AN orchard management app to help pickers easily record their progress, and help drivers find full bins vis GPS, was implemented at a Riverland citrus operation recently.
South Australian-based company AgPick Technology’s orchard app was inspired by a need from a major producer and exporter, Ingy’s Citrus, to allow pickers working with little to no supervision to report on progress, reduce admin workload and upload data to comply with piece-rate legislation.
AgPick chief executive officer Henrietta Child said the app’s two key functions simplified reporting for both pickers and tractor drivers, and suited operations in citrus, avocadoes and apples where teams of pickers could be spread out over different blocks on different properties.
“The app works with any Android phone, it doesn’t rely on pickers having data contracts or sophisticated phones – it uses SMS technology,” she said.
“For a picker, it’s as simple as pressing ‘start’, ‘break’ or ‘finish’ to record their activity.
“It’s very clearly displayed in bright colours and lettering which is easy to understand by anyone. To prevent errors, the functionality is set so that data cannot be processed if the picker is not on the property.”
The data is used to calculate piece rates and is uploaded directly to payroll for accurate payment.
The app also records activity for full or partial bins, including bin location, prompted by Ingy’s Citrus’ need to save driver time.
“When a bin is ready for collection, pickers select that option on their phone’s screen,” Ms Child said.
“The information – the unique bin number and its location – then appears on the driver’s tablet screen via a bin list and map. This saves time and messaging between pickers and drivers and is clear, accurate information.
“Drivers can use the map and bin list to plan their route in the orchard to pick up bins. This saves driving around orchards looking for bins or misunderstanding messages about where they are.
“Drivers also don’t have to get in and out of the tractor to scan a bin – they click ‘collected’ on the bin’s number and that accounts for the bin. Until the bin is collected, it is marked as ‘unverified’.”