Grup Balfegó: World’s first complete Traceability System
The digital transformation success story of the Balfegó Group represents a benchmark model on an international scale, for all companies in the primary sector linked to the extraction and use of agricultural, livestock, and fishing resources. Specifically, its uniqueness lies in the fact that the Catalan company has managed to implement the only traceability system in the world that enables each piece of bluefin tuna caught to be individually identified and accredited, making all the information available to the end customer.
Using just two elements: a QR code and a smartphone, the system provides information on the location and history of the product, in this case, wild bluefin tuna, The process is very simple. Any customer interested in the traceability of a fish or any of its parts, just has to hold the phone close to the product in question and scan the QR code printed on the label. Once scanned, the user will gain access to a complete product file, with information on the date and area of capture, weight, length and fat levels, as well as the health, quality and environmental sustainability certificates awarded by the authorities.
The Business Process Management (BPM) technology on the AuraQuantic digital transformation platform is the main software used to achieve this business milestone, aimed at promoting sustainable and responsible fishing. Thus, restaurants, distributors and end customers have much more information when making their purchasing decisions.
However, the design and implementation of this traceability system is not the only benefit obtained from Balfegó Group’s implementation of AuraQuantic, which was contracted through its partner Onvia. The business relationship began in 2009, when its general manager, Juan Serrano, decided to opt for a business management model based on operational excellence that would guarantee the continuity of a species threatened by poaching. To this end, Grup Balfegó set itself the main objective of rapidly automating all business processes related to bluefin tuna. The transformation spanned from extraction, farm maintenance and feeding, through to industrial processing and subsequent marketing.
AuraQuantic made it possible to improve time management (80%), reduce errors derived from manual tasks (77%), and facilitate the design of specific processes, such as the one related to data for sales in Japan, which was developed in just 2 weeks. In addition, the meticulous management of global compliance, adapted to each country in which Grup Balfegó markets its products, has protected the company against legal sanctions, economic losses and corporate reputation crises.
According to Juan Serrano, “We have used AuraQuantic not only to optimize the organization’s administrative processes but also all activities related to the capture and processing of tuna.” This has made it possible to drive “Interesting and important improvements related to the generation and communication of captures”. Specifically, “It is impressive to see all the work that we save the skippers in terms of document generation”, underlined the general director of Grup Balfegó.
All these benefits, added to the infinite possibilities offered by BPM technology to continuously improve all operating processes, have strengthened the Catalan group’s commitment to AuraQuantic. A business relationship through the provision of technological services that treasures over 13 years of trust.
