Fresh Produce
Microsoft Dynamics 365 is giving fresh produce companies an advantage in today’s competitive market. Some of the top requirements for an ERP system in this industry include traceability, quality control, inventory management, procurement, and financial management.
With Dynamics 365 fresh produce manufacturers can easily track products from field to fork, ensuring full traceability and compliance with regulations. The system offers quality control features, allowing for real-time monitoring of produce quality and quick identification of any issues. Additionally, inventory management features help optimise inventory levels and reduce waste, while procurement tools streamline the purchasing process. Batch tracking and quality control are built in as standard, and with the availability of enterprise asset management to maintain machinery at the farm or factory, the system has all you need to give you a digital transformation.
The PowerPlatform brings additional functionality to Microsoft Dynamics 365, enabling companies to build custom applications and automate workflows. For instance, companies can create custom dashboards to track key performance indicators, such as yield and quality, and easily share this information with stakeholders.
STAPLES VEGETABLES
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.
CHALLENGE
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.
SOLUTION
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.
RESULTS
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.”

WHY WORK WITH NEXER?
Nexer can offer over 30 years of heritage and knowledge. With over 2,500 experts globally, and having delivered projects to over 39 countries to 100s of organisations, we have the expertise to complete successful digital transformations.
We are specialists across the Microsoft technology stack – including Microsoft Dynamics 365, PowerPlatform, Large Data, BI, Cloud, IoT, AI, Mixed Reality, Machine Learning, Digital UX & Cyber Security. Our family-owned, friendly and customer-first culture, ensures we build long-term relationships with our customers.