STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN — MOST, the Swedish company behind the most revolutionary real-time data and temperature tracker ever developed for perishable shipments, looks poised for global expansion over the next 12 months, thanks to the entry of an investor group that including former South Africa rugby international Bob Skinstad, as well as the participation of the creators of Candy Crush.
Based in Stockholm, Sweden, MOST has developed a solution for fresh produce and other perishable goods, the MOST Device, which can track both location, temperature, light, humidity and shock during ocean-going maritime shipments and upload stored data at any given opportunity to the GSM-network –– and determine the best routes for land transportation in real time.
With four digital sensors plus location tracking, which provide continual online updates, the device is attracting increasing numbers of clients worldwide, including major players in the fresh produce sector, according to CEO Jon Hjertenstein.
This global expansion looks set to be given a significant boost with the recent entry of a group of South Africa-based investors, Knife Capital, which includes Bob Skinstad, a former rugby professional who represented the Springboks in two Rugby World Cups, including as part of the winning side in 2007. Skinstad, who is a part of Knife Capital’s London office, has taken a seat on the MOST management board as part of the investment.
In doing so, Skinstad and Knife Capital join Lars Markgren, co-founder of King Digital Entertainment, a British-Swedish game studio that created global gaming sensation Candy Crush, which has been an investor in MOST since 2014.
As Hjertenstein explains, the new round of investment will enable MOST to significantly expand by being able to promote the capabilities of the MOST Device in markets worldwide. One of the first steps towards achieving this will be the recruitment of representatives in markets across Europe, Latin America and North America, as well as southern Africa, with further expansion into Asia to follow at a later date.
Damage prevention
Created in response to a request by a South African exporter who had experienced difficulties with traditional data loggers, the MOST Device was developed with the focus on always being connected to the web to avoid any loss of data.
The resulting MOST Device is a solution that not only features a unique design, but which can also – for the first time – track the position of maritime shipments the full length of their voyage; something which sets the device apart from its competitors. Where other devices typically have to be collected and connected to a computer on arrival, the MOST Device is permanently connected to the cloud, meaning users can track its progress on a phone or tablet from start to finish.
A further key advantage offered by the MOST Device is that it can help companies avoid in-transit damage to fruits and vegetables by measuring any shock during road transportation in real time. If potentially fruit-damaging levels of shock are detected, the MOST device allows clients to react immediately by selecting alternative road routes. This means that the chances of fruit arriving undamaged at destination is greatly increased, in the process saving time, money and the threat of rejected shipments.
“Many of our customers in the fresh produce sector are realising the importance of the MOST Device shock sensor,” says Hjertenstein. “If fruit is being transported by truck, we can measure the vibrations of the road and if they go on a bad road the fruit will get bruised, so people are starting to realise the importance of having a real-time connected logger that can show what happens to fruit after it leaves the farm. Our device reduces the number of shipments being rejected and in the end, provides better products to importers, retailers and end customers.”
MOST will be exhibiting at Fruit Logistica 2018 from 7-9 February in Hall 26, D-20.
Source: MOST