Making sense of precision farming with AI

With 200,000 farm installations worldwide, educating suppliers and farmers on Munters technology — from controllers to software solutions — has been both a logistical and linguistic challenge. To overcome this, Munters turned to an unexpected source of inspiration: combining AI with gamified learning.

Munters business area FoodTech provides digital solutions for the global food supply chain. Their IoT-connected platforms and software help enhance animal welfare, boost production and reduce waste and CO2 emissions, ensuring a transparent and sustainable food production for a growing population.

Its experts used to regularly travel the globe to educate suppliers and farmers on using the solutions, but this was time-consuming, unsustainable and not always giving customers the service they needed as fast as they required.

With the advancement in AI, the company can now offer faster, more flexible support — no matter where the customer is.

Inspired by Candy Crush 

“We wanted to create an online academy with easily searchable and accessible information, along with a training program that’s intuitive for farmers to use,” says Tal Cohen who has worked with his colleagues in Sweden to develop the AI-powered educational portal for customers. “This gives them a much better foundation for our talks later on.”

To develop the training program, Tal, who is located in Israel, was inspired by the video game Candy Crush and airline bonus programs. To reach a new level — bronze, silver, or gold — users must complete a range of short videos and accompanying quizzes; all multiple-choice quizzes with retake options to make it as easy and fun as possible.

The portal also offers a smart AI-powered search function that not only provides the answers users are looking for but also locates the exact section of the videos where they can find the information they need. What’s more, AI has translated everything into 15 languages so far, making it accessible to farmers and suppliers across the globe.

A portal of knowledge

“The people who have used it so far are very excited to have such a powerful tool at their fingertips,” says Tal. “It is a fantastic way for them to refresh their knowledge or learn more about the solution without always having to contact us for support. It also helps preserve and centralize institutional knowledge, making it easier to scale training globally.

“I’m very excited to develop this further and see how it can benefit our customers even more,” he adds.

Pia Brantgärde Linder, President of FoodTech, adds to this saying: “Developing this online academy is crucial for serving our customers globally 24/7 in an efficient and sustainable way. I am proud of what the team has achieved."

Meet the man behind the platform

• Has a bachelor's degree in business and marketing and is a Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert
• Joined Munters 22 years ago
• Resides in Israel
• Enjoys spending time with family, surfing waves, building scale models, doing yoga and listening to music.

Learn more about how Munters is supporting the food supply chain with digital tools.