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Nexer supports staples vegetables with improved forecasting
Staples Vegetables Ltd are one of the largest Brassica growers and distributors in the UK. For over 60 years, the company has been growing quality, fresh produce, including a range of organic vegetables – such as broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and leek. To make their farming as sustainable as possible, they engage in soil management, crop health and protection, recycling, energy efficiency, and water management.
Staples Vegetables operates four sites throughout the UK, three of which run 24/7, and supplies vegetables to major retailers such as Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda, and Morrison’s. To maximise seasonality, the company has farms in Lincolnshire, Suffolk, and the Isles of Wight, which means crops are grown in climatically different areas. However, sun, rain, and temperature are unpredictable parameters that impact growth, which means it’s virtually impossible to forecast yields and availability. At the same time, more and more supermarkets are demanding perfect vegetables in size and taste.
To use the data Staples Vegetables had at hand, Nexer recommended Microsoft Dynamics AX and developed an add-on tool called Fresh Dynamics. It considered the production cycle with all the specific variables attached to farming, such as crop rotations. “In other words, not growing the same produce in the same field season after season”, says Paul Williams, Customer and Partner Manager at Nexer Enterprise Applications, UK.
The collaboration with Nexer has given Staples Vegetables insights and skills to streamline processes and manage cost control, thus making a successful business even better. “The partnership with Nexer has proved to be a huge success”, says Chris Galey, IT Manager at Staples Vegetables. “We needed a solid and reliable software partner to support our bespoke business needs, and Nexer offers us support within the hour, helping our business to run 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”