Pylot
PYLOT was developed based on KUBO’s horticulture knowledge and expertise. This producer of Full-Service Grow Concepts has over 75 years’ experience in high-tech and sustainable greenhouse construction. We understand the growing process, greenhouse construction technology and the entrepreneur. We have set ourselves the goal of making growing in high-tech greenhouses easier and do this using our Full-Service Grow Concept.
Company details
Find locations served, office locations
- Business Type:
- Software vendor
- Industry Type:
- Horticulture
- Market Focus:
- Globally (various continents)
About us
Pylot helps to plan harvesting from day to day
Crop Cycles. This is the name of the new functionality of the data platform for high-tech greenhouses. Crop Cycles enables you to draw up and amend harvest plans and compare them with the real results. 'The new functionality eliminates the need for paper reports and Excel spreadsheets,' says business unit manager Marc Rooijakkers from PYLOT. Last year, greenhouse constructor KUBO introduced PYLOT as a user-friendly system to obtain more control over the cultivation process. New functionalities are added to the system on a regular basis.
Easy to amend plans
Making and streamlining these plans helps growers respond to peak days, market demand or retail promotions. But no matter how good the conditions in a greenhouse are, unexpected events can disrupt plans and consequently the harvest objectives.
If anything changes during the cultivation, the user merely enters the changes into PYLOT. The other data remains the same so that cultivation cycles can always be easily compared. ‘The system automatically updates all the changes and knows who made them and when,’ says Marc Rooijakkers.
Extensive analyses included
This update offers even more numerous and extensive analysis functions. Users can view the harvests of recent years and filter on kg, kg/M2, variety or greenhouse, for example. Pylot presents the harvest goals and the progress in clear visuals.
The next new functionality of PYLOT, Climate Insights, will be added to the dashboard next month.
Helps with management decisions
PYLOT turns raw data from high-tech greenhouses into usable management information. The system is available for 5 different crops, 5 languages and the 5 main climate computers. This means that benchmarking over different greenhouses takes minutes rather than days. KUBO developed PYLOT to provide growers domestically and internationally more control over the cultivation process. Experienced growers save time because they only see relevant data. Thanks to the clarity and user friendliness of PYLOT, less experienced users and investors receive more and faster insight into the results of their greenhouse.
Growers across eight countries have embraced KUBO’s new data platform, PYLOT, in the year since its launch, taking the number of greenhouses using PYLOT to 61. KUBO’s objective was to develop a user-friendly software platform to combine the ever-increasing flow of data from greenhouses. The data output makes it easier for growers to make the right decisions and gives investors the insight they need before making investments. The platform can be used for the five main crops in the horticulture industry.
With PYLOT, KUBO provides a link between management information and climate computer output, including heat, light, feed and energy data. Marc Rooijakkers, PYLOT Business Manager: ‘Growers use various systems, programs and documents to collect data, such as data on plant growth, anticipated harvest and actual harvest. The daily challenge for growers is to link this information with climate data such as CO2, temperature and irrigation. PYLOT combines this information and presents it in a clear dashboard. As a grower, this clear overview provides you with all the information you need to make the right decisions. And, because you can see what impact a change will have on the harvest, it enables you to make improvements in your cultivation methods.’
With PYLOT, the greenhouse builder from Monster has combined all this vital greenhouse data and made this available to a large group of growers. ‘PYLOT offers advantages for those growers who want to start integrating different data streams, that will make their work easier. That’s the group of growers we’re aiming for.’
Interesting for investors
This is why Marc expects PYLOT to be interesting for both the domestic and international markets. ‘The platform has advantages for growers, investors and external cultivation consultants who want to monitor data remotely on base of which they base their advice.’
Greenhouse builder KUBO’s turnover is generated mainly in far-off markets, this is why, for the international roll-out, the PYLOT program is available in five languages, including Chinese. PYLOT also communicates with all prominent climate computer brands that are used across the world: Priva, Hoogendoorn, Hortimax, Fito (Russia) and Argus (America). PYLOT is currently available for the five main crops: tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, aubergine and lettuce.
