Scalable, flexible, and future-proof digitalization
PIM and E-commerce
Structuring the work with product data for more than 30,000 products across business units and national borders.
A digital quantum leap for a complex organization
Danish Agro has a complex organizational structure, where the continuous acquisition of new companies places demands on a tech suite that is constantly evolving.
In 2020/2021, the Danish Agro Group began a digital transformation aimed at establishing an entirely new system landscape, replacing and upgrading several critical components of the IT infrastructure:
- ERP
- CRM
- Customer portal
- E-commerce solution
- PIM
- DAM
- CMS
A transformation of this scale is a process that requires strong user involvement from farmers and stakeholders, close dialogue between departments and suppliers, and a razor-sharp focus on the right architecture and integration strategy. A strategy designed not only to elevate Danish Agro in the short term but also to ensure agility and scalability in the long run.
Ongoing launches through close dialogue.
Such a complex rethinking of the entire IT infrastructure and the launch of several systems within a short timeframe requires careful planning, agility, and trust.
The focus has been on developing a well-thought-out architecture that, from the outset, accounted for the desired Group-wide solution—where scalability and flexibility were essential requirements. At the same time, emphasis was placed on starting small with a stable foundation, allowing the solution to evolve over time.
The various workstreams were initiated and rolled out simultaneously, due to the interdependencies between several of the systems. Through close collaboration, ongoing and consistent clarifications, and mutual flexibility and trust, the following were successfully deployed in under two years:
- A Group-wide PIM solution
- A CMS supporting over 80 brand sites
- A new customer portal, Mit Landbrug
- A B2B e-commerce solution
All of this was achieved despite shifting parameters and continuous new requests from the organization and partners throughout the projects.
The collaboration has been effective and free from unpleasant surprises. A high level of technical expertise and experience from similar projects contributed to a shared success.
With our new PIM solution, we've achieved significantly more efficient management of our product data, which has strengthened our ability to work across companies and different markets. The integration with the webshop has enabled us to enhance product presentation and streamline the processes for updating product information. This has been a major advantage—especially when we need to quickly adapt to changes and launch new products. Overall, the Inriver solution has created a smoother and more cohesive digital infrastructure within our digital suite.
Admin portal: Mit Landbrug
The shortcut to trading with Danish Agro for 8,300 Danish farmers.
From customer portal to Mit Landbrug
Danish Agro is one of the leading and prominent suppliers to the agricultural sector, and its digital tools must naturally reflect that.
The previous customer portal required improvements in terms of technology, design, and user experience, as well as integration with a new ERP system.
The portal was supported by a native app for Android and iOS, which added maintenance demands but also offered a base of functionality that Danish farmers had grown accustomed to.
Therefore, a new and improved customer portal is essential to realizing the digital potential for both Danish Agro and the farmers.
Access to all relevant data – in the field, in the barn, and in the office
The solution is built on the principles of a MACH architecture and is also based on React. The architectural choices made in the project were driven by a desire to support the continuous implementation of new requirements and business needs, while avoiding lock-in to specific systems.
Mit Landbrug can be used as a Progressive Web App on the farmer's smartphone and is optimized to provide both a seamless, full-featured desktop experience and a simple, action-oriented mobile experience.
With this new technological foundation, there's ample opportunity to continuously introduce new and relevant features that benefit users—without the need to rethink the architecture or risk data loss when systems are replaced or added.
The collaboration with PicoPublish has ensured a strong focus on process optimization within the business, where digitalization replaces manual and human-driven processes—exactly as intended. Additionally, we succeeded in thinking big from the start with a Group-wide solution spanning Mit Landbrug, the webshop, and the PIM system, enabling cost-effective rollouts to other brands with a fast time-to-market on the platforms.
Umbraco websites: One foundation – endless brands
A technological shift across borders
Shared functionality, differentiated user experiences
Danish Agro consists of a wide range of brands, each with different digital functions and user needs.
A new CMS solution therefore needed to be based on shared functionalities, enable easy roll-out to new brands, allow for design differentiation, and be simple to onboard new editors. This is a large and time-consuming task when managing over 80 different sites and platforms.
Umbraco was selected through a software selection process as part of the project. It fits perfectly into a headless architecture and can be developed according to specific business needs. Moreover, it’s one of the most user-friendly CMS platforms on the market, making it easier to roll out the solution to a large group of editors spread across business units and markets.
The new Umbraco solution includes, among other things:
- A central module library for various use cases, making it easy to create and edit modules
- A headless setup that allows further development of business-critical features—either in collaboration with PicoPublish or another partner
- The option to integrate e-commerce features
As the person responsible for Danish Agro Group's approximately 80 different websites, I greatly appreciate having a partner like PicoPublish.The team is always welcoming, highly knowledgeable, and brings innovative ideas to solve the inevitable challenges that arise when developing a system that needs to function across so many websites. Their expertise spans all phases of a project—from concept and design to structure and implementation. In my daily collaboration with PicoPublish, I experience that my challenges are taken seriously and addressed promptly.
Additionally, we also solved...
Data integrations
It is not only a new ERP system that we have integrated with, but also Power BI, the supplier system (CapCargo), EcoOnline, Talent Recruiter, and DigiZuite.
Registration of delivery points
An independent web portal for use in Danish Agro's transport division to collect the locations on each farm where goods need to be delivered.
Independent internal ordering systems
Danish Agro Group includes many subsidiaries that need to trade with one another. To facilitate this, we have developed independent web portals for managing these transactions
Online help guides
In connection with the launch of Mit Landbrug, we developed several step-by-step guides that guided users through the most important functions on the individual pages. The guides were available through small icons on each page and could be continuously updated.
Standalone PWA for trade fair use
Together with the division from Danish Agro Machinery, we developed a Progressive Web App for use at the agricultural machinery trade fair Agromek. The app allowed participants to quickly find their local machinery dealers and create their own shortcuts for easy contact with them.
Analysis and platform recommendations
In our work with Danish Agro, we have conducted analyses and provided platform recommendations for both web and PIM providers. There have been several discussions around best-of-suite versus best-of-breed approaches.
Collaborative workspace
During the development of the new PIM setup, Danish Agro employees worked from our office to stay close to both project management and consultants — something that was greatly appreciated by both parties.
Separate stylesheets
Under the large Danish Agro umbrella, there are diverse companies each with their own unique visual identity. Therefore, the entire solution includes the ability to switch between and create stylesheets tailored to each individual company.
Azure AD user management and login
User information and login are managed through Microsoft Azure AD. In addition, we have defined various user roles with different permission levels within the admin portal.
