The ResinApp provides the natural resin sector with a tailored tool that allows the traceability of natural resin from the forest to the factory, endowing the industry of first resin transformation with a practical system for the logistic and administrative management of the supply of natural resin, and to the resin tappers with a tool that allows better working conditions, administrative simplification and greater recognition of their work.
Traceability systems are an indispensable tool for building consumer confidence and stimulating the consumption of non-timber forest products such as natural resin produced in Mediterranean forests, mainly against competing products such as petroleum products or natural resins from overseas.
However, the implementation of a traceability system requires the effort of many agents in the value chain of production and transformation of the product, and it is not an easy task as it may involve an effort whose economic return is not always well perceived by all the sectoral actors involved.
ResinApp is a system of traceability formed by two complementary applications, one Android for mobile devices and another Web for computer use.
Its users are industry managers, resin transporters and resin tappers.
It is easy to use in real time.
Basic functionalities:
- Logistic coordination of the works.
- Communication between users.
- Administrative document management: contracts, delivery notes, invoices, certificates of sustainable forest management.
- Monitoring of yields and production.
The success of the system depends on the willingness to use it, avoiding control by control.
A traceability and logistics manager should be appointed who knows ResinApp and protocols.
Users must act objectively and consistently, avoiding the handling of sensitive data for performance evaluation.
The delivery of the applications to the users will be ordered, gradual and assisted, facilitating the assimilation and acceptance of the system and the learning of the required methods.
Data must be entered in real-time reflecting the reality on the ground.
ResinApp is an opportunity to differentiate natural resins produced sustainably in Mediterranean forests and consumed by the local industry. It incorporates an added value to its derivatives that can be capitalized in the intermediate and end-user markets.
The main weakness is the possible difficulties of assimilation of information technologies by ResinApp users. This difficulty can be overcome by adapting the app to each industry, and implementing the system planned and well supervised.
ResinApp functionalities that could be custom implemented:
- Geolocation of equipment in real-time.
- Generation of statistics for the company.
- Support for forest certification management.
- Support for the quality control of the company.
- Support for the company's environmental management.
- Support for the certification of origin of the European natural resin: it may be implemented by the requirements that may be set by the certifying body.
- Generation of sectoral statistics.
Javier Calvo, javier.calvo@cesefor.com, https://http://www.cesefor.com/
Further information
Natural resin barrel loading. Cesefor. 2013.
Natural resin traceability scheme. Javier Calvo-Simón. 2018