Entering the new millennium in 2000, productivity of grape packaging was limiting in SA exports. Research at Stellenbosch University in Industrial Ergonomics introduced the then lecturer, Nico Treurnicht, now director of Ergopak, to the challenge. Limited numeric thinking fluency caused workers to suffer of cognitive fatigue. Dr Mike Blanckenberg, lecturing embedded computer system design, shared in the vision of developing an Agri-product scale for the developing world. A graphic interface was the game changer. The first grape packing units were introduced to the Northern Cape around 2005. In 2008, a combination packing scale, was the first commercial success. By 2012, adding networking, individual scales became packing networks. Systems now supported both the proven separate cleaning and packing operations, as well as integrated station packaging. Annual sales escalated taking the after-hours start-up to full time operation in 2014. The Ergopak brand was launched from Nicheware CC and became Ergopak MMI (Pty) Ltd in 2017.