NL: Automatic scanning for reused Xtrays

Syngenta Flowers in De Lier (the Netherlands), houses a specialized Young Plant Production center. Every year, a wide range of young plants, such as bedding plants, perennials and potted plants are produced across various locations of more than 25 hectares. By using optimal cultivation and distribution methods for young plants, supported by innovative technologies like Xtrays and Xcarriers, many species and varieties of young plants are grown from both seeds and cuttings.

As part of the worldwide Syngenta group, which has 28,000 employees in 90 countries, the De Lier establishment contributes to Syngenta's mission: unlocking the full potential of plants, maximising yields, protecting the environment and improving quality of life worldwide.

The challenge
Syngenta Flowers faced the challenge of efficiently and accurately managing the return flow of a new type of plant trays for its Young Plant Production. Their pool of Xtrays was expanded with 20% new Xcarriers. The latter are not suitable for washing in the existing washing station and require a separate treatment. Manually separating the new and old Xtrays in the storage hall was a very time-consuming and error-prone process. Syngenta therefore looked for a solution to optimize its return flow with the integration of the new Xtrays as much as possible.

The solution
The Xcarriers are equipped with durable UHF RFID labels with a reading distance of up to 12 meters and a higher reading speed. These labels are commonly used in logistics and retail environments.

Upon arrival at the warehouse, the Xtrays are scanned by an RFID gate, which is equipped with advanced RFID readers and antennas to enable automatic detection and registration. An activation sensor ensures that the scanning process begins as soon as a pallet arrives.

The new Xtrays are sent to a separate treatment location, while the old Xtrays are directed to the existing washing station. RFID allows the Xtrays to be automatically and correctly processed from the beginning and immediately registered at the correct location without any manual intervention.

A mobile RFID handheld scanner can be used for additional scanning. Multiple RFID tags can be read simultaneously here too, without requiring a line-of-sight.

The Aucxis HERTZ Middleware was used to integrate the system with Syngenta. Aucxis provided a custom visualization that displays the specific data for each type of Xtray. All scan results are transferred to Syngenta's central ERP system.

The result
Speed and efficiency: "Manual counting is no longer necessary; you can scan up to 750 Xtrays simultaneously, significantly speeding up the process."

Logistics flows: "The scanned Xtrays are immediately directed to the correct washing station, resulting in more sustainable and efficient return logistics."

Double-check: "Errors are avoided through additional checks with a handheld during the return process."

Reliable data: "Thanks to seamless integration with the existing Oracle Cloud database, everyone always has access to reliable real-time data."