Beau Plan in the digital era

Several changes are taking place in Beau Plan! The Smart City is an initiative of Terra group and aims to improve the quality of life of both its residents and employees, by developing modern infrastructure while remaining on a human scale.

In a constantly changing global context, both demographically and technologically, agility and adaptability are the key to progress. The global pandemic which has been affecting us since 2020 has clearly demonstrated this! It has also led to the need to reinvent ourselves and adapt to technological advances, which is ubiquitous in our daily lives. “Terra has been particularly proactive and did not wait for the pandemic to adapt itself to new technologies,’’ says Emeric Vigier de Latour, Communications Manager of Terra group. “Gradually and continuously adapting to new market realities is part of our DNA. ”

Thus, a set of strategies aimed at transforming certain traditional procedures, tools and jobs have gradually been implemented to adapt to the various challenges of the market through digital technologies, hence making Terra group more efficient.

In fact, for the past few years, Grays has been working on the digitalisation of its operations to ensure the continuity of its services. Particularly with the implementation of an e-commerce platform and a home delivery service. Thus, making its products accessible to its customers in just a few clicks.

Since the restaurant and museum of l’Aventure du Sucre have been directly impacted by the border closures and that the tourism industry has been hit hard by the global pandemic, the company had to adapt and find new creative solutions to survive. With the dematerialisation of data becoming increasingly necessary, l’Aventure du Sucre has started to digitalise its content. The idea of short videos untitled #MardiCulture quickly emerged following the first lockdown in 2020. Through informative videos based on the country’s history and its links to the sugar industry, the museum aims to democratise and preserve knowledge and culture.

Furthermore, the ability to easily access and share documents, both internally and externally, with others is essential. Even more when working from home! The  implementation of the Microsoft Office 365 suite, which makes it possible to manage all files, resources, productivity and collaborative work on a single interface, has proved essential when it comes to ensuring the continuity of operations during the confinement.

Regarding the group’s agricultural and industrial activities, more than two-thirds of its operations are now automated; thus, being both cost and time effective. In fact, tractors are now equipped with GPS technology which allows the planting and harvesting process to be automated.

Additionally, precision agriculture is a new innovative technique, that has been developed with the help of a software which allows data related to soil quality, soil humidity rate, and phosphate and iron content to be collected. The analysis of these data will help calculate the right amount of fertilizer or pesticides each field requires, ultimately reducing the use of these products up to 60%. Finally, field analysis with the use of drone makes it possible to clearly identify the areas affected by invasive plants for a precise, quick and efficient cleaning of the fields.

The group is therefore gradually committing to a strategy based on diversification and sustainability in order to adapt to new norms and overcome future challenges. As discussed during the conference entitled “The future of work @ Terra”, hosted by three professionals from various sectors, namely Geeta Dhami, Recruitment & HR  Specialist, Nicolas Dalais, architect and urban designer, and Marc Israel, expert in information technologies, the professional environment is already evolving to achieve better efficiency. Among the main levers to achieve this goal, mobility and technology are of upmost importance.