Soft Systems, an agribusiness ERP solution provider based in Kochi attracted worldwide attention recently when it bagged Microsoft Fusion award 2000 for Asia and South Pacific Region and Microsoft Back office Logo certification. Soft systems 'Harvest IT' is the first and only software product in India to be the recipient of the Microsoft fusion Award.

Joseph made an in-depth study of all activities of the plantation industry and began development of her software under the banner of a proprietorship firm, Soft Systems in 1987. In 1993 Soft Systems Pvt Ltd was launched and the first product IPMIS was evolved to cater to the needs of the plantation industry in South India. With the experience gained, the R&D lab of Soft Systems rolled out the latest ERP solution 'Harvest IT', which is on a client server architecture and caters to all the needs of the agri industry irrespective of the crop and the first international order from Unilever came in 1999. The company presently has approximately 153 employees worldwide and an esteemed clientele from over 386 sites, of which 132 are international sites across Malaysia, Kenya and Sri Lanka.

'Harvest IT' has bagged the coveted 'Best Solution of the Year 2000 in the Asia Pacific region' award hosted by Microsoft - the first Indian product to be recognised globally from over 386 entries across 76 countries. 'Harvest IT is also the first product in India to be awarded the BackOffice logo certification and it spells quality.

Research is underway in the soft systems labs and new products would follow soon. Value addition to the existing clientele is top priority and Soft Systems will be unfolding a tea auction on the Internet.

Here are some excerpts from an interview with Mrs Achamma Joseph, Managing Director, Soft Systems:

indiamarkets: Can you give us a brief account on the use of IT in agri business, especially, plantations?
Joseph: The plantation industry is labour intensive. A plantation comprises a number of gardens in remote locations with practices and procedures which have not been standardised within the organisation. This leads to income leakage, which can only be controlled with timely information input and processing. Some plantations have attempted partial computerisation of check roll and accounts activities at the garden level. Such data collected will have to be re-entered at the corporate office to arrive at the final accounts consolidation. More often, this information collection takes time and are not precise. Thus the results are delayed and there is incorrect decision making. The consequent slippage of income becomes difficult to control. The need of the hour is integrated, precise information, well on time, and 'Harvest IT' is undoubtedly an effective solution.

indiamarkets: Are there any competing products for 'Harvest IT' in this field?
Joseph: We haven't come across companies that provide integrated solutions for the agri industry, though there are certain small companies that provide isolated modules such as payroll processing.

indiamarkets: How cost efficient is 'Harvest IT'?
Joseph: Our customers speak for us. One of them told me, "your IPMIS package has aided us in analysing overtime costs, factory workers outturn and also pluckers' productivity. This in turn has translated into substantial savings for the company."'

Another person said, "'Harvest IT' has consolidation features through which group managers can compare performance in costs and productivity - Benchmarking is the right word."'

indiamarkets: Would you  provide some more details about your product?
Joseph: The first product that we have developed was IPMIS or the integrated Plantation Management Information System. IPMIS is an integrated multi-platform package that meets the needs of virtually every aspect of the plantation industry. It was developed in FoxPro on MSDOS platform and has undergone a programming effort of about 35 man - years. IPMIS supports multi-crops and multi-currency, thus facilitating usage in application all over the world. This product has been successfully implemented in various locations around the world. Then came 'Harvest IT'. It is a full-fledged agribusiness ERP Business solution under Windows NT platform. Actually this is an upgraded high-end version of IPMIS operating on Windows NT and SRL server.

indiamarkets: What is the relevance of 'Harvest IT' to small and marginal players?
Joseph: IPMIS was basically designed to serve small and marginal plantations.

indiamarkets: How is the software adapted to different crops?
Joseph: It is already customised for plantation industries like tea, coffee, cardamom and rubber. It has over 30 modules, which could be used for various crops. 'Harvest IT' can also be used for other agribusinesses like floriculture and horticulture.

indiamarkets: Are there any new products in the pipeline?
Joseph: Yes. Plantationtrade.com - it is a portal under construction in our own R&D lab. Plantationtrade.com will be web-enabled version of the new generation 'Harvest IT' implemented as an ASP model. The portal will dynamically link the system of buyers and sellers and promote seamless, paperless integration of purchase and sales systems of participants.