AgroInvest has created a digital ecosystem of end-to-end harvest planning based on SAP

2021: Digital Ecosystem for End-to-End Harvest Planning and Dispatching

On November 18, 2021, SAP CIS announced that in the AgroInvest Group, one of the largest agricultural holdings in Russia, they created a full-fledged digital ecosystem for end-to-end planning and dispatching of harvests based on SAP S/4HANA (PCE/RISE), as well as introduced automated quantitative and qualitative accounting of agricultural products.

The AgroInvest group operates in seven regions, it owns seven thousand fields, where about 13 crops are grown. Gross yield is over 1 million tons. The fleet includes more than 3,000 units of agricultural equipment and 3,700 units of vehicles.

One of the key processes for AgroInvest is the removal of agricultural products from the fields. Prior to the implementation of the planning system, the process was decentralized. Specialists based on observation in the fields determined the planned timing of the ripening of crops. Inspection results were not recorded in the system. Planning for both field work and subsequent transportation also took place in a decentralized manner, and structural units were not linked.

During the digitalization of the harvesting process, a digital solution based on SAP (S/4HANA PCE and Cloud Platform) was developed. The implementation of this solution has eliminated information gaps in the process and created a digital ecosystem for end-to-end planning and dispatching of a key stage of agro-industrial production, as well as providing automatic quantitative and qualitative accounting of grain and leguminous industrial crops.

The developed system automatically determines the optimal harvest time based on weather conditions and NDVI vegetation indices. Then a task is created for inspection of fields with a specific execution date, it is assigned to certain specialists. Based on the inspection results, an optimal field plan is generated for each piece of equipment and for each employee. It is sent to the machine operator or driver on a mobile device.

Thanks to the digitalization of the process, it was possible to minimize or completely eliminate the influence of the human factor and the risks of loss of crops from untimely harvesting, as well as reduce the costs arising from the refinement of too raw or undisturbed products. The efficiency of using agricultural machinery has improved, as it is now possible to calculate the need for it quite accurately, as well as to minimize transport costs, costs of stretching and distances of transport arms.

"As part of the project, we used optimization models and IoT, and the result of the project was facilitated by cloud technologies, effective architecture and online vendor support. In addition, the single digital space of SAP cloud products has reduced the learning curve. As of November 18, 2021, all our processes are connected, we minimized the influence of the human factor, avoided information gaps and rationally use resources, " stressed Arthur Bashokov, head of the Directorate for the Development and Operation of Digital Business Solutions "AgroInvest."

"The level of digitalization of agriculture both in the world and in Russia is growing rapidly. Up-to-date technologies improve yields, predict accuracy, and leverage resources. Therefore, it is so important to implement complex systems that allow you to connect all business processes and build a single, transparent landscape. In addition, IT platforms allow you to compete in international markets, respond to external challenges in a timely manner and increase business efficiency in general, "- emphasized Alexander Metechko, SAP Managing Director for Partners and Fast Growing Companies in Russia and. countries CIS

In the future, AgroInvest plans to digitally modernize other agricultural processes in the holding: sowing, crop care and soil preparation.