With extensive agriculture feeding many countries, Brazil is an agricultural powerhouse, with its agribusiness sector accounting for a significant portion of the country’s exports and making it one of the largest global consumers of fertilizers. Within this scenario stands our client, Unifertil. Founded in 1972, Unifertil is one of Brazil’s most relevant fertilizer companies, supplying approximately 120,000 tons of fertilizers per month to farms across the nation, particularly influencing the southern region where it is one of the market leaders.
Unifertil’s trend toward expansion led to the opportunity to modernize its operations and expand its capabilities. This pivotal moment resulted in a strategic partnership with e-Core, the inspirational details of which we’ll explore in this article.
Table of Contents
Opportunity
Cargo scheduling quickly emerged as a resource with great potential of growth for Unifertil. Previously, scheduling was only performed for 5% of the approximately 150 daily shipments across the three manufacturing facilities. This would allow the company to implement a Production and Control Planning (PCP), which became even more critical after the inauguration of a new unit.
“We have a very large product portfolio. It is necessary to schedule in order to know what is coming, otherwise we won’t be able to plan in advance, achieve predictability and optimize the process,” explains the Industrial Manager of Unifertil, Marco Antônio Montassieur Júnior.
Beyond internal factory improvements, cargo scheduling also presents opportunities for external stakeholders. While providing flexibility in cargo management deadlines, the lack of scheduling leads to truck queues that can extend up to 3 days during periods of high demand. Consequently, increasing the number of scheduled appointments could have a positive social impact on truck drivers well-being. Additionally, from an environmental perspective, trucks occupying road space contribute to carbon emissions, oil spills, and other waste.
Challenges
The task of reviewing the scheduling process was far from simple. It involved integrations with other systems and stakeholders of diverse profiles – from the financial sector to truck drivers. At the same time, it was crucial for Unifertil to keep offering flexible delivery scheduling, one of its differentiators among competitors.
In response to this challenge, the Industry team and the Technology team joined forces. Their goal was to find a solution that would position Unifertil for the future while preserving the attributes that set it apart in an intensely competitive market. In this context, Unifertil found in e-Core the ideal partner to jointly develop the best strategy for this challenge.
“e-Core is a company with a work methodology that helps organize the rationale for what is intended to be delivered in the final project, which aids in aligning partnership expectations. Additionally, they are serious and dedicated people who use technology to help us find solutions for issues in some important company processes.”
Marcelo Schiavon
Director of Unifertil
The Solution
Phase 1: Product Discovery
- The teams at e-Core and Unifertil engaged in a Product Discovery initiative to gain deeper insights into the underlying issues and to explore digital solutions.
- Design thinking sessions, stakeholder interviews, persona studies, benchmarking, and the creation of a Business Model Canvas were carried out.
- A high-fidelity prototype was validated with end users.
- Additionally, an analysis of the agricultural sector’s current state and technological macro-trends affecting the industry in the coming years was included.
Phase 2: Development and Launch
- Building upon the validated prototype, the second phase involved engineering sprints to develop the scheduling solution.
- The result was the launch of the “Unicarga” product, a platform that not only enables cargo scheduling but also incorporates other features to enhance the customer experience.
“The clients observed that the solution is very good because it allows them to schedule cargo without needing to speak with the sales department first. Now they have visibility of the order portfolio, which was previously controlled only by email. This is a significant gain in autonomy that was mapped during the discovery phase.”
Marco Antônio Montassieur Júnior
Industrial Manager of Unifertil
Our Work
Projected Results
- Product Discovery
- Persona Development
- High-Fidelity Prototype
- Customer Journey
- Solution Benchmarking
- Process Flow Mapping
- Business Model Canvas
- Development Sprints
- Integration with Legacy Systems
- Software Development
- Increase in production capacity up to 15%
- Enhanced business intelligence through the acquisition of new consumer data
- Improved demand forecasting, leading to greater security against industry fluctuations
- Optimization of the shipping process
- Relief of the sales team’s burden
- Enhanced customer experience
- Strengthening of Unifertil’s image as a modern and reliable company
“It’s Unifertil’s first digital transformation project. We take it from paper, take it from email, and offer a digital service to our customer, providing autonomy, organization, agility, control, and management, as well as greater operational efficiency for our teams.”
Helmar Almeida
Manager of Technology, Innovation, and Organizational Processes at Unifertil
Benefits
Unicarga doesn’t merely optimize processes; it stands at the forefront of Unifertil’s digital transformation journey. Let’s explore the key benefits tailored for the business:
Loading process optimization, with a projected increase in production capacity of 10% to 15%
With Unicarga, the company will be able to reorganize the sequencing of loading schedules, identify favorable load profiles and carry out anticipated programming. As a result, it is expected not only to reduce the queue of trucks, but also to obtain an estimated gain of 10% to 15% in productivity, which will consequently allow an increase in the capacity of the sales force.
