Ovotrack - Egg Grading
Ovotrack is a modular solution for traceability, stock control, and labeling across the egg supply chain. Modules can be implemented all at once or step by step, allowing Ovotrack to grow alongside your operation.
The starting point depends on your priorities, whether that is gaining better insight into stock, automating traceability and labeling, improving data accuracy on the grading floor, or connecting ERP systems with daily operations in the packing center. Ovotrack helps streamline processes, reduce manual work, and create transparency throughout your production and logistics flow.
The Ovotrack Egg Grading Solutions Overview presents the available Egg Grading modules. By clicking on the numbered modules in the overview, you can access detailed information about each solution. Additional Ovotrack modules that are not shown in the overview are listed separately under Other Modules.
Egg Grading Modules
1 Server & Database
Ovotrack uses a SQL Server database as the core of the Ovotrack System. This database serves as the central hub where all operational data is stored and managed. It is typically installed on the company’s server and supports seamless data synchronization with external software applications, such as ERP systems.
Ovotrack can also be configured to communicate directly with egg grading machines, provided the machine supports this functionality. Communication is available with all Moba Omnia and Sanovo Ardenta, OptiGrader, and GraderPro grading machines.
2. Farm Label Printing
A set of labels can be generated for each farm, house, and flock producing eggs. These labels are typically provided by the drivers collecting the eggs. Each label includes all required pre-registered information, such as the farm name, address, and flock registration number. In addition, every label contains a unique ID, displayed both as text and as a barcode.
The farmer applies one label to each pallet of ungraded eggs and can optionally add the date of lay and the quantity of seconds, when applicable.
3. Receiving Eggs
When trucks with ungraded eggs arrive at the packing center, the farm label barcodes are scanned. Scanning the first label automatically creates an Egg Purchase Order for the relevant farm and house. All delivery information shown on the labels and delivery documents, such as the date of lay and number of cracks, is captured in the Ovotrack Database, and the stock position of ungraded eggs is updated in real time.
If no label is available, for example when eggs are supplied by a non-contracted farmer, a new label can be printed directly within Ovotrack.
Optionally, a weighing scale can be connected to Ovotrack to automatically record and store the weight of each pallet. When using ECS® pallets, pallets can also be registered by reading the integrated RFID chips.
4. Stock Locations
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5. Scanning Eggs at Loader
At the grading machine loader, pallet labels of ungraded eggs are scanned using a wireless scanner. When the grading machine supports communication, an Ovotrack Loader PC enables direct data exchange. After scanning, key information such as farm name, flock ID, egg quantity, stamp-on-egg code, and date of lay is automatically sent to the grading machine.
This information supports full traceability within the grading process and can also be used to control the data printed on each egg. The batch change is registered at the exact moment of scanning, and the stock position of ungraded eggs is updated in real time.
6. Eggs Cargo Identifier (ECI)
In automated depalletizing setups at the grading machine loader, there is no operator to manually signal a batch change. With the growing adoption of automated depalletizing, Ovotrack and Giordano developed the Eggs Cargo Identifier (ECI).
ECI is a patented plastic tag with a unique barcode that can be clipped onto the top corner of a pallet. At the batch change position on the loader of the grading machine, a fixed scanner reads the ECI barcode and automatically triggers the switch from one supplier to the next. After the batch change, the ECI tag is returned using the grading machine’s existing dirt tray detection system.
This approach is not only essential for automated operations but also more reliable than manual batch change procedures, where timing depends on operator actions.
Ovotrack ECI is an extension of Ovotrack Loader and consists of Ovotrack Software, a fixed scanner, and a set of ECI tags.
7. Grading Results
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8. Egg Quality
Egg quality tests such as Haugh units, yolk color, and shell strength are commonly performed at egg grading centers. With Ovotrack Egg Quality, test results are automatically captured and stored in the Ovotrack Database.
During receiving, an additional label is printed for the egg sample to be tested and sent to the laboratory. The Ovotrack Egg Quality module runs on an existing laboratory PC. Before testing, the sample label barcode is scanned using an Ovotrack wireless scanner. Once testing is completed, the results are imported into Ovotrack and stored under the original pallet ID, making them immediately available for reporting and analysis.
9. Register reusables
Reusable transport materials such as plastic pallets, trays, dividers, crates, and pallecons are widely used in the egg industry. While these reusables are sustainable, they represent a significant investment and require accurate registration and tracking.
Ovotrack Reusables automates the registration and management of reusable materials. The module registers incoming and outgoing reusables, provides real-time insight into their location, and indicates when farms need to be restocked.
With real-time visibility, Ovotrack Reusables supports accurate planning and logistics. It also provides insight into the hygienic status of reusables and offers an overview of damaged materials.
