October 3, 2007 – San Jose, CA – GREENTrace is an RFID and sensor-driven software solution that runs on InSync’s Edgeware platform. GREENTrace uses RFID, GPS and other sensors to provide end-to-end visibility and traceability of fresh foods as they are harvested, processed, stored, and distributed. GREENTrace is currently in production at some of the largest RFID deployments in the fresh food industry. InSync provides GREENTrace as a solution to be deployed within the enterprise or as a Software as a Service (SaaS) model for field-to-fork visibility.
With recent outbreaks of E. coli, and other instances of contamination making headlines nationwide, increased visibility and traceability of harvested foods are of paramount interest to today’s fresh food producers. Customers using GREENTrace have been able to significantly reduce the time and scope of recalls when contamination issues arise. The GREENTrace Solution begins in the fields with workers associating harvest bins to RFID tags using GPS-enabled RFID handheld readers. As the tagged bins travel through the food chain, InSync’s software processes real-time data from weigh scales, temperature monitors, and other sensor technologies to provide operators with feedback as to product status, location, and condition.
GREENTrace dashboards display key process indicators (KPIs) of the processes throughout each stage. As produce harvest processes vary for different kinds of fresh foods, GREENTrace can be easily configured to accommodate these processes. As fresh food is tracked through its expected (user-defined) route, deviations from expected times and conditions trigger alerts that are sent real-time to process owners. For example, for items that have gone beyond a defined tolerance (time, temperature, etc.), location and product data are instantly transmitted to the process owner so that appropriate actions can be taken.
InSync’s GREENTrace solution features a Service-oriented Architecture (SOA) where tag and contextual information is kept in a central location. This information can easily be accessed by multiple parties over a secure Internet dashboard as well as integrated into multiple enterprise systems. With GREENTrace, traceability levels are increased further through additional partner integration. In the event of contamination being detected, GREENTrace allows customers to trace the affected product down to the exact GPS field location where it was picked. This level of traceability allows for easier identification of contaminated product lots, which will help keep them from reaching the consumer.
Additionally, the solution increases the velocity of product through the food chain, optimizing freshness. A real-time view of the harvest from the initial picking allows those further downstream in the food chain to prepare for exact volumes of incoming product. Better preparedness reduces harvest cycle time.. Such efficiencies translate to a lower risk of spoilage and contamination, and allow system operators to quickly identify bottlenecks and anticipate opportunities for process and quality improvements.
“The GREENTrace solution proves that track-and-trace software systems that leverage RFID and other sensor technologies are not only cost-effective, but offer outstanding benefits to fresh food companies,” says Ashish Chona, CEO of InSync Software, Inc. “For our customers in the fresh food industry, ensuring the safety of their products and the health of their consumers is mission critical. GREENTrace is the industry’s first state-of-the-art RFID Driven solution to effectively address the issue of food safety, and we are proud to be making it generally available.”
