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Grow with Your Software

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Todd_Idler

I recently moved to a new house. Besides the joy of searching for items after the move – how did the PlayStation and its remote get put into different boxes? – other common tasks required my attention. I had a list of companies that needed my new address. I made appointments for fixing smaller problems not addressed during the inspection. I also had to figure out my new route to the office, the new gym, and the grocery store.

Between a spreadsheet, my calendar, and an online map, I was able to manage everything pretty easily. However, if I were asked to move multiple people in a more complex environment, such as an office move, these tools would not be enough to get the job done. The same shortcoming can happen when a small agricultural business grows by adding new locations or new product lines.

A small business can get by with basic accounting software and spreadsheets. As the business grows, information needed to run the business ends up in multiple locations and not always in sync. For example, a crop growing business needs to take into account land availability, locations of machinery, supplies needed, number and locations of employees, and financing needs. If any of this information is not up-to-date, the plan won’t be reliable, causing operational and financial issues.

When a company reaches this stage, software supporting integrated, company-wide processes using a single source of data should be used. Management will then have the same consistent view across all aspects of the business. And it will help eliminate errors introduced through redundant data entry.

Business practices in the agriculture industry differ from many other industries or are more complex. The software needs to be tailored down to the sub-segment or have the option to be configured in the future. Contracts can have complex terms and highly flexible pricing. Materials can have weight that changes over time or is unique per individual, requiring two units of measure in inventory and accounting. What software can address these specific needs?

SAP partners offer SAP Business All-in-One solutions to address the needs of specific industries.  These solutions are optimized for midsize or rapidly growing smaller operations and can adapt with the business as it changes. The software is preconfigured to support specific business processes for the industry, which reduces implementation time and cost.

The solutions are used in a wide range of agricultural companies around the world – from grape growing and wine production (Vinakoper in Slovenia) to poultry production (Indian Broiler Group in India) to grain processing (MGP Ingredients in the United States).

My last blog described the potential of big data to transform operations in all industries, including agriculture. Precision agriculture and its associated sensors and measurements are one source of big data. With comprehensive software supporting the entire business, a company can capture data about every transaction and process. Just think of the possibilities when data from core business processes are combined with data from sensors and other aspects of your operation. What would you be able to do differently?


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