Keeping Food on the Table: Daugherty Helps Fight Grain Spoilage with IoT
Executive Summary
A global biotech client was losing hundreds of millions of grains in South America to spoilages during transport — hundreds of thousands of mouths that could be fed. Daugherty worked shoulder to shoulder with the client: first to understand the business gap, then to seize the appropriate IT solution. The solution — we incorporated three disparate systems into a clean and visually stunning application that updates in near-real time. This ensured higher yield for the client, capitalizing on their mission of using a smaller land footprint for higher gains.
A global biotech client was losing hundreds of millions of grains in South America to spoilages during transport — hundreds of thousands of mouths that could be fed.
The distance between field and facility could be vast, with many deliveries taking 48 hours or longer. Along the way, grains were often exposed to extreme temperatures, moisture or sun damage. Sometimes entire shipments were destroyed.
The client wanted to further expand agriculture into the 21st Century and trusted Daugherty to help them innovate.
Daugherty incorporated three disparate systems into a clean and visually stunning application that updates in near-real time, mitigating grain spoilage.
While simple on the surface, this was a particularly complex application due to:
Fragmented Information
Information was funneled through three cell phone providers, then had to be pieced together.
Information Gaps
It was difficult separating good information from bad, especially in situations where empty trucks were transported to different facilities.
Lost Information
Cell phone service could be intermittent while trucks were en route. Daugherty needed to determine a way to indicate dead zones, so the client could monitor when a driver might be experiencing an issue other than bad cell reception.
Three Ways Our Approach Delivered Value to Consumers
The Daugherty approach integrates business practices with technology solutions. Our leadership and developers worked shoulder to shoulder with the client — first to understand the business gap, then to seize the appropriate IT solution.
Not only did we provide a visually stunning centralized dashboard, we designed the application to be extensible.
The value extended beyond that to include:
Being Good Stewards
By ensuring higher yield, the client can capitalize on their mission of stewardship: using a smaller land footprint for higher gains.
Keeping Costs Down
The gains in grains help keep costs down at grocery stores.
Feeding More
By preventing spoilage, more food is available, which is a small step toward the client’s goal of solving world hunger.
Already, a backlog is being assembled for additional features, which will extend the application to other locations around the world without much additional effort, leading to significant savings.
