Customer Story Agrilog® - Cítricos La Paz
Located in Fortuna, Murcia, Cítricos La Paz S.L. is a family business with over 25 years of experience. Specialized in lemon production, packing, exportation and commercialization. With 600 Hectares in production and 600 employees, Cítricos La Paz is providing a fresh, healthy and exceptional product that emphasizes the benefits of lemon.
As a result of their effort, care and quality, they have become an international reference in the sector. Cítricos La Paz export their lemons to 53 countries around the world. The Major consumer markets are: Europe, Russia, Asia, Canada, USA, United Arab Emirates, and South America.
The packaging needs of Cítricos La Paz
The initial packaging situation needed improvements regarding the safety and efficiency. From harvesting orchards to the sorting and caliber lines the customer was using traditional 46 liter stackable plastic crates. On uneven grounds in the fields, the boxes could not be stacked in high piles because of the safety risk for pickers and operators.
Individual handling of those small crates was labor consuming and not satisfactory in terms of efficiency although un-pilling and tipping were automated. Breakage and “vanishing” crate rate were also quite high, the environment and industrial use being quite demanding.
The objectives and requirements of Agrilog® adoption were to enhance profitability.
The Agrilog® adoption was meant to enhance profitability by increasing the inbound logistics and process efficiency, as well as improving safety of pickers and operators while reducing labor costs. It was also chosen in order to improve the citrus quality and care during all phases, from harvesting to final packaging lines. The goal was also to: improve the storage space and truck payload, allow a complete automation of processes, improve the life span of packaging, and allow an easy cleaning and maintenance.
The Agrilog® solution allowed the complete automation of the tipping sorting-caliber and storage. The 3 Colors facilitate the management of the fleet and the visual tracking. The green and grey Agrilog® are for harvesting and in bound storage, whereas the blue ones are for ready to go citrus.
Main benefits for Cítricos La Paz
By choosing Agrilog®, Cítricos La Paz increased its storage capacity by 20% thanks to the unique curved walls design and 446L individual volume. They also witnessed an improvement in the quality preservation, since the pyramidal base shape facilitates a careful and even distribution of fruits in the container. The base and walls design promotes the airflow for improved freshness.
Cítricos La Paz saved 15% on logistics costs, improved operators safety and ergonomics thanks to less breakage. They increased the competitiveness of this company, and its brand image because using certified and sustainable product is important for their own customers. Last but not least, Agrilog® allowed a 20% labor savings for operators.