Reusables can be registered both online and offline, at the production center or at the farm, by scanning with a pocket PC. Ovotrack Reusables is fully integrated into the Ovotrack platform but can also be used as a standalone solution.
10. Receiving Packaging
Packaging materials can be traced in the same way as eggs. With the Ovotrack Packaging module, a label is printed for each pallet of packaging material upon receipt. Each time a pallet is moved from the packaging warehouse to the processing area, the pallet label is scanned to maintain full traceability.
Supplier traceability codes can also be stored in the database, ensuring accurate supplier information is available in the event of a recall.
In addition to traceability, Ovotrack Packaging provides real-time stock control of packaging materials. Based on current stock levels, the system can generate alerts when packaging materials need to be replenished.
11. Scanning Packaging before using
Packaging materials can be traced in the same way as eggs. With Ovotrack Packaging, a label is printed for each pallet of packaging material upon receipt. Each time a pallet is moved from the packaging warehouse to the processing area, the label is scanned to maintain full traceability.
Supplier traceability codes can also be stored in the database, ensuring accurate supplier information is available in the event of a recall.
In addition to traceability, Ovotrack Packaging provides real-time stock control of packaging materials. Based on current stock levels, the system can generate alerts when packaging needs to be replenished.
12. Assigning Products / Orders to Lanes
An Ovotrack End of Lane PC is installed next to the grading machine and connected to a wireless scanner. All customer product types and label layouts are configured in Ovotrack, allowing unique labels to be created for each product and customer.
Before grading starts, sales and stock orders can be selected and assigned to specific packing lanes at the End of Lane PC, either by scanning the order barcode or selecting the order directly on the screen.
13. Printing Labels End of Lane
To maintain traceability and inventory control of graded eggs, outer cases are labeled with a unique ID. Ovotrack End of Lane consists of an Ovotrack PC, button boxes at the end of each packing lane, and label printers mounted on the button boxes.
Ovotrack End of Lane can be configured in several ways. Products or orders can be selected manually, assigned automatically from sales or production orders, scanned from an order list, or set directly via the grading machine. Once a product or order is assigned to a packing lane, the correct label layout and print data are automatically selected.
When a case, box, or pallet is fully packed, the operator presses the button for that lane and a label is printed with the correct layout and a unique ID, shown both as text and as a barcode. The unique ID and the origin of the eggs are then stored in the Ovotrack Database.
14. Case Tracking
Ovotrack Case Tracking enables individual cases to be tracked along the conveyor belt, from the packing lane to the printer.
The solution allows all finished products to be labeled using a single printer. Ovotrack Case Tracking monitors each case in real time and ensures the correct product label is sent to the printer. If a case cannot be identified, the conveyor belt is automatically stopped so the case can be removed.
15. Print & Apply
Ovotrack Print & Apply provides fully automatic, real-time labeling of cases on a case conveyor or integrated directly into a case packer.
When a packing lane is connected to a case packer via Ovotrack End of Lane, the correct label layout is automatically sent to the Print & Apply System. Ovotrack Print & Apply is available in multiple configurations, allowing labels to be applied on the top, front, or side of a case.
16. Speedlabel Pro
Instead of manual label printing, Ovotrack offers a fully automated solution for printing and applying case labels using the Ovotrack Speedlabel Pro system on the case conveyor.
The Speedlabel Pro system is capable of:
– Identifying products using a vision system that scans carton graphics
– Printing and applying labels to the front and/or side of each case
– Rejecting unidentified products automatically
– Handling up to 1,800 cases per hour
For each product and/or customer, unique labels can be designed for product, case, or pallet labeling. Label design is fully flexible, with each label containing at minimum an EPC number, the unique Ovotrack ID, displayed both as text and as a barcode.
17. Scan Portal
Scan Portal with Semi-Automatic Palletizing ensures real-time, accurate inventory at all times.
Each case passing through the scan portal automatically updates inventory levels. If a label is missing or the barcode cannot be read, the case conveyor stops and an alarm alerts operators to resolve the issue.
By verifying that every case label is readable and scannable, the system ensures reliable scanning during dispatch. The additional scan also removes any unused labels from the traceability system.
18. Printing Pallet Labels / (Semi) Automatic Palletizing
Using wireless scanners in the dispatch department, pallet labels can be created at any stage of the process. During palletizing, order preparation, or loading, all product IDs on a pallet are scanned and linked to a pallet label with a unique PAL number.
Pallet labels can also be generated automatically by palletizers and applied either manually or automatically, depending on the setup.
19. Repack
Repacking is often required after grading, for example for shrink wrapping or when bulk-packed eggs need to be split into smaller customer orders. In these cases, new case labels must be created while maintaining the link to the original pallet. Ovotrack Repack enables labels to be reprinted while preserving the original traceability information.
