Solentum is a subsidiary of HZPC, worldwide market leader in seed potatoes. As a technology company they have developed different products to make life easier for potato farmers. ICIT is developing a custom-made data platform with whom Solentum can focus more on providing information services. In a tight scrum process we work on new functionalities every sprint.
Facts replace feeling
Potato farmers work a lot on feeling. This is special, because the right timing when growing potatoes is extremely important. If you harvest your potatoes a few days too late, you may not be able to sell them to grocery stores, which is a big loss. In order to support the farmer, Solentum comes up with different products. For example, there is an app that allows the potato grower to easily estimate the size of the potatoes in his fields. Solentum also sells a product which enables the farmer to check that the potatoes are stored and transported in the best possible condition.
In order to take the next step towards offering information services, a data platform had to be set up. One central place where all the data that is collected is made available and usable for Solentum’s customers.
A good start
An IT-employee at Solentum has already started working on this issue and has come up with a good solution. This basis has been used by ICIT for further development. The focus is on the end-user. The end-user does not benefit from a complex platform in which only raw data ends up, but rather is helped to convert data into information. In this way, potato growers can make decisions based on facts. As a result, the yield and quality increase, allowing farmers to achieve better margins. Thanks to our extensive knowledge of sensors and smart applications, we have now been able to deliver a minimum viable product (MVP).
The ambition of Solentum is not to develop the largest data platform in the world for potato growers. But thanks to the MVP, Solentum now sits at the table with large corporates instead of farmers. It is clear that the platform is a solution that could be of interest to many more companies.
“ICIT came at exactly the right time, they were the right party at the right time. The physical distance is small, which makes it pleasant to work together. Their knowledge of sensors and ambitions in the field of Big Data fit perfectly with our plans”.
Egbert Bakker
Managing director at Solentum
Big data & The internet of things
We are still developing the platform. Thanks to Big Data and the Internet of Things, it is becoming increasingly easier to collect data. For example, we are thinking about the integration of data about the weather and the chemicals used. In this way, the data platform should make the potato farmer’s life better in an objective way.
Do you also have a project where Big data is involved, but don’t you know how to use the data smartly? Make an appointment with ICIT and drop by for a sparring session. Together with you we will see what we can do with your data.
