“Technology has become endemic in the modern fruit business of today ,”
ANDRE OOSTHUISEN GROUP INTEGRATION AND IT EXECUTIVE , WESTFALIA FRUIT
too . Dealing with perishables brings with it unique issues that technology can really help minimise .
Growing avocados in South Africa to export to the UK is one example of where issues can arrive .
That ’ s why Westfalia has implemented advanced tracking systems that monitor fruit from the moment it ’ s harvested to when it reaches the consumer .
This end-to-end visibility allows for real-time adjustments to ensure optimal quality and shelf-life enhancements , and ultimately waste minimisation .
“ You cannot deliver fruit in this modern day and age of ours where consumers are very particular about what they want , unless you have all of the technology stacked behind it ,” Andre explains .
This commitment to quality is reflected in Westfalia ’ s investment in automated sorting and grading systems , which ensure consistent quality across all its products .
In addition to its technological transformation that have already taken place , Westfalia is actively exploring and implementing various emerging technologies to be ready for the next evolution in agriculture .
“ We ’ re starting to use drones for the forecasting of the fruit and the counting of fruit ,” Andre explains .
Equally , it ’ s in processes like this where AI is being used . “ These processes of counting and harvesting come from AI analysing the drone footage .”
Robotic Process Automation ( RPA ) is increasingly streamlining repetitive procedures in the company , particularly in administrative tasks like invoice processing .
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