A Repack Solution consists of a wireless scanner, an Ovotrack PC, and a label printer, often using the same hardware already available in the dispatch area.
20. Receive Graded
Graded eggs purchased from external grading centers must also be fully traceable within Ovotrack. Outer cases and pallets are labeled in the same way as products graded in-house, ensuring a consistent labeling process.
Ovotrack Receive Graded uses the same hardware as the Ovotrack Receive module. Supplier traceability codes can also be stored in the database, ensuring accurate supplier information is available in the event of a recall.
21. Assembling Mixed Pallets
Using wireless scanners in the dispatch department, pallet labels can be created at any stage of the process. During palletizing, order preparation, or loading graded eggs, all product IDs on a pallet are scanned and linked to a pallet label with a unique PAL number. Pallet labels can also be generated automatically by palletizers and applied manually or automatically.
When building a mixed pallet, all case labels are scanned. Once scanning is complete, a pallet label is created that links all cases on that pallet into a single group ID, ensuring full traceability.
22. Scanning Out at Dispatch (Bill of Lading)
To complete traceability, stock-graded products must be linked to sales orders in the dispatch department before loading and shipment. For this purpose, an Ovotrack PC with one or more wireless scanners can be installed in dispatch, along with a label printer for printing new labels when required.
Pick lists or load lists are printed with barcodes and scanned first. The outer case or pallet barcodes are then scanned, allowing the system to verify the correct products and check best-before or sell-by dates.
Once products are connected to sales orders, delivery notes or bills of lading can be generated, and the data can be transferred to the ERP system for invoicing.
23. SSCC Pallet Label
The Ovotrack SSCC Pallet Label solution builds on the internal pallet label created using Ovotrack Stand-Alone Palletizing or Ovotrack Semi-Automatic Palletizing. This internal pallet label identifies the product and maintains traceability but is not yet linked to a sales order.
Within Ovotrack Dispatch, the internal pallet label is connected to a sales order. Once linked, all required information becomes available to generate the SSCC pallet label. The SSCC label can then be printed, and the corresponding IDs are used on delivery documents such as the delivery note or bill of lading.
SSCC data can also be synchronized with the ERP system and shared with customers via an Advanced Shipping Notice (ASN).
Ovotrack SSCC Pallet Label supports flexible label configuration, allowing different SSCC label layouts to be defined per customer and/or product.
Other Egg Grading Modules
On Farm Scanning
Farm labels can be scanned by the drivers during pallet pick up of ungraded eggs at the farms using an integrated barcode scanner. The drivers then enter the laying date and maybe the number of seconds. There is also the option to print a docket with a mobile printer.
During unloading at the packing center the handhelds can upload the information to Ovotrack through Wi-Fi so that the ungraded inventory is updated automatically. This upload can also be done remotely if the pocket PC contains a SIM card.
Stock Locations
When pallets of eggs are moved to another location or when ungraded eggs are sold to other packers or processors rather than being graded, these eggs have to be scanned out in order to keep the stock position of ungraded eggs up to date. With Ovotrack Stock Locations, barcodes are put on the wall. With a wireless scanner the Change Stock Location barcode is scanned and after that the barcode on the pallet, this moving it from one stock location to another.
Contiflow
For every two Contiflow lines, an Ovotrack button box and a label printer (from Avicoper) will be installed to print the labels on the boxes.
On the Moba Omnia computer, the correct product can be assigned to each Contiflow line. Moba sends this information to Ovotrack and the Ovotrack label printers know which label to print.
The operator only needs to press the button on his packaging line when the box is full and the correct box label with the label design is printed.
Each case label at least contains an EPC number, which is a unique Ovotrack ID in text and barcode.
Truck Weights
Many companies in the egg industry use a weighbridge to weigh a truck before unloading and after unloading the truck to calculate the total egg weight delivered.
Ovotrack Truck Weights calculates the net weight of eggs in a truck and distributes it over all pallets in the truck. So no need to weigh each pallet individually. Ovotrack Truck Weights can also be used to get a weight report for other things than eggs.
Origin Check
Ovotrack Origin Check is a consistency check during packing. The module will check whether the origin of eggs is in line with the final product on specific packing lanes. An example can be when bio-eggs needs to be packed.
Ovotrack Origin Check is also able to stop the grading machine when eggs with the wrong origin are being packed, in order to prevent mistakes.
Stand-Alone Palletizing
With help of Ovotrack Stand-Alone Palletizing you will be able to generate and print pallet labels without connection to case labels.
Other than the Ovotrack Palletizing, where all case labels needs to be scanned in order to be able to generate a pallet label, can Ovotrack Stand-Alone Palletizing be used without the Ovotrack End of Lane labeling solution.
