New label for Container Centralen containers

Photo: Container Centralen.

The new label can be read faster, more easily and accurately with various types of scanners. With a new label Container Centralen wants to reset the CC Pool for a fair system and support optimisation in work processes.

Horticulture

7 November 2018

This autumn Container Centralen (CC) issues a new label for the CC Container, that will replace the current red label in January 2019. The change of the label is one of the measures to keep the CC Pool System fair to all users.

Practical functionalities

Just like the red label, the new label is fitted with an RFID chip and a data matrix. The RFID chip has deliberately not been fitted with new features like Bluetooth or NFC. Roel de Jong: “There are a lot of technical possibilities out there: you can for example have chips that send out an active signal or report on the temperature of their environment. However, this also drives costs and in consultations with customers we found that the horticultural industry is best helped with a simple, durable, cost efficient and practical functionality of the chip. Hence we invested in a sturdy design, with top-class reading performance.”

CEO Roel de Jong: “When we started with an RFID label in 2011, we hoped to really close the CC pool by scanning at each transaction. This has proven to be too ambitious but we do see that RFID has brought additional value to the CC pool in three ways. Firstly, companies that do scan, create valuable and reliable checkpoints in the pool system.

“Secondly, the fact that we now can identify individual containers has given us the possibility to allow new containers into the pool more easily. Companies that want to join the pool, receive labels from CC that are administratively connected to them. If the container lands at a repair shop because of poor quality, pool transparency ensures fair allocation of repair cost. New labels that we send out now, will also be connected to the receiving companies.

“And thirdly, the RFID makes it possible to optimise work processes. You can for example connect your products with the CC Container and make it the foundation of your internal logistics. For some companies this has proven to be valuable. So scanning is of added value to the CC Pool; I do want to stress however, that scanning is not mandatory.”

Quicker reading performance

The new RFID chip has been changed, to provide for a fast, convenient and safe authenticity check. Gert Aagaard, Technical and ICT Director explains: “With the old red label the individual number of the chip read by the scanner was checked by a central database. Now the scanner is fitted with an encryption key that immediately returns the check result – providing much quicker and safer scans. We invite companies that are interested to find out how scanning can help their business processes, to contact us. Information for companies that currently use scanners, is available on our website.”

Brand new design

The new label is protected by Intellectual Property Rights because of its unique shape and combination of features;

Visually easy to recognise with the transparent housing, bright colours and the RFID antenna in the top part. If the label is removed from the container the antenna breaks and the label cannot be read anymore.
The especially designed plastic clips and the flexibility of the material ensure that it is impossible to re-attach a removed label without visible damage.
Less material is needed for the production of the new label and it weighs less than the current label. It can move easily on the container which avoids as much as possible the breakage of the label.

This combination of features will help improve customer processes and make label fraud harder, which is an advantage for all CC pool users.

Participating in the pool

If you would like to participate in the CC Pool, you can register a CC base in the CC Pool for a 6 euro license fee, once this base fits the technical requirements of CC. An additional annual pool fee of 4,42 euro will be charged but, you can also register as many shelves per base as you need. CC recommends registering five shelves for every base licenced, currently there is no cost for introducing shelves in to the CC Pool so it would only be the annual shelf pool fee of 0.98 euro per shelf to pay. Introducing shelves in to the CC Pool also helps to increase your shelf quota. For further details please contact Container Centralen.

Read more about the new CC label or check out the video below.