RFiD Discovery transforms management of fish boxes in French harbours

Cornouaille is the largest fresh fishing area in France, representing one fifth of the national fishing industry. Fish markets exist in six of the seven harbours in the area, which are managed by the Metropolitan Brittany Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCIMBO).

The challenges

The CCIMBO is responsible for the provision, sorting, cleaning, storage and transport of the fish boxes. In 2020, the organisation set out to identify an RFID-based solution to streamline the flow of fish storage boxes with the following main objectives:  

• Reduce the loss of boxes (typically a third of the pool each year) and as a result minimise the costs of replacing them 
• Ensure that there are always sufficient boxes available at the right place at the right time for fishermen and buyers 

The solution

At the end of 2020, the CCIMBO selected our parent company Paragon ID to provide a solution, our RFiD Discovery asset tracking and RTLS system. The solution was developed and deployed during 2021, since then a total of 50,000 boxes have been tagged and are currently being tracked.

The integrated solution includes fixed and mobile RFID readers as well as the RFiD Discovery asset tracking software including mobile and web applications. This enables the harbour management to track and monitor the flow of reusable fish boxes and to access additional information within the supply chain to improve traceability of the fish itself.

The result

The solution is now fully operational across the six markets in Cornouaille, delivering measurable results. In fact, data shows that the two main objectives of this project have already been achieved.

The software has shown that 35,000 boxes are constantly in use and 15,000 are on standby and therefore available to go to sea, 95% of the boxes are returned to the auction within the target period of 10 days.

The optimisation of the logistics and distribution of boxes added to real-time stock information per site allows the auction to have sufficient boxes available at any one time. It also reduces the number of lost boxes and the costs caused by their replacement (1/3 of the pool per year, representing between €90,000 and €120,000). In addition, the reduction in the number of lost and abandoned boxes also has a positive impact on the environment.

Key benefits

• Increased efficiency
• Time saving
• Cost reduction
• Real-time data
• Increased accountability
• Loss and theft prevention
• Supports compliance with laws and regulations 

How does it work?

The RFiD Discovery team developed a solution which takes into account the sector’s "hostile" environment (sea water, metal etc.) by supplying robust and durable readers and tags to ensure optimal read rates.

The solution ensures that the movement of boxes can be tracked as they cycle between the boats, auctions and washers. 

The RFiD Discovery web portal enables users to monitor and manage the stock movement in real-time and track each box individually. The web interface is customisable and allows the creation and allocation of different types of accounts, specific to the user (boats and buyers) who can then track their stocks of boxes in real-time.

Our mobile app allows staff to carry out various tasks linked to inventory including: allocation and unallocation to buyers,  allocation and unallocation to boats as well as the loading and unloading of trucks. The app comes with an IP68 terminal which is adapted to the harsh working environment.