Can software transform the quality management of fresh produce? The transformational experience of Paqui Escoi, QC Manager of the Spanish company Fruilar, a Clarifruit customer, was the focus of a webinar hosted by Cristóbal Apablaza, Head of Clarifruit Latin America and Spain in November 2022.
Fruilar, a fruit growers’ cooperative in Lleida, Spain, has implemented Clarifruit in every phase of its quality control process. Having performed more than 5,000 quality inspections, Paqui explained the significant impact of the software on the efficiency and accuracy of its processes.
Integrating & Using Clarifruit
- Digitalization and Transformation
Fruilar has onboarded a digital transformation process, digitizing data and improving processes with new technologies, including fruit sorters with AI-based vision and robots in the packing process. - Data Integration
Previously, Fruilar managed its field and production data in different systems. Clarifruit offers an integrated solution that enables more efficient data analysis. - Objectivity and Ease of Use
The software enables quality inspections to be carried out quickly, easily, and objectively, independent of inspectors. It can be adapted to fit different production processes, transforming them into versatile and highly accurate software.
Clarifruit’s Comprehensive Management Control
- Customizable forms — It allows the creation of inspection forms adjusted to Fruilar’s specific needs.
- Automatic detection — It uses AI to automatically detect fruit sizes and colors, a distinctive feature in the market.
- Conformity assessment — Clarifruit helps to assess whether fruits comply with the required specifications, using a traffic light system to indicate conformity.
- Results visualization — It offers the ability to view individual and aggregate results, facilitating trend analysis.
Impact on Management Control
- Improvement of Communication — The reports generated, including detailed photos, can be quickly sent to producers for feedback and improvements.
- Data Download and Analysis — The ability to massively download and analyze data allows Fruilar to combine quality information with other production data.
- Use of Business Intelligence — Using tools such as Microsoft Power BI, Fruilar can create visual dashboards that enable improvements in management and decision-making.
During the Q&A session, Paqui highlighted the importance of selecting technology that is specifically adapted to the needs of the production process. While there are many technological options available, it is crucial to implement those that really add value and improve existing processes.
Paqui emphasized the usefulness of Clarifruit’s AI in the automatic detection of sizes and colors, seeing it as a significant change in the objective and efficient measurement of fruit quality. This capability has allowed Fruilar to perform prompt and accurate inspections, greatly improving quality management and decision-making based on reliable data. Clarifruit’s technology has proven effective in various conditions and for different types of fruit, including apples, mangoes, and pineapples, underlining its versatility and precision.
Fruilar’s experience with Clarifruit demonstrates the positive impact of a well-chosen technology adapted to the specific requirements of a company in the fruit industry, Paqui highlighted the need for continuous innovation to remain competitive.
Cristóbal Apablaza closed the webinar by highlighting the future and current vision of quality management and traceability in the fruit industry, emphasizing that this advanced technology is accessible and applicable today. He pointed out that while Clarifruit’s innovative technology may seem exclusive, it’s very versatile and can be easily adapted to meet the needs of smaller customers with limited budgets. Clarifruit has clear advantages that take produce quality control to the next level.
