This year, Fruitmasters will switch to a new system that will completely replace the current system. The Microsoft AX software will be taken into operation in phases, the old system will remain operational and will continue to communicate with the new software up to the last moment. “We do not want a ‘big bang,’ but a gradual, sensible and monitored switch to the new system,” says Ronald Jansen, IT Manager with Fruitmasters.
“New software also requires process adjustments,” Ronald says. “Forcibly applying new software is not wise. It needs time. It should be a connection between the old and the new world. It is important that knowledge from the past is preserved. That is why we are implementing the new technology step by step, so that we can optimise everything for our cultivators in this new environment.”
Grower from pilot group during trial phase MijnFruitmasters.
In order to make that phased transition possible, it is necessary that the old and new software communicate with each other. That was challenging. Abstract IT, supplier of the old software and provider of certain specific applications in the new standardised packet, undertook this task. “The old and new systems are now talking with each other,” explains René van den Berg, Senior System Developer with Abstract IT. For example, the coding of product information is the same in both systems, but the mutations also have to be processed in both systems.
Pilot groups
“In order to achieve the realisation of the cultivator’s portal (MijnFruitmasters), we work with two pilot groups, one for soft fruit cultivators and one for top fruit cultivators. Together with the cultivators we developed the software for MijnFruitmasters in recent years. We are now testing the application,” Ronald explains. The working groups thought about shaping the new environment under the motto ‘cultivators should not have to be administrators.’ “It should result in the cultivators having less work,” René explains. “Spray registration, certifications and harvest prognoses,” are three important matters that have been digitalised. For that, the cultivator’s data is combined with that which has been generally accepted. The last is imported from the GlobalGAP database by means of a direct coupling.
“Everything will be live for the cultivators in spring.” Each cultivator will receive their own web application with all their cultivation matters. This is where the information between cultivator and Fruitmasters will be exchanged. The members of Fruitmasters already mostly worked digitally, but they will have more possibilities thanks to MijnFruitmasters. “All data supplied by cultivators, from spray registration to stocks, will be put in Microsoft AX. Within Fruitmasters, the old software will remain operational until the end of the year. A good, direct communication between the two packets is crucial,” René adds.
René van den and BergRonald Jansen.
Combining systems
IT company Abstract IT has had a similar project already. “We used a similar approach as with earlier projects,” says René. “By retaining the existing structure of the new system, transferring the data can be automatised. This way, it can be prevented that a lot of time will be put in developing the new software. One example of this is article synchronisation, in which the data of the articles has to be ‘translated’ from the new into the old system. All article data from the new system is now copied to the old system so that input can already take place from the new system while the processing still partially takes place in the old system. With this, functionality can be increasingly moved to the new system in steps, so that the new system can eventually be put into operation. We have not made any adjustments in the new system, we are only making them in the old software. Coupling the article data is in the old software, so that the new software is not contaminated,” René continues. “After we have placed everything in the new system, we will evaluate that process. Then we will continue rolling out and implementing the new software packet. Everything should be finished by the end of the year,” Ronald concludes.
More information:
Abstract IT
René van den Berg