PYLOT 2.0 introduction
KUBO used expertise and specialists from entirely different sectors in developing the platform, such as the automotive industry. The data platform development is ongoing; the updated version 2.0, containing various improvements and expansions, will be available soon. Marc Rooijakkers: ‘Growers across the world have no problems interpreting data correctly from the program. They really enjoy working with the user-friendly platform and experience that PYLOT makes growing easier. Supported by an extensive training as part of the PYLOT implementation.’
Data security stored in the cloud is also a high priority. ‘More support is available from KUBO Smart Growing for those who want to learn more about interpreting information. They offer support to growers when they first start using Ultra-Clima greenhouses and can also help with remote monitoring. Our specialists can monitor business operations remotely and advise growers accordingly.’
After the launch of PYLOT at the GreenTech, we have been engaged and successful in connecting 51 greenhouses in 7 countries. In addition the PYLOT team has successfully developed new features on a regular basis and is working hard towards the launch of PYLOT 2.0. These developments have attracted international growers and investors, who have shown their interest in the platform.
To ensure the PYLOT Roadmap, support the development of PYLOT as a Service and the organisation in total, we are pleased to introduce the newest member of the PYLOT team. Marc Rooijakkers has been appointed as Business Manager to lead and develop the PYLOT organisation.
Marc has extensive experience in leading multi-disciplinary teams and organisations in different countries, industries and organisations. His experience and competences are a welcome asset for the PYLOT organisation.
PYLOT continues to expand the functionalities of its platform at a rapid pace. Users of the program are now able to benchmark performance and climate data. This allows growers – as well as horticultural collectives or their consultants – to easily compare the performance of crop’s in different greenhouses, or over multiple periods of time, for example. We make life easier for growers and provide insight and overview of all relevant data. The benchmarking functionality will be made available to all PYLOT users immediately.
‘You can compare data in various ways, but you often encounter limitations with regard to datafiles or system capabilities. Why gather data if you can’t benefit from it, says business manager Marc Rooijakkers. ‘One of the greatest strengths of the Benchmark functionality in PYLOT is that it lets you establish a link between all the data from your climate computer and the harvest data from your cultivation cycles and plant registration. PYLOT correlates data and offers numerous possibilities for comparison that are easy to use and understand, based on which you can optimize your growing strategy. To provide an example: with PYLOT you can easily make breakdowns between cultivation results and the use of assimilation lighting, CO2, achieved humidity, and so on.’
PYLOT has noted a significant demand among growers for the ability to compare one another’s cultivation data. ‘The feedback we obtained from growers is highly positive. You can now see all the factors you can control and improve for each cultivation cycle individually.’
Possibilities
The feature offers numerous possibilities for comparison, such as the average weekly harvest, the total harvest per square metre, the duration of a cultivation cycle, greenhouse climate data and the use of artificial light. The new feature is already available to all PYLOT users. They will receive clear instructions prior to taking the new feature into commission.
Further expansion
In recent months, PYLOT has taken major steps to further expand its platform. Last month, PYLOT added incident management to its functionalities. PYLOT was launched with the aim of translating data from various brands of climate computers into usable management information. The user-friendly software platform can handle the five largest brands of climate computers and is available for the five most commonly grown crops in greenhouse horticulture. And the platform is available in five languages.
With the functionality “Resources”, PYLOT has got another new feature. Growers using the platform can now easily record and analyse their consumption of gas, water and electricity. This information enables growers to further optimise their operational and cultivation strategy. Consumption data of various resources can be directly aligned with crop performance.
The consumption of gas, water and electricity makes up roughly 30% of the costs in operating a greenhouse, according to business manager Marc Rooijakkers. ‘Recording the consumption of these resources and linking this to cultivation cycles allows growers to gain greater insight into the performance of their crops in the greenhouse. You can tell how much gas, water and electricity was needed for each compartment by reading the corresponding meters in one overview. Linking this information to cultivation cycles will tell you which crop produced the highest yield and what amount of resources were required.’
