At the 20th International Banana Convention Banana Time in Guayaquil, Ecuador organized by the Association of Ecuadorian Banana Exporters, the industry highlighted some technological advances. 

From logistics and design aspects, banana boxes are a crucial aspect of shipping. One of Ecuador’s leading box providers GRUPASA, in Guayaquil, is making a mark with robotic innovation and just-in-time supply management. 

The family company operates two factories. The newest, which opened in 2020, is touting industry 4.0 technology by being almost fully robotic.  

“We always like to be the first to do things so we are changing the market with this high level of automation,” says Maria Luisa Jaramillo, corporate manager. “It’s not just the machinery but the entire process. The machines can talk to each other to coordinate the process.”

This new factory primarily serves the banana industry. “About 60% to 70% of our business is for the banana industry,” says Roberto Arosema, commercial manager. 

“The box is a key part of the supply chain. It’s a big responsibility to ensure we have the box and to ensure the box will last through the whole journey to the supermarket.” 

The company provides just-in-time fulfillment of the boxes to the growers. “It’s impractical for the farms to store boxes at their location,” says Arosema. “We store them here and the growers order the boxes from us for exactly when they need them. Our system has to be efficient because the boxes must be at the grower for their harvest.”

Weights and measures are another crucial banana industry element. Tech company AGROSOFT in Guayaquil marries the physical equipment, software, and information to better serve growers by creating an app along with all the support needed to provide real-time, customized information.

Xavier Cardenas, product manager, explains the company saw a demand for real-time software and technology solutions to match the banana industry's needs. 

“We were able to create an app incorporated in a tablet that connects to the scale equipment so that the solution can be customized to each client,” he says. “Everything is integrated into a web platform and supported by our help desk. Our solutions include data from production to accounting to business intelligence.”

One of Guayaquil’s primary ports, Port Contecon employs integrated logistics solutions to ensure it runs efficiently and safely. “We are a multi-purpose container and breakbulk facility,” says Fohodil Galeas, chief commercial officer.

The port is the most secure marine terminal in Ecuador. It uses one mobile full-truck scanner and is in the process of installing two permanent full-truck scanners to be operational by mid-November. 

“Once those are ready, all truck and vehicle traffic entering the port will pass through those,” says Galeas. “We are also employing biometric access for authorized truck drivers and RFID technology on seals.”

The port boasts a 100-acre container yard area and six cranes.

“In January, we are breaking ground on construction of a new cold storage facility on-dock for breakbulk bananas,” says Galeas. “We expect it to be finished by June. We also preserve a section of mangroves as part of our operational concession. Because of that, we have been carbon neutral for two years.”