A month ago, Hillfresh went live with the quality app of FreshControl, an application for fresh produce companies or fruit and vegetable growers to inspect batches efficiently and accurately. Business consultant Sven Ronken of Hillfresh praises the implementation. "My experience with system transitions is that there was always a catch somewhere, but this go-live went better than I could ever have imagined. We had very short lines of communication with the programmers. Any problems we encountered were solved on the same day. I thought that was a very good start."
Hillfresh works with Aptean's Business Central platform. "We notice that both on the customer and supplier side, there are more and more complicated questions around colour specifications. German retailers in particular are starting to ask more and more specific questions. So you have to have the flexibility to set up your system for that. I had heard good stories about FreshControl from a fellow fruit importer. When we were given a demonstration of what the quality app could do, we were actually sold straight away. The contract talks also went well, so the choice was quickly made," says Sven.
FreshControl allows fresh produce trading companies to make quality inspection reports of incoming or outgoing goods with photos as proof. Making inspection reports works easily and efficiently with the FreshControl app on Apple and Android smartphones or tablets. WhatsApp and mail integration make it very easy to share reports with colleagues, suppliers or customers. The different report types and cue properties are easy to set up.
"All our incoming inspections that we don't have externally inspected, as well as stock checks and outgoing checks if deemed necessary for the customer, go through FreshControl," Sven says. "The app also works ideally for any sales returns. Previously, we always had to request camera images if a pallet was at an angle. Now that is completely overcome with the inspection reports."
E-mail module
In particular, Sven calls the flexibility of the app ideal. "Mutations in inspection specifications are easy to implement with FreshControl's solution. That flexibility is the most important thing for us. You can't perform certain actions yourself yet, but if someone else can do it much faster, sometimes you shouldn't want to. For the next phase, we also want to introduce the mail module, where an e-mail is immediately sent to the relevant customer or supplier in case of approvals or rejections.
Asked if Sven has any other modules on the wish list, he replied that further integration with AgriPlace would be a nice extension for the future. "Now we only use the app for judging, but ideally there would also be a link to grower administration. That would respond well to the new sustainability issues, where you have to indicate exactly which grower the product coming out of the shed is from. Furthermore, we would soon like to explore the customer specification module with FreshControl to respond even better to retailers' requirements."
Roland Loykens of FreshControl is pleased with the collaboration. "Our app is constantly being developed and a customer like Hillfresh provides a lot of good new practical additions that make FreshControl even better. We particularly focus on efficiency, which ensures that a customer like Hillfresh can inspect more in less time, and that is an important starting point. Moreover, the link with Business Central and integration with WhatsApp allows them to share inspection reports with all stakeholders in no time. We are happy that the first phase went so smoothly and look forward to the continuation of the cooperation."
For more information:
Sven Ronken
Hillfresh
Tel: +31-180 898 036
[email protected]
www.Hillfresh.eu
Roland Loykens
FreshControl
Tel: +31 85 401 59 68
[email protected]
www.freshcontrol.app