Cherries, Avocados, Blueberries and more: Fruit Insurance Services (FIS) have been providing professional insurance solutions for the international fruit markets for more than twenty years. They cover extensive range of scenarios from temperature issues to delayed shipments, strikes in ports and mishandling of the goods.
Fruit Insurance Services (FIS) is part of the Carl Schröter Holding renowned for its broad expertise in transport and liability insurance. More than 150 years ago, in February 1868, Carl Schröter debuted its agency, commissioning and freight forwarding business, which specialized in insurance for seagoing vessels and cargo. Today, fruit experts from FIS are safeguarding the interests of large parts of the export and import industry in the event of damages or total loss caused to perishable cargo. “In doing so, we function like an insurer who writes insurance policies and settles claims without being the risk carrier”, explains Stefan Brinkmann, authorized representative and specialist in transport insurance (DVA) at Carl Schröter. “In the event of a claim, which can sometimes amount to millions in case of major accidents, we therefore have the unrestricted authorities of almost all German insurance companies.”
Own web-based application
Throughout its history, the company has always adapted its services and products to fit the needs of the fruit industry. An example of this is the Fruit Insurance Service application or FIS app. The web-based application includes not only an insurance declaration platform and certificates issuance system but also a loss prevention program and a database for statistical information. “Not only is our entire claim processing and settlement system incorporated in the FIS app, it also provide important tools for analyzing and forecasting market developments in the fruit sectors,” says Stefan Brinkmann. “It is constantly being updated to adapt to the demands and needs of our customers, of the Germany insurance market and of the legal regulations.”
Claus Dimter and Susanne Seebeck
Worldwide Network
In addition to the digital know-how, a global team of experts from transport specialists, agro economists and post-harvest specialists, lawyers and engineers ensures that the corporate concept literally bears fruits. The core consist of five employees who operate from the head office in Bremen, Germany. They work closely with the Chilean branches located in Santiago de Chile and Vina del Mar. They are all supported by independent network partners in various countries such as Netherlands, England, Italy, Spain, France, etc. These network partners are working around the clock with other partners in the USA, Peru, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, Panama and China because fruits are perishable products that require quick response in case of problems.
Reaction chain in case of damage
If, for example, the cooling unit of a container loaded with avocado stops functioning in the middle of the ocean, the portable measuring system will transmit the information directly to the FIS app. A systematically prepared chain of measures will automatically be launched; upon discharge, the cargo will immediately be inspected by specialized experts. If no such Cargo Monitoring System is available, the receiver is required to report the damage, so that at the next opportunity an expert can come to gather all the relevant information for the damage assessment and to incorporate it into the FIS app. The first measures to minimize the damage are initiated immediately. These range from sorting and repacking the fruits, searching for alternative buyers for the damaged fruits, to a possible donation or to the use as animal feed.
However, the work of FIS does not start after the fruits have been damaged. Proactive in their approach, the transport specialists contribute their knowledge by advising about the type of packaging of the goods, the stowage of the container or fruit-specific transport requirements. Likewise, the agro economists provide preventive information about climatic conditions, harvest forecasts in the countries of origin and post-harvest technologies.
In case of damages, an analysis is carried out with reference to the influences during the growth and harvest phase of the respective fruit. They are also assisted by the engineers, who take a closer look at the causes of the damage - for example the described failure of a cooling unit or improper packaging, which can results in inadequate air circulation within containers. Once the analysis is completed and the claim settled, the lawyers use their knowledge of international and local legislation, to initiate legal recourse against the liable parties to help maintain favorable claim ratio for the insurance policy.
From left to right: Stefan Brinkmann, Claus Dimter, Youri Lamoureux and Susanne Seebeck (Front). Photo credit: Maximilian Zeiss
If life gives you lemons…
"The insurance solutions we provide to the market are tailored to the needs of the industry. They include coverage for classic hazards of the sea, technical defects of the reefer container and delays in travel as well as natural disasters and political risks," explains Stefan Brinkmann. "More importantly, there are additional components to meet the specific requirements of sensitive goods. There are cover extensions for special transport methods such as Controlled / Modified Atmosphere or Cold Treatment. "Which of these various specialty insurance companies actually makes sense in the end, the customer must decide based on his needs. But remember, if someone tries to sell you a lemon, life gives them to you!"
A look into the future
Technology is improving at a staggering rate and the words “block chain” and “artificial intelligence” are more and more being associated with agriculture. Fruit Insurance Services is already committed to be at the forefront with added value services that will handle their clients’ insurance needs from the fields until the moment the fruits reaches the consumers.
For more information:
www.carlschroeter.de
www.fruitinsuranceservices.com
www.fis.cl