This functionality allows you to do more than just look at past performance, says Rooijakkers. ‘You can make subsequent adjustments to your cultivation strategy. Suppose you want to raise the greenhouse temperature by one degree: will this produce a higher yield and if so, does that outweigh the extra costs you have incurred? Thanks to Resources, you will be able to grow your crops even more efficiently. And strive for operational excellence.’
Stand-alone systems
Through the introduction of Resources, PYLOT is responding to the wishes of growers who have hitherto relied on Excel sheets and other methods to gain an overview of their climate strategy, crop performance and usages of resources. ‘There are many stand-alone systems and applications on the market, but the strength of PYLOT is bringing all relevant data together. Making collecting and combining all relevant data from a greenhouse easier. Provide the manager and grower with insight and overview in a user friendly way. You can record a lot of data, but using this to its full potential is another story.’
Expansions to PYLOT data platform are made in close consultation with managers and growers. ‘We have a constantly rotating panel of key users, who we consult and who have a major role in our strive for continuous development. PYLOT is a management tool made for and by managers and growers.
Further expansion
In the meantime, PYLOT is already working behind the scenes on the next expansion of the user-friendly data platform. This will also make it possible to record another important cost item in greenhouse horticulture: labour. More information about this will follow. Benchmarking and incident management were added to the system a few months ago.
PYLOT can be integrated into the systems produced by the five leading manufacturers of horticulture-specific climate computers: Priva, Hoogendoorn, Hortimax, Fito (Russia) and Argus (USA). The data platform focuses on the five biggest vegetable crops in greenhouse horticulture: tomato, sweet pepper, cucumber, aubergine and lettuce.
Since its introduction at Greentech 2019, the software platform PYLOT is now being used at almost 500 hectares of greenhouses. This milestone coincides with the commercial launch of PYLOT Professional 2.0. 'During that time we have certainly fulfilled the promise of becoming a worthy product,' business manager Marc Rooijakkers explains. In the near future the platform will integrate with several suppliers, and the simulation of plant models will become a reality.
PYLOT needs to pool, analyse, and provide insight into the rapidly growing flow of data in horticultural greenhouses in a user-friendly way. In one and a half years, new functions have been added: Climate Insights (incident management), Benchmarking, Crop Cycles (crop planning) and Resources (use of gas, water and electricity). The program is intended for the five main vegetable crops in the horticultural greenhouse sector: tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, aubergines, and lettuce. PYLOT can gather data from the five most important international climate computers.
Rapid growth
Currently, the platform is in use in 134 greenhouses spread over 11 countries. The total acreage of PYLOT now covers almost 500 hectares. The growth is fast: PYLOT connected the 100th greenhouse only one month ago, Wholesum Farms, with branches in the United States and Mexico. Noticeable is the large spread in user profiles: the largest grower owns 240 hectares, the smallest 0.6.
Independent platform
In the near future, PYLOT will continue to grow as an independent platform that is open to several suppliers, Marc Rooijakkers says. 'We see movement in the market. Parties need to collaborate more and more. Customers are asking, for example, for additional sensors focussed on sap flow, plant weight and irrigation. An entrepreneur is not waiting for a separate software program if it can be delivered with PYLOT.'
Simulating crops
Behind the scenes, a new revolutionary expansion is waiting to be launched. Marc Rooijakkers: 'The next step is the digitisation of a WUR plant model. This functionality makes it possible to simulate a complete crop cycle. You choose your crop and variety and then you can see the effect of a change in temperature, CO2, light and plant density. What will happen to the harvest if I adjust the temperature one degree higher? In theory, this is how you will be able to obtain the highest yield. We are in the final phase of the development in which we invest a lot of time in validating and calculating with operational data and fine-tuning with our customers.'
More cooperation
The PYLOT team has grown to a workforce of 15 people in one and a half years. In addition, the team works closely together with knowledge institutes and partners. The development of new functionalities goes hand in hand with users, not only growers but also investors, crop advisers and operational specialists in the horticultural sector. 'We will be focussing more on forms of collaboration with market parties and on integration solutions with specialists in the market. Joining forces and merging the collected data to meet the customers' need for data. That is of value for growers, managers, owners, and investors. We will also continue to commit ourselves to the user-friendliness of the platform.'