This module can be used stand-alone and brings you stock control of finished products.
Warnings at Receive
With help of Ovotrack Warnings at Receive, warnings can be automatic generated for specific quality checks at the receive department.
These checks can be of different sorts and go from ‘check from which farm we have to take a sample of 12 eggs for the lab to check yolk color, shell strength and so on’ to ‘check whether Salmonella tests have been done in time for this flock’. Some of these checks result in a warning within Ovotrack Receive but others could result in a ‘Eggs cannot be received due to failing the quality tests’.
Grading Results
Where an interface between Ovotrack and the grader is possible, the grading results are automatically imported into the Ovotrack Database. These results (per IP-number) can then be synchronized with any other application for creating farm payments or providing farm statistics.
This replaces all manual data entry of grading results and also makes it much easier to aggregate grading results when some pallets of eggs from the same shipment are graded on different days.
Label Data Updater
With Label Data Updater, labels can be updated manually. This gives the option to correct the quantity of eggs or to split a pallet label if a pallet with ungraded eggs is not graded completely.
Receive & Weighing Scale
When the trucks with ungraded eggs are unloaded at the packing center, the barcodes of the farm labels are scanned. The first label will create an Egg Purchase Order for the particular farm and house. The information that is written on the delivery form and on the labels, such as date of lay or number of cracks, now has to be captured in the Ovotrack Database and the stock position of ungraded eggs is updated.
In case no label is available, for example when the supplier of the eggs is not a contracted farmer, a new label can be printed here.
Optionally a weighing scale can be connected to Ovotrack so the weight of each pallet can be gathered and stored in the database.
When transporting eggs on ECS® pallets, it is also possible to register pallets by reading the RFID chips in the ECS® pallets.
Egg Balancing
Grading results from the grading machine are never 100% in line with the quantity eggs received. So before the grading results can be used for farm billing they have to be corrected for user mistakes or eggs lost at the grader.
Within the Egg Balancing Tool, grading results are compared with the quantity of eggs received. When the difference is below a certain level (i.e. 2%), the difference will be automatically added to the cracks. When the difference is between 2 and 8% the difference will be distributed over all weight classes, based on the results from previous gradings. The borders (2% and 8%) are adjustable.
After adjusting the grading results they are available for exporting to other systems to create the farm payments.
Task Scheduler
The Ovotrack Task Scheduler can be used to automatically generate reports on a daily or weekly basis and to have these reports printed and/or sent by email. This can be useful for example to get an automatic email with yesterday’s breaking results or the actual inventory of eggs.
With Ovotrack Task Scheduler you will be able to receive daily/weekly automated reports that can be customized to fit your informational needs. By automating reporting, you will be able to see your desired information every morning when you come in. This way, you can start your day being up-to-date with all information you need being sent to your inbox directly and automatically.
Farm Seconds
Farms often pre-candle eggs and deliver stacks of seconds together with ungraded eggs. These eggs should be separated and traceability must be guaranteed. With Ovotrack Farm Seconds, a new label is printed for all these stacks and they are put on a separate farm seconds pallet. When this pallet is full a new label should be printed for this pallet and all barcodes from the originating farms can be scanned to connect them to the new pallet label.
When the seconds are delivered to another processor, a report of all farms on the pallet can be printed easily.
Grader Seconds
Customers from the egg processing industry want more and better information about where the eggs come from. For grader seconds that is a challenge because eggs from different suppliers will end up at the same pallet. For traceability of grader seconds Ovotrack Grader Seconds software can be installed as an extension of Ovotrack End of Lane. With Ovotrack Grader Seconds packing lanes can be identified as a ‘Seconds lane’ which will generate a report, every time a label is printed for that packing lane. This report contains the same EPC number as the label.
Furthermore, on the report all the producers appear that have been graded since the previous label.
Custom Data Connector
Connect data to all fixed barcodes in your process and use for any purpose.
Packaging Quality Registration
Similar to the traceability of eggs, packaging material can also be traced. With the Ovotrack Packaging Software, a label for each pallet of packaging material can be printed at receive. Whenever this pallet is taken from the packaging warehouse to the processing room, the pallet label is scanned again.
The original traceability codes of the packaging supplier can be captured in the database as well so that correct and accurate information is available for the supplier in case of a recall.
The Ovotrack Packaging Module not only takes care of the traceability of packaging material but also offers stock control of packaging material. As Ovotrack knows the real-time stock of packaging, it is also possible to give you a warning when packaging is running out in order to buy new packaging when needed.
Interface Prepack Printer
Connect egg pack printers to Ovotrack and print (unique) product info on every consumer pack.
Ovotrack is capable of communicating with
