoes has played a key role in transforming the vegetable from a seasonal item to a year-round favorite through innovative marketing and new technologies to support the needs of its customers. The first to introduce electronic sizing to the sweet potato industry in the 1980s, the customer-focused company continues its legacy of innovation with a state-of-the-art facility that uses advanced technology to provide cleaner, safer sweet potatoes with longer shelf lives.

A couple of years ago, when key retail customer Publix adopted the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI), WEB recognized the need to implement a system in its packing operation to ensure that it was in compliance. An industry-led effort to improve traceability throughout the produce supply chain in North America, PTI outlines the key steps that growers, packers, shippers, and retailers can take to implement case-level electronic traceability from the field to the grocery store.

Under WEB’s existing system, its sweet potatoes were already traceable by an internal process that utilized an ink roller to apply a lot number and product size to each box that was recorded in the company’s inventory management system. However, compliance with PTI required the company to adopt the standardized labeling format and electronic recordkeeping requirements outlined by the initiative. The solution would need to be able to accurately identify as many as 14 to 15 different product sizes during a production run without impacting the production rate or requiring major changes to the process.

To implement PTI, WEB adopted RedLine Solutions’ RedLine Packing™ inventory, traceability, and case-labeling solution for produce packing operations. The solution was integrated into the company’s existing grower accounting and inventory management system—a key advantage over standalone systems, according to WEB Operations Manager Adam Wooten. The solution included both software and hardware technology, including two automated label printer/applicators from Diagraph and two barcode readers from Microscan, to meet current and future requirements of PTI while maintaining WEB’s production rate of more than 700 cases/hr.

‘PTI benefits everyone’
Spearheading the project from RedLine was company founder and CEO Todd Baggett, who also currently serves as co-chair of the PTI Technology Working Group. Says Wooten, “Todd was instrumental in the process. He knows all about PTI and scanning technology, and he knew how to solve the challenges that we had.”

According to Baggett, many large retailers are adopting PTI; effective Nov. 1, 2013, all fresh produce suppliers to Walmart are required to use case labels that comply with PTI, or their products will be rejected. “If you want to do business with these companies, you will have to have PTI case-level traceability,” he says.

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