Customer Stories

Productivity increases nearly 30%
for locally-owned ag cooperative

Carroll Service Company, FS partnered with Solinftec for better data visibility
and real-time decision-making

Customer Story Overview

Using technology to drive co-op growth and efficiency

Established in 1930, Carroll Service Company FS, a Growmark member, has helped support producers in production agriculture for more than 90 years. 

After identifying potential opportunities for growth, the company determined it needed an agtech partner to maximize data collection and analysis to drive better decision-making. 

The challenge

Market trends prompted an assessment of potential paths forward, and the company didn’t have the data analytics capabilities to determine which step to take.

The opportunity

Leaders at Carroll Service Company identified Solinftec’s solutions as a way to maximize data generation and review capabilities, helping fuel dramatic growth.

The result

With the right data in hand, the company found cost savings at numerous junctures, reducing fleet size by 30% and decreasing idle time significantly.

“Solinftec helped us start measuring and making decisions, which is how we’ve grown dramatically.”

“We’d reached a moment where we were asking what’s next — how do we become more efficient? How do we reduce expenses? How do we grow? To answer these questions, we needed to fact check our operation. There’s a power in the ability to have that conversation and have data to back up decisions. Solinftec gave us that power.”

Chase Sellnow, GM & CEO | Carroll Service Company, FS

AgTech Market Trends

Margin pressure and expenses continue to drive cost reduction needs

As the ag industry matures, most retailers and cooperatives are facing enormous margin pressure from the farm, manufacturer, and wholesale level. That’s why Growmark and Carroll Service Company needed to find ways to operate more efficiently.

At the same time, equipment is getting more expensive — sprayers have increased in price almost 200% over the last 15 years. That means operations using that equipment need to be tremendously more efficient.

This need for efficiency and machine optimization is what led Carroll Service Company to connect with Solinftec.

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“We have to be bigger, faster, stronger."

“Everyone in the industry is talking about how fast the crop gets planted. We’ve gone from two months to 10 days. That puts more constraints on how we have to operate to be a service business. To operate for the long-term means you need to consider all of those variables.”

Chase Sellnow, GM & CEO | Carroll Service Company, FS

AgTech Optimization Opportunity

Data From Solinftec offered shocking revelation

“The last thing we needed were more machines.”

Chase Sellnow says the biggest shock the business had after implementing Solinftec was the amount of time machines sat idle. This prompted more questions, and the team was able to extract answers from the data.

The visibility offered with Solinftec helped leaders identify how to proceed, and the team determined an optimal path forward for business growth that didn’t involve large-scale capital expenditures.

More acres and a more efficient use of time

In 2021, Carroll Service Company covered more acres than it did in 2020. Even with an increase in acres, Solinftec helped the team cut travel and stopped time in half year-over-year and dramatically increased the time the team was in the field working.

%

Less time traveling

%

Less time stopped or waiting

%

More time working in the field

AgTech Optimization Results

30% fleet reduction and improved operational digitization

With the data delivered through Solinftec’s AI and algorithms, Carroll Service Company quantified machine costs and found an increased return from investing in high-quality application machines.

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Fewer, better application machines

Carroll Service Company reduced fleet size by 30% while increasing the acres each machine is covering. The cost savings are reinvested into better machines that offer better technology, fuel storage, and efficiency.

Real-time operational visibility

Solinftec’s technology continues to help Carroll Service Company by disrupting and digitizing every operational capability the company provides, offering windows into automation opportunities and AI-based decision making for operations staff to focus on the key variables that matter most.

Tender truck efficiency

The functionality, visibility, and data generation at the tender truck level and machine level helped the company cover more acreage with fewer machines by aligning the algorithm to time as a metric.

Reduced CapEx costs

The data delivered from Solinftec technology helped Carroll Service Company avoid unnecessary purchases, like more application machines or another employee — instead reinvesting back into business growth channels.

Confidence and stress reduction

Solinftec helped the company eliminate paper maps and hours spent scheduling, adjusting, and collecting information from sales people. Operators are more confident in their work and managers have much less stress in making plans and conducting the operation.

“It’s the dollars we haven’t spent”

“Solinftec’s solution has helped us not make the bad decisions. They’ve helped us make better decisions and, ultimately, decisions that make sure we don’t incur unnecessary costs.”

Chase Sellnow, GM & CEO | Carroll Service Company, FS

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