'Flower your life' is the slogan of Dalat Hasfarm in Da Lat, Vietnam. And that is exactly what they do; Dalat Hasfarm produces a wide range of cut flowers, pot plants, and young plants, giving color to both the domestic and foreign markets. In 2019, they partnered with Mprise Agriware in order to combine all their processes and planning activities into one flexible platform. How are they doing now? Time for a conversation with Aad Gordijn, CEO of Hasfarm Holdings.
City of Eternal Spring
Da Lat is nicknamed "City of Eternal Spring" because of its subtropical highland climate. The temperature is moderate compared to the rest of Vietnam, making the area extremely suitable for agriculture. Not surprisingly, this was a good place to establish Dalat Hasfarm in 1994. It has since grown into a company with a total greenhouse area of 220 hectares, 4,500 employees, and sister companies in Japan, China, and Indonesia. This makes the Hasfarm Group the largest flower producer in the Asia-Pacific region.
Da Lat, Vietnam, nicknamed 'The City of Eternal Spring'
Innovation is the key to success
Aad Gordijn, CEO of Hasfarm Holdings: "In Vietnam, Dalat Hasfarm has a chain of flower shops, flower booths in more than 200 supermarkets, and four wholesale distribution centers in the major cities. Innovation and introduction of new varieties is the key to our success, and we test over 500 new varieties a year from well-known breeders around the world."
Dalat Hasfarm strongly believes in high-tech solutions and is always looking for innovative and sustainable ways to grow high-quality plants. The flowers have excellent quality and vase life thanks to professional management, modern greenhouses, and an integrated Cold Chain.
Agriware 365: one flexible platform
How did the collaboration with Mprise Agriware start? Aad Gordijn (see photo on the right): "We knocked on Agriware's door because our existing planning tools were outdated, and some processes were still carried out with Excel. We wanted to combine our planning activities in one flexible platform."
When asked what Agriware 365 currently helps the company most with, Gordijn replied, "The most important thing is 'backward planning.' We start with the sales forecast, and Agriware helps us calculate the space requirements for mother plants, planting dates of cut flowers and potted plants, space allocation, and harvest dates. We also get real-time inventory updates and information about our production performance."
Microsoft Dynamics; an old acquaintance
It can be difficult at first for employees when a company suddenly starts working with a new system. How did this go at Dalat Hasfarm?
"We were already using Microsoft Dynamics as our ERP system, and Agriware is built on the same platform. That gave us a big advantage," Aad Gordijn explains. "Once the application was ready for implementation, our key users organized customized training sessions for the team. The program is user-friendly and easy to understand."
Once the application was ready for implementation, our key users organized customized training sessions for the team. The program is user-friendly and easy to understand.
Positive about the future
"We started the project in July 2019, and because of the pandemic, the support had to be done online," Aad looks back on the collaboration. "This, and the time differences, made it more challenging, but in the end, it worked out well."
When asked how he sees the future, he replies, "We are positive about the future. Flower consumption in Asia will continue to grow, and so will we. A professional planning tool like Agriware 365 will help our future expansion."
For more information:
Mprise Agriware
www.mprise-agriware.nl