The Pommaflow app, nominated for the SIVAL Innovation 2022 competition, allows users, among other things, to follow the progress of their harvest in real time, a true revolution in the field of harvest management.
Pommaflow is the brainchild of Arboflow, a young company specialized in optimizing tasks in the field of arboriculture. Arboflow was founded by producer Mathieu Gazeau and Anicet Prod’homme, cybersecurity engineer. “The idea came from a simple observation: harvests are still monitored on paper. I saw a friend of mine who is a vegetable producer monitor everything down to the minute and I realized that the same should be done in the field of arboriculture,” explains Mathieu Gazeau. “We created Arboflow in June and we currently have about 10 fruit growers from southwestern France to Paris, most of them in the Loire Valley.”
In 2021, Pommaflow is no less than 1,000 ha, 120,000 palox crates and 42,000 tons.
Optimized production
“The producers know the volumes and varieties in real time, and the transfer of information is much easier. Monitoring the harvest will also allow the cooperatives to manage their cold storage without having to call the producers every evening, which will facilitate the organization.”
“We also enter the harvest predictions, which provides a comparison and an evolution of the plot to then situate ourselves compared to the predictions. Eventually, the goal would be to be able to centralize all the national data such as losses due to frost, for example.”
Pommaflow offers a complete service: volume/ha, harvest progress, employee management with yields/ha, number of palox crates and even the preparation of payslips (yield, hours…). A lot of precious time saved for the professionals.
A simple and intuitive interface
The app works in two steps. First, the parameterization part where producers can enter all the necessary data: plots, surface area, varieties, seasonal staff, team leader. Once everything is set up, the rest takes place in the field. “The team leaders have their smartphones in hand with the app where they can enter the data regarding the staff, the work, the harvest type, the expected yield and the working time. When a palox crate is full, the team leader puts a sticker with barcode on the palox and indicates who did the harvest.”
This data is then retrieved on the computer: tons/ha or yield per person, number of hours worked on each plot…”Anyone can cross-reference and retrieve the desired data.” Team management is facilitated since Pommaflow also takes care of the preparation of payslips (month, hourly rate, hour, bonus for each additional palox…).
Easy to use and intuitive, nothing has been left to chance. The two creators have thought of everything: color codes to differentiate each variety at first glance, translation into several languages, operating the app offline, and even an alert system has been programmed to avoid any problem when data is entered incorrectly (palox scanned twice, forgotten scan…).
Future developments
For the moment, the app is intended for apples, pears and kiwis. But Mathieu and Anicet plan to extend their creation to stone fruit and vegetable productions.
Pommaflow will soon include the Club varieties “to access information about the production per basin and anonymously.” It will propose an account for cooperatives that will be able to group their producers.
A second app should also be launched next year, this time for quality. “It is an app that will be added to the first one and allow the station to have an idea about the batches and to make comparisons. Only a photo from above the palox will be needed to catch a glimpse of the coloration and the different calibers. The person in charge of this step will also be able to enter any defects in the app.”
Find Arboflow at Sival (Hall Grand Palais), Innovation pole, booth L606.
For more information:
Mathieu Gazeau & Anicet Prod'homme
Pommaflow par Arboflow
Cell: 06 37 48 42 19
contact@arboflow.fr
arboflow@gmail.com
https://www.arboflow.fr/