Board of Directors (BOD) – A presentation of empirical value will be necessary and warranted for a BOD to see the value. Empirical value is elusive in biological systems without replications of trials. Digital technology as an organism doesn’t behave as traditional genetic, health, or nutrition technologies perform. Understanding the attributes of technological impact will be a great investment of time for the BOD level. This helps balance the risks of moving too fast or too slow.

C-Suite – The influence of the C-Suites will greatly impact the speed of digital solutions in the system. In the case of enterprise-level digital solutions, the C-Suite will be empowered to lead the teams with more decision-making capabilities. At this level of the organizational chart, integration of the financial/production  performance through digital solutions becomes key to driving continuous improvement.

Director of Production – The transformation from subjective to objective decision-making. From lagging to leading indicators. Real-time IoT data solutions provide transparent and objective visibility to the pig asset and their performance. This will create friction for the production leadership due to an increased level of accountability for performance. Strong leadership will be required to push through the adoption negativity to harness the momentum of continuous improvement.    

Production Managers/Supervisors – Typically in most systems a  production manager/supervisor  cares for a range of 40,000-60,000 head. Digital management platforms will allow in most cases a 10-20% increase in PM efficiency. This comes with an efficiency gain yielding 5-25 cents per pig. Increased visibility, real-time inventory, and mortality allow the PM visibility to lead his team of growers effectively.

Caretaker/Grower –This may be the area of the most friction in the digital transformation process, but friction again is good here. Increased visibility to previously hidden margin erosion creates meaningful conversations with the grower. This is a high-risk segment of the system hierarchy as technology poorly designed or executed dies here. There is a shared responsibility of the technology provider to deliver a solution that is predictable and simplistic, creating a more collaborative and meaningful relationship between caretaker and owner. Technology can’t be the limiting factor for adoption. If it is, you will suffer both technological and cultural setbacks that could jeopardize margin capture. Leading well, and training well with a strong vision will yield results worth fighting for.