Willard

Agriculture production management software

About

Production management apps are the crucial system for every company, but it was a core business essential for Willard. We redesigned the application and unified its systems. The end goal was to improve orders management for clients and production management for the sales team.

Industry

Custom software development

Project duration

2016-2017

Project scope

Backend development

Frontend development

DevOps

Technology

Python, Django, Angular, AWS, Docker, Terraform, Kubernetes

Background

Willard Agri-Service manufactures and supplies liquid fertilizers, micronutrients and crop protectants, as w ell as offering services including yield monitors, data collection and crop management planning. Willard Agri-Service operates in the Mid-Atlantic region.

They had been using a 15-year-old custom Visual Basic application and a 10-year-old PHP application to manage their sales orders and fertilizer production in their five factories (orders are sent to factories, which produce customized fertilizer on demand).

The main purpose of the project was to redesign the software applications improving the way Willard’s products are ordered and how sales orders are sent to factories.

Challenge

The main purpose of the project was to redesign the software applications improving the way Willard’s products are ordered and how sales orders are sent to factories.

Solution

◦ Web based application that unifies both old applications.
◦ All data from old system were migrated to the new application.
◦ Seamless transition of users (sales people and plant/factory managers) from old platform to new one.
◦ 50% shorter order processing time (from order to manufacturing).
◦ No down times for 3 years.
◦ Minimal maintenance costs.

Key features

Sales team system module

The sales team is now able to manage Willard’s business contracts more effectively compared to the previous version of the app, as well as create new orders on behalf of customers and send them to the factory.

Per user customer pricing system

The online software app includes a pricing rate module, which is available to all Willard customers and business partners. Depending on what additional ingredients and proportions are required, a final price is fixed. The customer can receive an invoice in their inbox as well as track payment status.

Order verification module

The system is able to verify the ingredient proportions for each ordered product, ensuring that the mixing occurs correctly in the factory. The system can also monitor the status of materials available in the warehouse, informing if an order cannot be realized because of lack of materials.

Mode integration feature

The app is integrated with all four factories, allowing both sales and production management teams to manage customer orders effectively and send product specifications to automated machines in factories to produce customized products for end users. Employees are only involved at the order verification stage, to ensure that all ingredients and their proportions are correct.

Inventory control system

The app can monitor stock levels with the individual ingredients carefully in Willard’s warehouse. The management system provides a single source of real-time business info, guaranteeing that ordered products are manufactured using the precise quantity of materials. An additional benefit is the ability to maintain one centralized inventory system, allowing greater transparency in relationships with suppliers, vendors and business partners.

Business Intelligent report module

The app also consists of a report module where Willard can verify different production rates and parameters including inventories and historical data. The system handles systematic collection, evaluation, processing and presentation of all available business data obtained the company value chain. The tool can be used to prepare data for analysis, develop and run queries, as well as customized dashboards and data visualization.

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Willard

Agriculture production management software

About

Production management apps are the crucial system for every company, but it was a core business essential for Willard. We redesigned the application and unified its systems. The end goal was to improve orders management for clients and production management for the sales team.

Industry

Custom software development

Timeline

2016-2017

Scope

Backend development

Frontend development

DevOps

Technology

Python, Django, Angular, AWS, Docker, Terraform, Kubernetes

Technology

Willard Agri-Service manufactures and supplies liquid fertilizers, micronutrients and crop protectants, as w ell as offering services including yield monitors, data collection and crop management planning. Willard Agri-Service operates in the Mid-Atlantic region.

They had been using a 15-year-old custom Visual Basic application and a 10-year-old PHP application to manage their sales orders and fertilizer production in their five factories (orders are sent to factories, which produce customized fertilizer on demand).

The main purpose of the project was to redesign the software applications improving the way Willard’s products are ordered and how sales orders are sent to factories.

Challenge

The main purpose of the project was to redesign the software applications improving the way Willard’s products are ordered and how sales orders are sent to factories.

Solution

◦ Web based application that unifies both old applications.
◦ All data from old system were migrated to the new application.
◦ Seamless transition of users (sales people and plant/factory managers) from old platform to new one.
◦ 50% shorter order processing time (from order to manufacturing).
◦ No down times for 3 years.
◦ Minimal maintenance costs.

Key features

Sales team system module

The sales team is now able to manage Willard’s business contracts more effectively compared to the previous version of the app, as well as create new orders on behalf of customers and send them to the factory.

Per user customer pricing system

The online software app includes a pricing rate module, which is available to all Willard customers and business partners. Depending on what additional ingredients and proportions are required, a final price is fixed. The customer can receive an invoice in their inbox as well as track payment status.

Order verification module

The system is able to verify the ingredient proportions for each ordered product, ensuring that the mixing occurs correctly in the factory. The system can also monitor the status of materials available in the warehouse, informing if an order cannot be realized because of lack of materials.

Mode integration feature

The app is integrated with all four factories, allowing both sales and production management teams to manage customer orders effectively and send product specifications to automated machines in factories to produce customized products for end users. Employees are only involved at the order verification stage, to ensure that all ingredients and their proportions are correct.

Inventory control system

The app can monitor stock levels with the individual ingredients carefully in Willard’s warehouse. The management system provides a single source of real-time business info, guaranteeing that ordered products are manufactured using the precise quantity of materials. An additional benefit is the ability to maintain one centralized inventory system, allowing greater transparency in relationships with suppliers, vendors and business partners.

Business Intelligent report module

The app also consists of a report module where Willard can verify different production rates and parameters including inventories and historical data. The system handles systematic collection, evaluation, processing and presentation of all available business data obtained the company value chain. The tool can be used to prepare data for analysis, develop and run queries, as well as customized dashboards and data visualization.