JENSEN SEEDS RFID CREATES TRACEABILITY

December 17, 2020

Danish manufacturer is technological first mover

The Danish seed company Jensen Seeds delivers more than 10,000 tons of seeds to its customers every year. Therefore, it is crucial that there are no errors in the production and sorting of the seeds. This is where the need arose for an RFID solution to track, locate and identify the process from grower to fully automated cleaning, sorting and packing.

RFID (Radio Frequency IDentification) technology is increasingly being used in several industries. RFID, also known as ‘invisible barcodes’, allows you to automatically identify an object using radio waves, increasing traceability and control by always locating a specific object, in a specific place, at a specific time.

However, many companies do not take full advantage of wireless technology. But this is far from the case at Jensen Seeds, which more than 10 years ago, back in 2009, started using RFID technology from IT company Delfi Technologies for quality assurance and process optimization.

"No one else in the industry uses RFID for process optimization the way we do, but more people are starting to see the potential and are looking our way."

Michael Olesen, IT & Systems Engineer at Jensen Seeds

BETTER CONTROL AND INCREASED TRACEABILITY WITH RFID

More than 3,000 RFID tags now ensure full traceability at Jensen Seeds. Tags are placed on the large wooden boxes in which the seeds are stored, so each box has its own unique identity, which is updated when the box is emptied of one batch of seeds and filled with the next. Tags are also cast into the floor in front of storage racks and cleaning machines, so the exact location of each box of seeds is always recorded.

At the same time, the trucks that employees use to move the large boxes of seeds from cleaning and sorting to storage are equipped with an RFID reader and a tablet with a docking station from which all work processes can be managed. All movements of seed boxes are also registered in the central ERP system (Microsoft Dynamics NAV) as soon as they are completed.

– All our trucks function as mobile workstations. Here, employees can handle the day’s tasks. The RFID readers automatically scan all tags and send data to the mobile tablets and our ERP system,” explains Michael Olesen, IT & Systems Officer at Jensen Seeds.

BETTER CONTROL AND INCREASED TRACEABILITY WITH RFID

When it comes to quality assurance, Jensen Seeds was the first seed supplier in the world to use wireless RFID technology. Today, Jensen Seeds is owned by DLF, a global seed company that sells seeds for forage grass and private and professional turfgrass in more than 80 countries around the world. Here too, Jensen Seeds is a first mover, and many other producers look to it for inspiration for process optimization, better control and increased traceability.

– No one else in the industry uses RFID for process optimization like we do, but more people are starting to realize the potential and are looking our way,” says Michael Olesen.

Jensen Seeds’ production facilities are located in Birkum, southeast of Odense. The company owns 26,000 m2 of land and the factory covers 8,000 m2, which is used for seed processing and storage as well as offices. When Jensen Seeds receives seeds from growers, a fully automated system with seven seed processing lines ensures the best results and consistency in quality and yield.

QUALITY ASSURANCE AND ELIMINATION OF ERRORS

To achieve the highest quality and purity of the seeds, Jensen Seeds uses the most advanced technology and equipment in production. The RFID system from 2009 has recently been upgraded with new equipment from Delfi Technologies, future-proofing the traceability process with new technology.

The seeds are received from growers in very large batches, often 40-60 tons at a time from each grower. Production takes place according to customer requirements. During the seed cleaning process, Jensen Seeds constantly checks the quality. When the quality meets the company’s high standards and the purity is at least 99.9%, the seeds are packaged for customers, which are large garden seed companies in Europe, North America and the Far East.

– In the work with quality assurance, the RFID system ensures that no mistakes are made. At the same time, we achieve full traceability, as we can always track exactly where a particular box of seeds is located using RFID tags,” says Michael Olesen.

SAVES A LOT OF MONEY

The consequence of mistakes is a costly affair, and there is simply no room for that. Michael Olesen continues:

– The RFID system eliminates the risk of mixing two different seed varieties. It’s a clear win that you can’t ignore. There is simply no room for error, as it would mean losses in the order of DKK 100,000 or more when you risk having to discard entire boxes of seeds. Most importantly, the system ensures that customers always get the right product.

One of the requirements for the solution and the RFID equipment was that it had to be extremely robust because warehouses and production halls can be dusty and vibrations can occur. The truck terminals are particularly suitable for industry and are especially ideal for warehouses and warehouses where they are often exposed to losses on the floor, dust, dirt, etc.

MANY BENEFITS OF RFID

Jensen Seeds mentions the following advantages of the RFID system:

RFID helps make Jensen Seeds a modern and high-tech company – it contributes to better competitiveness in the industry
The risk of mis-sorting is eliminated – saving time and money
You always have 100% control of how many empty boxes you have, both now and in the future, so you can optimize the collection of seeds from manufacturers
Fully automated and error-free registration of all boxes of seeds from receipt after harvest to dispatch to customers
Employees’ daily work requires less physical effort than with manual routines. All tasks are presented continuously on the truck terminal instead of on paper, and no one makes mistakes
Robust RFID equipment ensures a durable solution with maximum uptime

ABOUT JENSEN SEEDS

Jensen Seeds is a well-consolidated and modern seed production company that celebrated its 50th anniversary on May 10, 2012. Since 2017, the company has been owned by DLF, a global seed company that sells seeds for forage grass, private and professional turfgrass in more than 80 countries around the world. Jensen Seeds is the world’s leading producer of spinach seeds, which make up 80 percent of the company’s production.