In 2022, Fieldale Farms received a customer request to implement new traceability requirements. The customer’s goal was to increase traceability transparency for their consumers, eliminate manual scanning at all levels of their supply chain, improve their inventory accuracies, and build consumer trust. Fieldale brought in CAT Squared to build seamless integrations between the traceability platform and plant-floor hardware to meet the customer’s request.

"CAT Squared helped us achieve the goals our customer asked for by providing new developments in RFID technology systems," said Cameron Smith, IT plant liaison at Fieldale Farms Corporation. Because CAT Squared’s plant-floor solutions are hardware- and software-agnostic, the team was easily able to integrate with readers from Zebra Technologies, software from Mojix, and labeling systems from Avery Dennison.

The customer’s RFID program required Fieldale to incorporate label attributes that comply with the GS1 Foodservice traceability program. The GS1-128 barcodes are scanned throughout the supply chain, capturing the physical location and context of specific products, their lot numbers, production dates, and expiration dates. RFIDs rely on the serialization of each case and linking that serial number to a product commissioning event.

To meet that requirement, CAT Squared handled the encoding (and decoding) of serials to SGTIN-96 (Serialized Global Trade Identification Number) for creating the RFID labels. The system then transmitted Fieldale’s production data by product to Mojix for commissioning events.

In addition to meeting their customer’s requirements, the RFID initiative is anticipated to save Fieldale time on inventory management and stock rotation, mitigate human error, and increase expiration date visibility. Ultimately, the goal is to create a more transparent supply chain through a best-in-class traceability system to enable safety, efficiency, and the verification of food with integrity.

Kathy Barbeire

Written by Kathy Barbeire

Kathy Barbeire is a seasoned professional with a strong track record in leveraging new technology, data analysis, and storytelling to drive organizational success. As the marketing manager at CAT Squared since 2015, Kathy stays updated on industry trends to ensure our products remain adaptable to evolving standards and prepares our customers for disruptive technologies. She actively participates in a blockchain learning group associated with Blockchain for Arkansas (BC4AR), an initiative led by Governor Asa Hutchinson. Kathy's expanding knowledge and expertise enable her to create informative content that educates our supply chain partners and helps them navigate upcoming transitions. Kathy's educational background includes graduating magna cum laude from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock (UALR) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in professional and technical writing, along with double minors in sociology and information technology. She later completed the MBA program at UALR. Prior to joining CAT Squared, Kathy applied her passion for data-driven storytelling to assist nonprofits in defining goals, tracking program metrics, and engaging donors and community stakeholders. She served as a program manager at the Our House Homeless Shelter in Little Rock and later at The Salvation Army Central Arkansas Area Command.