Complete utilization of the added value in RFID tags in the flower supply chain. Have you ever imagined how the popular Christmas flowers can reach the shops before Christmas in time and in good condition in the freezing cold North or elsewhere in Europe?
Enjoy your Christmas
flowers!
Not just reindeer sledges but obviously special
thermo-transportation systems are needed, but how to make it sure
that hundred of thousand and millions of Poinsettias, Christmas
cactuses, Christmas roses etc are handled in time during one of the
peak seasons in the horticultural industry?
In January 2011, Danish Container Centralen, a transport and
packaging systems and service provider, introduced RFID tags in all
of their more than 3 million containers used by the horticultural
sector throughout Europe for the delivery of plants and flowers.
Already during the spring time 2011 the most innovative trading
companies in the industry, such as BAAS Plantenservice in the
Netherlands, saw the opportunities of the latest technology.
BAAS Plantenservice implemented a track and trace system based
on the RFID tags already on the containers. In the order management
process, their suppliers attach a barcode label to each order and
container, scan the RFID tag on the container and then link
it to the order and ordered products. This information is made
available to BAAS and their transporters, in order to optimize and
streamline the delivery transport. RFID tags are scanned when the
containers are loaded, so that the BAAS logistics department knows
exactly when the flowers will arrive. At arrival the RFID tags are
scanned again and thus the goods are automatically booked in to
their logistics systems.
BAAS Plantenservice can process now more than 14000 containers
full of flowers daily, minimize the communication between
suppliers, transporters and logistics and financial departments and
thus save time. Furthermore, the turnaround times of containers
will be shorter, speeding up the total logistics process and
providing longer lifetimes of flowers.
Next time, when you are at your shop or garden center buying
flowers, have a closer look to the containers if available. At the
bottom you will see a small tag size of the small Christmas bell.
It is the key to the fresh and colorful flowers!
Happy Holidays!
