"My academic background in Biosystems Engineering and Electrical Engineering naturally drew me to the intersection of agriculture and technology," says Sohee Sim, Co-founder and Tech Lead at ioCrops. "I became fascinated by appropriate technology - creating solutions that are both sustainable and practical in real-world conditions. Agriculture particularly resonates with this approach, as even the most sophisticated technology is meaningless without effective field implementation." This perspective guided the development of ioCrops, where technology is applied to optimize agricultural processes.
Sohee Sim
Developing a workforce management solution
ioCrop's Ation was developed based on direct experience managing a commercial greenhouse starting in 2021. "While our initial focus was on optimizing climate and irrigation control through data, we uncovered a more pressing challenge: workforce management," Sohee says. "We struggled with a fundamental question: how could we better motivate and coordinate our workers to increase operational efficiency?"
The team started with simple tools for data collection: smartphones, QR codes, and cloud spreadsheets. "Rather than creating complex systems, we focused on a pragmatic approach," she says. "This proved effective and evolved into Ation, a workforce management solution with intuitive interfaces and analytics validated through real greenhouse operations."
Reducing human error
Ensuring data accuracy in a dynamic greenhouse environment remains a challenge, Sohee explains. "We are working towards full automation in data acquisition, but current collection relies on worker input. Workers may suddenly switch tasks, forget to log completion times, or encounter unexpected situations that affect data collection."
To address this, the team refined data collection protocols and user interface design, focusing on reducing human error while maintaining operational efficiency. "A key innovation was implementing an anomaly detection system that flags potentially problematic data for manager verification," she explains. "This combination of smart design and human oversight has proven highly effective. Our error rate remains below 1%, enabling managers to make decisions based on reliable quantitative data rather than physical observation."
Step by step
Introducing new technology in a greenhouse requires collaboration between service providers and growers, Sohee explains. "We maintain frequent visits and respond rapidly to feedback, even the smallest questions. Magic happens when proactive growers who believe in technology's potential meet our dedicated team."
A step-by-step approach has also proven effective. "While our development team was eager to roll out numerous features, our most successful greenhouse took a different approach," she says. "Instead of rushing to adopt everything at once, they spent an entire growing season mastering basic task tracking before expanding to facility and pest management features. Their patience paid off significantly, as they've achieved record yields in recent seasons. Changing established greenhouse protocols isn't simple, but this patient, prioritized approach ultimately led to systematic improvement."
Reducing costs
Reducing operational costs is a common goal among growers. "Labor typically represents the largest expense in greenhouse operations, and its efficient management directly impacts profitability," Sohee says. "While dramatically reducing labor costs isn't always feasible, there's room for optimization - making timely decisions about necessary farmwork, matching workers to their most efficient roles, and implementing performance incentives. However, many growers struggle with where to begin this optimization journey. That's where Ation comes in."
Upcoming developments
The next phase of Ation will focus on performance enhancement. "Just as AI-driven personalized learning has transformed various industries, similar principles can be applied to optimize greenhouse operations through customized worker development programs. Using statistical data, the system will identify individual strengths, suggest targeted training opportunities, and provide managers with actionable insights for team optimization."
Maintaining a balance between operational efficiency and worker engagement is a priority, she adds. "Engaged workers drive greenhouse success, so we are designing our technology to create an environment where operational excellence and worker growth advance together This ensures better outcomes while supporting sustainable development for both the farm and its people."
Rooted in data
"At ioCrops, we understand that the path to autonomous greenhouses is fundamentally rooted in data," Sohee says. "Through operating our own greenhouses, we've seen the complexity of growing decisions, each requiring diverse data points from multiple operational aspects."
Creating autonomous greenhouses requires interconnected solutions, she says. "True innovation comes from understanding how different elements interconnect: climate, irrigation, crop growth, pest management, energy usage, logistics, and labor management. We are building Ation as part of this interconnected ecosystem."
"We are not just preparing for future automation. We are providing growers with practical solutions that improve operational efficiency today. This balance of immediate impact and future vision defines our approach to agricultural innovation," Sohee concludes.
ioCrops is currently offering free Ation demos to greenhouse growers worldwide. Click here for more information about Ation. Click here to apply for a demo.
For more information:
ioCrops
info@iocrops.com
https://www.iocrops.com/