Case study

A vitamin boost in the production area of the produce giant

Nature's Pride is one of the largest suppliers of exotic fruits & vegetables in Europe. The company automated its weighing, labeling and final inspection with Bizerba.

Precise weighing and labeling is essential in the food industry. Wherever these processes are subject to errors or are too labor-intensive, they quickly become a bottleneck in production. Furthermore, economic damage can be the result of incorrect weight information on food packaging, for example. With a weighing and labeling solution from Bizerba, Nature's Pride, the produce giant, took weighing and labeling to a whole new level.

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A vitamin boost in the production area of the produce giant

rowers from over 50 countries supply Nature's Pride with exotic fruits and vegetables. Among the products that helped make the company successful are ripe, ready-to-eat avocados and mangoes delivered to retailers, as well as snack berries. Whether produce is delivered in bulk or packaged: Weighing and labeling is a challenge. For this reason, Nature's Pride was looking for a reliable solution to automate such processes.

Nature‘s Pride B.V.

With a range of more than 200 fruit and vegetable varieties from 53 grower countries, Nature's Pride is one of the market's leading importers. The Dutch company, based in Maasdijk, is the largest supplier of fresh fruit and vegetables to retailers, wholesalers, and exporters throughout Western Europe.

200 products
500 employees
1 location in The Netherlands

More information

naturespride.eu

I am the permanent contact for Nature's Pride. Our customer appreciates this proximity.”

Nick van der Sande

Account Manager Bizerba West Netherlands

Challenge

Automating and replacing error-prone old systems

Nature‘s Pride had been using systems from other manufacturers to weigh and label its products. Some of these systems were outdated and faulty, repeatedly causing interruptions in production. Likewise, even the most advanced systems did not fully live up to these high expectations. That's why Nature's Pride was looking for a new solution for automated weighing, labeling, and final inspection of the products. The solution was to be incorporated into the existing packaging line. Because a Bizerba checkweigher was already successfully in use at the Maasdijk site, Nature‘s Pride awarded the project to Bizerba.

Solution

Comprehensive solution from labeling to final inspection

Bizerba delivered a comprehensive solution that automated the labeling process in the fresh produce packaging line. Different in-motion scales and labeling systems are used depending on the product or type of packaging. The final inspection is performed using a standard checkweigher for medium-sized to large throughputs. Bizerba's BRAIN2 industrial software with relevant software modules facilitates master data maintenance and simple label design.

The solution developed with Bizerba includes

Hardware:

Checkweigher and labeling systems
Special labeling system with blower applicator
Printer for label printing
Checkweigher for final inspection

Software:

Industry software BRAIN2 with module to maintain master data
Software module to easily design labels

Service:

24/7 service contract
Annual calibration inspection
Hardware and software training

Advantages

Faster, more ergonomic, more sustainable

Thanks to automation, Nature‘s Pride has been able to increase throughput significantly. This new solution also brings a significant improvement in ergonomics as compared to the previous, partly manual processes; protecting the health and well-being of the employees was an important requirement for Nature‘s Pride. With the high reliability and precision of the Bizerba solution, Nature‘s Pride also met its own high sustainability requirements more effectively: In comparison with the previous state, considerable amounts of waste are now avoided in Maasdijk.

Let’s count

Fruit and vegetable types

Grower countries

We have provided the mechanics at Nature's Pride with in-depth training. If they are unable to quickly fix a malfunction themselves, they can contact our service team 24/7.”

Nick van der Sande

Account Manager Bizerba West Netherlands