A mobile computing solution designed to improve food safety proved to be an award winner for three teams, working together. Atlantic Beef Products Inc, a producer-owned federally inspected beef processing facility, has won the 2006 Canadian Information Productivity Award (CIPA), Exceptional Innovation Award in the Innovation category, for a mobile computing solution developed by Psion Teklogix, global provider of solutions for mobile computing, wireless data collection, imaging, and RFID; and Merit-Trax Technologies, software developer for the food industry.
The innovative solution is designed to improve food safety measures at Atlantic Beef''s newly installed abattoir in Albany, Prince Edward Island, by increasing product traceability and meeting rigorous beef export requirements.
Atlantic Beef processes approximately 500 cattle and produces over 300,000 pounds of beef per week for Atlantic Canada''s top distribution channels. With its new mobile computing solution, the company has established traceability of its cattle at each stage of processing from packaging to delivery.
The innovative solution uses Psion Teklogix 7035 freezer handheld mobile computing devices with Merit-Trax Technologies'' Trax-IT® software suite on the abattoir floor, in freezer units, and on loading docks. The software enables the 7035 handheld device to capture data in real-time and streamline information for invoicing, food labeling, and shipping.
The Trax-IT® suite of software solutions for food industry supply and value chains is compliant with the global GS1 (EAN.UCC) data standards for product identification, data integration, and global data synchronization, including the Global Trade Item Number (GTIN), Global Location Number (GLN), Electronic Product Code (EPC), EDI, and the Global Traceability Standard.
Employee training and implementation were seamless, thanks to the flexible ergonomics of the 7035 handheld computers. Atlantic Beef workers are providing superior results by harnessing the handheld''s rugged design and Trax-IT® software''s versatile features. The new mobile computing solution has enabled the company to achieve greater efficiency with its workers while increasing overall productivity and revenues.
"This success was the result of three teams working together, and we are thrilled to be recognized by CIPA with this honor," said Paul Arsenault, controller, Atlantic Beef Products Inc. "With the help of Psion Teklogix and Merit-Trax, we were able to achieve the highest level of traceability and data capture possible, and we''re now primed to enter the global export market."
"CIPA is delighted to recognize both Psion Teklogix and Merit-Trax for helping Atlantic Beef automate the tracking of its products to improve overall safety measures," said Norm Kirkpatrick, president and CEO, CIPA.