Business intelligence
from emerging
customer data
With Unicarga, the customer takes center stage in the scheduling process. This fundamental shift in mindset not only enhances customer experience but also yields valuable insights into customer behavior. By analyzing scheduling patterns, preferences, and trends, Unicarga transforms previously scattered information into actionable business intelligence.
Predictability for the business, enabling an increase in profit margins through Production Planning and Control (PPC)
By enabling proactive planning, Unicarga streamlines the composition of the Production Control Planning (PCP), effectively avoiding bottlenecks and optimizing production processes. Additionally, the implementation of a Business Intelligence (BI) system, complete with real-time scheduling management panels, will empower Unifertil to make strategic decisions based on data insights, ultimately driving increased profit margins.
Relief for the sales team, which can now dedicate itself to strategic activities and relationship building.
With Unicarga, Unifertil’s sales team will no longer need to perform bureaucratic tasks related to scheduling. With more time to dedicate to strategic activities and relationship building, it will be possible to manage the portfolio more effectively, allowing for more personalized service focused on the individual needs of each client.
Customer loyalty and brand repositioning for Unifertil
Unifertil, by offering autonomy, visibility, and a more efficient service, stands out in a market where customer loyalty is crucial. This commitment strengthens the company’s repositioning as a modern organization that, even in the face of digital transformation, preserves the values of security and reliability that have always been Unifertil’s hallmark.
Greater security regarding industry fluctuations, minimizing the impact of climatic and geopolitical issues
The company’s ability to predict raw material demand enables it to mitigate the impact of unpredictable external factors, such as rain, strikes, or geopolitical issues. This sense of security not only benefits the company but also instills confidence in customers, ensuring consistent product delivery even under adverse conditions.
“One of the key points for the success of this partnership was the engagement and commitment of the e-Core squad. Currently, the squad members are very familiar with our process, which is fundamental for developing any product. Besides being a senior team and highly technically skilled, which makes the difference.”
Helmar Almeida
Manager of Technology, Innovation, and Organizational Processes at Unifertil
Future perspectives
The objective is for a significant shift to occur one year post-Unicarga implementation, with 95% of shipments being pre-scheduled. The early indicators are promising: in the initial month alone, with Unicarga embraced by just 14 out of the company’s 5,000clients, the rate of scheduled deliveries surged from 5% to 21% (based on October 2023 data).
“With the Unicarga Project in place, our goal is to streamline processes, enhancing the company’s efficiency and delivering a superior experience to our clientele. Furthermore, we anticipate a reduction in loading wait times and a boost in factory productivity.”
Marcelo Schiavon
Director at Unifertil
In the upcoming project phase, Unicarga will be extended to clients opting for freight through Unifertil. This move propels the company towards a fully digital service model, foreseeing the myriad benefits of predictability and data analytics – including hyper-personalization and leveraging Artificial Intelligence. Thus, the company reaffirms its dedication to offering quality and dependable services, essential pillars for sustained growth.
Executive Summary
Unifertil, a Brazilian fertilizer company with over 50 years of history, underwent significant growth between 2020 and 2021, resulting in the need to modernize its operations. Faced with this new scenario, the opportunity to unlock growth through the optimization of the cargo scheduling process became evident. However, it was essential for this optimization to occur without losing the flexibility that sets Unifertil apart from its competitors.
The answer came with Unicarga, a solution co-created in partnership with e-Core. The platform not only optimized the cargo scheduling but also became the epicenter of Unifertil’s digital transformation.
The benefits encompass the optimization of the loading process, projecting an increase in production capacity of 10% to 15%, an enhanced customer experience where the customer becomes a protagonist of the process, providing valuable data about their behavior, and business predictability, enabling an increase in profit margin through Production and Capacity Planning (PCP).
Furthermore, relieving the sales team of burdens will allow supervisors to focus on strategic activities, contributing to customer loyalty. The repositioning of Unifertil as a modern company while maintaining values of safety and reliability will be reinforced. The company will also be able to minimize the impact of unpredictable external factors, providing confidence to customers even under adverse conditions.
The future outlook includes expanding Unicarga to customers who opt for freight services provided by Unifertil, moving towards 100% digital service and exploring possibilities of hyper-personalization and the use of Artificial Intelligence. In summary, Unicarga not only solved an operational challenge but also became a milestone in the digital transformation of a traditional company of the Brazilian agribusiness industry, reflecting Unifertil’s commitment to quality, safety, and continuous growth.
