Growers and Grocers Get Into Plastic Pallet Pool

Martori began using the iGPS reusable pallets with RFID tags about one year ago, for shipping a single product to its distributors and retailers. However, the company says it plans to expand its use of iGPS pallets and service offerings this year. Using hardware and software provided by iGPS, Martori used the RFID tags to reconcile shipments received at its distribution centers against its orders. In 2007, the company utilized about 42,000 iGPS pallets. However, Fleming says, Martori plans to nearly double its usage of iGPS pallets and services across its entire product line in the coming year, to about 80,000 iGPS pallets.

Each iGPS pallet comes with four ultrahigh-frequency (UHF) Gen 2 passive RFID inlays, one embedded in each corner. The inlays are sealed between the top and lower plastic deck when the pallet is manufactured. IGPS uses a variety of inlay manufacturers, says the company's CIO, Jack Sparn; among those commonly used is Avery Dennison RFID. "There are a half dozen good, solid passive tag manufacturers we will order from that can provide quality at a low cost."

IGPS employs printers from Zebra Technologies to print and emboss plastic labels that include a visual bar code on all four sides. The bar code represents the pallet's serial number, which is also printed on the label. That, Sparn says, provides three ways to identify any specific pallet: via RFID, bar-coded or human-readable data. All three numbers are "married" in iGPS' database and linked with future RFID scans with times, dates and locations as the pallets are moved.

"On our database," Sparn says, "we have authorized predetermined locations for shipping." When a customer such as Martori Farms places an order for pallets, it uses iGPS i-Trac software system, which is based on Xterprise's Supply Chain Network Execution (TraX) and Xterprise Asset Management (XAM) applications, built on the Microsoft BizTalk 2006 R2 platform. The software system that provides online data access to iGPS and its customers for pallet orders by that client, as well as the online status of all orders, access to inventory information and historical reports on prior transactions.

IGPS accesses the order and contacts its exclusive third-party logistics services provider, Ryder Logistics, to ship a trailer of pallets to a specific customer location. The bill of lading is electronically recorded and transmitted to the iGPS depot that will be providing the pallets, and to the recipient. IGPS employs Alien Technology 9800 interrogators to read the unique electronic product code (EPC) encoded to each pallet's tags as it is shipped from its iGPS pallet pool locations.