PYLOT Harvest Forecast - New release

The PYLOT team is constantly developing new functionalities which assist growers and managers in their daily processes. Maximising operating profit and minimizing risk by more efficiency and focussing on process optimisation.  

For our new feature dozens of growers, sales teams and greenhouse managers have been interviewed. Surveys have been sent out and results collected. Analysing these results using the “Jobs to be Done” methodology. Designing and developing a prototype which covers the most desirable outcomes from those responsible for this process and their beneficiaries.  

It is self-evident that the accuracy of a harvest forecast is in high demand by sales and operating departments. However, the PYLOT team went deeper into the process and learned that accuracy is a segment of the total optima forma. When listening to horticultural specialists, we received many ideas and requests of how to make the process of forecasting better. And when we say ‘process’, we really mean the comprehensive process from the very beginning to the very end. And we think, “we nailed it”.

After the initial design and development, we had an interesting period of testing with members of our expert panel and PYLOT users. We used factual data, resulting in reliable outcomes. With the positive feedback and trustworthy outcomes. We are confident with the release of yet another great new functionality in our PYLOT platform. We are happy to introduce “Harvest Forecast”.

Please allow us to provide a high-level overview of our feature below. We constantly take our product development as an iterative process. Making improvements and steps forward with every update, based on our users’ feedback.

The new Harvest Forecast feature contains some great new supporting functionalities;

Data Assistant

We created a new tool which is called the Data Assistant. The Data Assistant shows several widgets and provides the grower with accurate and relevant data to assist in the realization of his/her harvest forecast.  The following widgets are provided:

Harvest Forecast

This section presents a graph with 3 harvest curves:

• Actual harvest to see the trend for the selected period
• Harvest forecast already entered by the grower
• Harvest Auto forecast calculated by PYLOT

The Harvest Auto forecast is provided as reference and is calculated by PYLOT based on several parameters such as historical harvest results, plant age, fruit class, historical and light forecast (sun and artificial light).

Weather 

This section presents accurate weather forecast data for the corresponding period and is divided into 3 parts:

• outside temperature
• precipitations (rainfall)
• sun radiation

The weather and climate data is based on the geographical location of your greenhouse and provided by MeteoMatics. One of the most accurate weather and climate data providers.

Artificial light + sun & artificial light sum

Based on the weather and climate data, PYLOT calculates the forecasted artificial light hours/day required based on the amount of light which plants consume. The forecasted amount of sun radiation forms the base for the calculation of required artificial light hours. Another curve shows the total sum of sun radiation and artificial light as a reference for the forecast calculation.

24h temperature, Fruit weight and Planting density

The final section of the widget contains the relevant information on the 24-hour temperature in the greenhouse, Fruit weight and planting density. Parameters used for the forecast calculation. All relevant data in one place. Creating overview and convenience.

Communication between teams

As mentioned, we have captured the whole process and discovered another important aspect.   How is the forecast information distributed or communicated between growers and sales teams? A topic often underexposed. We have been confronted with a lot of different ways to send and share harvest forecast information between teams. Some ways not so user-friendly, some without version history or with a lot of additional actions and many more.

Let’s have a look how we think our functionality solves many of these issues.

• PYLOT allows to “Publish or Republish” versions of Harvest Forecast
• Growers can send their forecast reports or adjustments easily by email from the PYLOT account to a selected group.
• Everybody is working with and from the same (latest) version
• PYLOT supports version history of the harvest forecast and keeps changes traceable. No need to have dozens of separate files and try to compare a new forecast with old ones.
• PYLOT supports different access right levels – you decide who is allowed to work with forecasts and who is not.

We believe your teams and organisation will benefit from better communication.

Detailed reports for sales team and analysts

Our new PYLOT feature accumulates all the information in one place. Not only from weather data perspective but also provides a dashboard with information on the different crops and greenhouses. Providing insight and a comprehensive overview.

An important step to a perfect forecasting process

Our Harvest Forecast feature will give a boost to your organisation’s productivity. We contribute to an improvement of your forecasting process and increase the forecast accuracy. A more accurate forecast is easily transferred into a more profitable organisation. We also see a great benefit in the optimization of communication between different departments and the company as a whole. Say goodbye to the friction between sales and operations and Say Hello to a healthy constructive collaboration between departments.

If you are interested in our Harvest Forecast feature or want to receive more information on how your organization will benefit from the use of PYLOT, please get in contact with our sales team. They we will be glad to show a demonstration.

Optimization from the Core… Let’s Together Make Growing Easier.