The situation before
Stern Energy provides operations and maintenance for solar farms across the UK. Alongside the electrical work, a small in-house team handles ground maintenance: cutting grass and spraying herbicide around the panels. In the busy season the crew moves from site to site all week, staying in hotels and working as fast as the weather and grass allow.
Before FarmBackup, nothing tracked the tractors. When a client asked whether a site had been cut, the team had no simple way to show where the machines had been or what they had done there.
It's brilliant. I couldn't do without it now. If a client questions something, we can show we have been to site and done what we said we'd do. It lets me put together a far more professional report than one that's just thrown together.
Why they chose FarmBackup
Ed noticed that one of Stern Energy's contractors was sending reports built from machine tracking. He searched for a system the in-house team could use and found FarmBackup. In a niche market, it was the product that came closest to what the team needed.
What changed
A more professional report. Route maps on the report give clients a clearer, more professional picture of the ground maintenance work, which helps Stern Energy keep strong client relationships.
Less time chasing the crew. Ed can see which site each tractor is on without ringing round.
An explanation when the season runs slow. Operating speeds show why progress changes. This year the grass grew longer, so the mowers had to slow down, and the data shows it.
What's next
So far Stern Energy uses FarmBackup mainly for tracking. With the machines back in over winter, Ed plans to explore the rest of the system, including the new Keld status tools in the FarmBackup app, ahead of next season.
