Tech Solutions for Blackberry Hill Farm Operations Efficiency

This report analyzes how Blackberry Hill Farm (BHF) can improve its operational efficiency through the implementation of various technologies. It discusses the benefits of self-service weighting machines, electronic car park management systems, information boards with queue management, and staff changes in the preserve kitchen supported by software like SAP. The report also highlights the potential for internet sales to alleviate pressure on physical infrastructure and increase revenue. The conclusion emphasizes the importance of addressing car parking issues and computerizing farm operations to enhance customer satisfaction and overall business growth. The report suggests innovative car parking solutions, improvements in queuing systems, and strategic technology adoption for a better farm experience and diversified business operations.

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Introduction to operations management
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Introduction to Operations Management P a g e | 1
How could BHF use technology to improve the efficiency of its operations?
BHF is a 200 hector farm which was earlier more focused on traditions such as cereal crops,
small dairy herds, fruits and vegetables. The Farm has well grown over the last few years with
the services provided i.e. Pick Your Own fruits and vegetables i.e. PYO which aimed at
increasing the area of fruits and vegetables and minimization of the growth of the cereals
(Blackberry hill farm, 2018). There are many techniques used by the business in order to
improve and enhance the management of BHF operations. Some of them are mentioned below.
 Self-service weighting machines
The efficiency in order to pick the own operation can lead to minimization of staffs members. In
addition to this, pick your own helps in enlightening the self-service weighting and paying
machines. This will help in minimizing the time lay which people waste while buying fruits at
the farm shops. Pick your own also aims at improving a better customer satisfaction which helps
customers to be happier and more satisfied as well. In addition to this, pick your own also helps
in creating a customized record bill of fruit sales and it also offers customizable receipt for
customers. Customizable receipt can easily be used for advertising or marketing objectives.
 Car park management
BHF uses electronic onscreen booking system for vehicles spaces. And later if the occupancy of
the buses was minimum or low for a single day, then the available capacity of buses can easily
be repurposed in forms of cars. This will produce a system of pre booking facilities for buses and
use all the spaces which are available. By applying this method, it will help in recognizing the
spaces used by buses and parking cars which are unused. This plan will also assist in improving
capacity by 2cars per unused bus space and addition room even for cyclists (Uusitalo, 2001).
Similarly, there are many visitors who need to stay for more than 2 hours for car parking spaces.
In order to remove such issue, an automated parking ticket system has been discovered which
will help to enhance the turnover of the visitor and grow the regular capacity of the car parking
by 36% particularly in the peak seasons. This method will permit flexibility in the operations of
parking where prices can easily be adjusted during the peak seasons. However, this method may
not be the most suitable option for the managers of the farm in order to discourage long visitors’
stays. This will create an additional revenue that can be generated from those visitors which can

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further be reinvested in the proper maintenance and up keeping of the car parking facilities in a
long term. This revenue incurred can be further invested in investing in more parking spaces.
This investment can be quite beneficial for the farm mangers and can be more appealing as well
(Slack, Brandon-Jones and Johnston, 2013).
 Information boards and queue management
The BHF can add an additional requirements such as inline signs along with expected times
which can be mentioned in shops, café and bakery. This signage can easily be used in the forms
of advertising related to products of farm and it will also help to minimize the customer’s
perception and ideas regarding the waiting time. The owners of BHF have already been
considering a pre booking orders for food prior to touring the farm. A pre booking station could
easily be installed which will help customers to order reduce the timings that they need to wait in
a queue. This will also support the structure of the kitchen to be well planned that will extent a
few hours and allow the company to use their staff members very effectively and efficiently
(Lavender, 2014).
In addition to this, the company has also developed new donut making machine for bakery
products which has become quite popular. Moreover, a live feed of the machine has been added
in the shop which will help in reducing the frustration that people suffer while being in a queue
and also help in reducing the congestion in the shops. Thus, the feedback that has come from the
tractor rides has suggested that customer dislikes being in a queue particularly in the peak
season. The factors such as music and aroma has become most difficult factor to manage and
change apart from pre booking facility (Dawson and Lord, 2012).
 Staff changes in preserve kitchen
There are lots of changes that has been seen in the kitchen of the BHF that has resulted in whole
time production. The transformation of more computerized system has led to better productivity
and stock control. In addition to this, the company also used predicted demands whether to
decide the days in a week i.e. 5days or 7days production schedules which will automate the level
of staffing as well as production (Houghton, 2016).
Systems applications and products i.e. SAP has been widely used particularly in manufacturing
and production industry. It is software used in such industry which aims at planning of material

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sources and analyze the entire production data. This type of software provides large number of
modules which will support in enhancing and boosting the business of farm but apart from this,
this is not the only software which can be used. There are other many software as well.
 Internet sales
According to the given case study, internet sales of the several products and services do not
uplift the pressure on the car parking or enhance the numbers of visitors, but it is considered to
be one of the most important area for the growth in the upcoming future. Recently, the website of
the company states that availability of vegetables and fruits but the company can provide an
extra way to sell the jam and unused products with the sue of mail and delivery to other many
shops of the farm. Establishment of internet sales along with a discount will help to boost the
sales turnover and helps in maintaining huge profits as well. It will also reduce the pressure of
the critical car parking issues (French, 2014).
Conclusion
From the above report, it can be suggested that car parking is recently a foundation and core
function of the retail types of businesses and it aims at providing visitors to the other many
attractions as well. The issues generated must be addressed properly and the problems related to
car parking must be optimized in order to increase the flow of daily visitors. As an alternative
solution, the farm owners must investigate an innovative car parking facilities that will automate
the whole system. computerization of the operations of the farm can highly improve the areas
that needs to be more focused. Apart from this, adjustments in the queuing systems and extra
technology has created more customer satisfaction with better farm experiences. As a whole,
BHF has also aimed at diversifying their business opeartions and growing years by years
(Coleman, 2007).

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References
Blackberry hill farm, (2018). About us (online). Available on:
https://blackberryhillfarmandsanctuary.com/ (Accessed on 14th April, 2018).
Coleman, P., (2007). Shopping environments. Routledge.
Dawson, J. and Lord, D. eds., (2012). Shopping Centre Development (RLE Retailing and
Distribution). Routledge.
French, A., (2014). Blackberry Hill Farm (online). Available on:
https://prezi.com/_rainsbay0ga/blackberry-hill-farm/ (Accessed on 14th April, 2018).
Houghton, A., (2016). Blackberry Hill Farm Operations Management (online). Available on:
https://medium.com/@andyhoughton116/blackberry-hill-farm-2e79f749ac4f (Accessed on 14th
April, 2018).
Lavender, M., (2014). Blackberry Hill Farm, the future and the past (online). Available on:
http://www.academia.edu/30922286/Blackberry_Hill_Farm_the_future_and_the_past (Accessed
on 14th April, 2018).
Slack, N., Brandon-Jones, A. and Johnston, R., (2013). Operations management. Pitman.
Uusitalo, O., (2001). Consumer perceptions of grocery retail formats and brands. International
Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, 29(5), pp.214-225.