Top view of people hands drawing teamwork strategy

To minimise human intervention in the data flow process between farm and packhouse, FarSoft and FarmTrace recently implemented API integration between their systems with great success. Not only did this integration improve workflow efficiency for the client, but it’s also been a time-saver of note.

FarmTrace managing director Jacques du Plessis said that this option would be made available to all FarSoft and FarmTrace clients in future.

The Farsoft approach

“This ties in with our approach of working closely with a carefully selected group of specialist service providers to bring together best-of-breed solutions for our clients,” explained FarSoft’s Freddie Roux. “Tight integration between high-quality systems, coupled with a willingness to take on responsibility and work together, brings about agility to our clients’ businesses. The best-of-breed strategy has been shown to open up cutting-edge possibilities for our clients, thus delivering working solutions for real-world challenges.”

On the FarSoft side, developer Reginald van Niekerk created the API, technical specialist Ben Louw set up the infrastructure and together with support manager Darrell Cloete, the trio were hands-on with the subsequent testing.

A streamlined solution

According to Reginald, the client’s former process of sending files or hard copies from the orchard to the packhouse, which then had to be manually imported or captured, was extremely laborious and prone to errors. “Now everything is captured on tablets in situ and sent directly to the packhouse system via API. This means: no paperwork, increased productivity, speed and many checks can be done beforehand.

“Into the bargain, it’s an early warning system for possible discrepancies, which means these can be addressed early in the process. Plus, data validation and verification are instant.”

FarmTrace’s Agri ERP System tracks and traces value throughout the farming process, measuring costs, scheduling tasks, managing human/machine intervention and ultimately providing a full data audit trail.