Andrew Brown

Field management with ERP

Andrew Brown is MD of the process manufacturing systems division of Solarsoft

As is usual at Christmas, December saw produce growers under increasing strain to deliver to time and specification, and supermarkets unyielding in their demands, making the overall market all the more competitive.

With the recent severe weather conditions also punishing growers and adding increased pressure on delivery, those who knew the precise daily status of their various fields and harvests through their field management systems were able to manage the situation and head off potential crises early.

Using the ERP system will help growers define what the exact demands are

This emphasised the fact that growers need to have a full knowledge and appreciation of their produce growth progress, from the point of planting the seed in the ground right through to final delivery, and that such knowledge inherently lends the grower agility.

But beyond just the field management software, integrating the intelligence gleaned through it with an ERP system will help growers even more. The ability to automatically update progress, to the point of daily revisions, will allow growers to fully understand the level and pace that they can produce at and identify where, if necessary, they need to source further supplies quickly to meet the supermarkets’ demands.

Using the ERP system will also help them to define what the exact demands are, to avoid wastage (a key issue in the food manufacturing industry). Ultimately, this detailed level of management and reporting is going to be more and more important for fresh food growers as the year goes by.