Editorial PRIMEUR: Production App at Koppert Cress
“Production employees can work more easily with an App than with a computer”
Digitization is seeping deeper and deeper into business processes, but not everyone in the fresh produce industry works behind a desk. Especially in the production area, employees do not find working with a computer very convenient. Koppert Cress was therefore happy to participate in testing the GreenCommerce Production App. With this, production employees can now enter actions directly on a tablet or telephone. A frequently heard wish of production employees within a fresh produce warehouse was the possibility to register activities in a simple way without having to go to a PC first. “You often see that employees are busy and then write the action on a piece of paper with the intention of entering it later on the computer. That piece of paper sometimes gets lost or remains in the pocket for a while,” says Wilbert Goes, Application Manager ERP | BI Specialist at Koppert Cress. “When a production line has finished packing a pallet, they can enter it directly on their phone or tablet. Employees do not have to walk back and forth to a fixed terminal, which makes you much more flexible. This saves us a lot of time. Logging off a pallet is no longer delayed or forgotten.”
A for B
There are 4 to 5 production lines in the production hall of Koppert Cress, "Of the total of 70 different products, about 35 are packed at Poel 1 in different types of outer boxes, which means that we always have sufficient product available. It happens that a pallet that we prepare is planned in the truck fifteen minutes later. That is why it is important that we have real-time information, so that we can prioritize the production process. Because everything works together with GreenCommerce, we now have even better insight into stocks, sales and production data." Working with the Production App was quickly picked up by the employees. There is actually no learning curve. Wilbert: "Operating a computer sometimes proves difficulty for some production employees, but everyone is now used to a telephone and working with Apps. We have employees of different nationalities and the App can easily switch to a preferred language, including English, Dutch and Polish. The Production App works simply and quickly, there is no threshold to start using it."
Feedback
Koppert Cress is one of the four companies that wanted to test the Production App and looks back on it positively. “Feedback is very important to us. When the beta version of the Production App was introduced, it was 80 percent finished. During such a pilot project, we can shape its further implementation together with users. To get that done properly, you have to have a positive attitude together, which really worked out well in this case,” says Robin van den Broek, developer at jem-id. “The feedback we gave was taken up immediately and that is why you keep giving feedback,” says Wilbert. “Personally, I also find it interesting to see how jem-id translates our wishes into a generic solution.” Expanding GreenCommerce with Apps is a development that started some time ago. Robin: “Because we see that our customers are increasingly moving towards specialist activities, we believe that our software should also match this. Via the Apps you get online access to your GreenCommerce environment and you can go there anywhere and anytime to keep insight and control over the business. We initially focused on Apps for employees who are often on the road: sales, purchasing and quality control. The Production App is the first to offer support in the logistics process.”
Puzzle pieces
You can compare the Apps to different puzzle pieces that fit together perfectly, but also form a whole on their own. “Apps are smaller, more flexible and easier to replace than large, comprehensive Windows applications. Because each App has its own focus area, we can continue to develop and release separately. This ensures minimal dependence between the Apps, so that we can switch quickly and users can maintain their speed,” says Robin. Control over the production process is central to the Production App. A lot of functionality has already been built into the current beta version. Robin: “Clear production schedules, real-time progress of the production process and active signaling functions offer employees the opportunity to maintain continuous control over all current productions. Assignments that have been scheduled are provided with various data such as start and end times, breaks and contain a number of expectations. To keep control over the process, a visual presentation of the planning vs. reality is a very important part. With the App, a user can see at a glance whether the production process is on schedule and whether problems occur in the process. By navigating between the different tabs you can easily switch between the planned jobs, the planning and machine(s).” For Koppert Cress, the functionality offered is also a reason to take a critical look at its own production process. “We are not yet using the Production App for the planning process, but I do think that we can benefit from it in the future and organize our production process even more efficiently,” concludes Wilbert.
More information
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Read the article in the PRIMEUR via this link.
