" The AeroScout solution will significantly increase the productivity of our facility in Poznan and because we were able to use our existing Cisco network, the installation was very straightforward ", said Jacek Mackowiak, director of the factory in Poland, in a statement issued by AeroScout, the technology's supplier.
He added: " The solution provides benefits, which cut production time and thus increase effectiveness.
All of this equates to improved product quality management ."
A spokesperson from the AeroScout office in Belgium confirmed to ConfectioneryNews.com that Wrigley's is the first confectionery company to adopt its tracking system.
The factory's gum production facilities will benefit from the new technology.
How the system works AeroScout explained that its WI-FI based Active RFID tags and/or standard WI-FI devices send a wireless signal at regular intervals.
The tags are small, battery -powered wireless devices that can track people as well as assets, indoors and out.
This signal is received by standard wireless access points, or AeroScout Location Receivers, and is sent to a location processing engine.
The engine uses signal strength and/or time of arrival algorithms to determine location coordinates and sends this data to MobileView, which uses location data to display maps, enable searches, create alerts and so on.
With regard to the Wrigley installation Carlos Rojas, diirector of manufacturing business solutions in emerging markets for Cisco said: " Combining Cisco's Unified Wireless Network and Wireless Location technology with AeroScout's Active RFID devices and MobileView software demonstrates how applications can converge seamlessly over the IP network to manage data as information, in real-time, for the benefit of the business ."
Andris Berzins, managing director of AeroScout's division that includes Europe said that the installation at Wrigley was a great example of the company's solutions being used to " track work in process ".
Wrigley in Poland Wrigley's office in Munich confirmed that the factory at Poznan is the company's largest production facility in Europe, producing gum and other Wrigley products.
Poland is an important market for the company.
For the first quarter this year Wrigley reported that sales in EMEAI (Europe, Middle East, Africa and India) were $679m (about €439m), up $113m or 20 per cent on volume growth of 4 per cent.
Poland was one of the countries that recorded " strong double-digit sales increases and helped drive growth in the region ," along with Russia, Germany and India.
Poland benefited from the growth of Winterfresh mints and bag packaging for gum, said the company.
Bill Wrigley, executive chairman, commented that the company's strong results were due in large part to the " vigour of our business operations " in fast-growing marketplaces across developing regions, including East Europe.
A number of major confectioners now have manufacturing facilities based in Eastern Europe including Nestlé and Barry Callebaut.
Cheaper labour and operating costs are making countries like Poland profitable for food companies.