Optimising performance through a digital transformation
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Boosting sustainability through a digital transformation WRITTEN BY
CATHERINE STURMAN PRODUCED BY
MIKE SADR
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TA S S A L G R O U P
Tassal Group has sought to maximise its yield and minimise cost through its digitally-led feed centre. Chief Information Officer, Matt Leary tells us more
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ith populations expected to increase there is a focus on producing heathy, sustainable protein for the future. With
70% of the world covered in water, producers are turning to the sea to create sustainable farms to meet increasing demand for seafood, with salmon a leading choice for family dinner plates across Australia. Australian salmon companies are working hard to meet this demand, which is increasing at around 10% per annum domestically and are now producing more than 60,000 tonnes of salmon annually. Forming a vital part of consumer eating habits, the move towards more sustainable, healthier lifestyles has boosted salmon production figures across retail and wholesale markets, with a predicted increase of up to 71,000 tonnes by 2023–24 across the country (Annual fisheries outlook, Australian Government Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, 2019).
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BUILDING STRONG RELATIONSHIPS AND CREATING VALUE FOR YOUR BUSINESS
Utilising Technology to Improve Sustainability Facilitating Transformation at Tassal Operations Tassal Operations was seeking a way to feed fish more efficiently, reduce waste, keep staff safe and produce overall better business results. In partnership with Intuit Technologies, they began the journey to create a centralised feed centre and become one of the first companies in the world to fully embrace a remote feeding strategy. With little to no infrastructure in place and the inaccessible and remote nature of Tasmania’s landscape, this project required an innovative plan. The conditions were challenging as the team had to work in the open ocean waters up to 20 kms offshore in large seas while facing wind and snow. Partnering for Success Intuit Technologies worked with their partners to build a high-speed fibre optic and wireless network capable of the throughput required. By partnering with key partner Jettech Networks, Intuit Technologies built a data network capable of transmitting up to 10Gb of high definition video data for almost 300 remote pan and zoom cameras. Working with BATS Wireless, the fish pens were equipped with gyroscopically stabilised wireless connections to the
shore which utilises microwave technology to transmit the data back to the feeding centre located in Hobart, Tasmania. The feed centre control room is powered by nearly 70 Dell EMC servers rendering live footage on 121 ultrahigh definition displays. The outcome is a feeding system that is safer for employees and improves overall operationally efficiency and feed conversion – which is better for the fish and better for our environment!
“To provide the complex IT infrastructure required for our centralised feeding project, we knew we could trust Intuit Technologies to deliver.” - Matt Leary, Tassal Operations
Find out More
About Intuit Technologies Intuit Technologies is an Australian owned and operated information and communications technology (ICT) company. With over 100 employees and offices throughout Australia, we offer a wide range of services tailored to meet your business needs. We are creative thinkers, backed by significant industry experience, enabling us to develop new and original solutions for our clients. www.itechnologies.com.au
Other Partners:
TA S S A L G R O U P
“ With these cameras, we can observe fish behaviour, which is critical in terms of maximising how we utilise our feed” — Matt Leary, Chief Information Officer, Tassal Group 08
Situated off Australia’s south coast, Tasmania alone is now home to five geographically separated farming zones, and produces retail value AUD ~940mn of salmon every year. In order to retain its position as the largest producer of Tasmanian-grown Atlantic salmon in the country, leading player Tassal Group has turned towards new, innovative methods to deliver on its commitment in the production of high
CLICK TO WATCH : ‘TASSAL CORPORATE VIDEO’ 09 quality, safe produce for consumers.
“We’ve been modernising our
Previously appointed as a Business
production and supply chain tools,
Intelligence (BI) Manager at Tassal over
which support our farming organisa-
five years ago, with the aim of strength-
tion. This involves our pay, supply chain,
ening the company’s data capabilities
financial management and demand
and digital infrastructure, Chief
management systems. On the farming
Information Officer Matt Leary has
side, it includes aquaculture manage-
been central to the company’s rapid
ment, which is all about maximising
growth journey. Noting he is the first to
yield, optimising fish health and welfare,
obtain the CIO role due to Tassal’s
while supporting cost efficiencies,”
ongoing expansion, he has been
he explains.
responsible for the modernisation of
By focusing not only on the opera-
the business’ production and supply
tional, but the environmental side of the
chain, using technology as a key driver
business to improve its domestic yield,
to transform its service offerings.
Tassal has recently invested $20mn in w w w.t a ssa l . com . a u
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a new state-of-the-art remote, centralised feeding centre. Through the project, the implementation of new technologies and the introduction of strong partnerships has worked to drive up production rates, optimise performance and reduce waste across the organisation. “We have five farming regions located around Tasmania and typically, each zone will have multiple leases
“ We’re Australia’s largest aquaculture business and we want to make sure it stays that way” — Matt Leary, Chief Information Officer, Tassal Group
which house our pens,” explains Leary. To ensure its operations could be supported by a digitally-led underwater
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infrastructure, Tassal partnered with aquaculture technology leaders Steinsvik and Tasmanian based IT E XE CU T I VE PRO FI LE
Matt Leary With a degree in Engineering and over 20 years of experience in the manufacturing, supply chain and now aquaculture industries, I have spent most of my career in IT and Business Intelligence leadership roles. I am driven by a desire to help businesses succeed through technology to increase business performance, drive competitiveness and improve decision-making processes. Originally employed as a BI manager with the focus on improving Tassal’s data capability, I was soon promoted to the role of CIO as part of the company’s rapid growth journey.
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service provider Intuit Technologies to introduce high-definition cameras in each pen, as well as install fibre optic and wireless networks around each farm. Additionally, to further support its feed centre and gain a greater understanding around fish behaviour, centralised feeding has also been introduced to all sites. Camera and video technology can now be viewed remotely, enabling the business to improve feed conversion rates, reduce waste, as well as access vital data 12
around environmental conditions, such as water temperature, salinity levels and more, all in real-time. “There will be anything between 10 and 26 pens, and in each pen we have underwater cameras,” says Leary. “From a technology point of view, it was a challenge to get video traffic back with our outdated infrastructure, and in areas where there was not a lot of telecommunication, so we were effectively building our own high capacity network around all these farming operations. However, with these cameras, we can now observe fish behaviour, which is fairly critical in terms of maximising how we utilise that feed.”
“ We’re halfway through our cloud journey, but machine learning is a pretty big opportunity for us” — Matt Leary, Chief Information Officer, Tassal Group
“We also work with WiseFish which provides a number of software solutions to support our supply chain production. The system has been really important for us in the modernisation of our digital backbone and how we get our product from farm to customer.” As new technologies enter the fray, Tassal is also looking to explore how tools such as machine learning, cloud and automation can bolster its production levels and drive increased efficiencies, all with the customer in mind.
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“We’re part way through our cloud journey, but machine learning is a pretty big opportunity for us,” observes Leary. “With all the video we’re capturing around fish behaviour, we’re now working with companies to see how machine learning can support the fish feeding process, looking at behavioural queues as an indicator of fish health and wellbeing.” Not only that, the business’ recent acquisition of the Fortune Group has seen the company diversify into prawn farming. The Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences noted last year, “rock w w w.t a ssa l . com . a u
TA S S A L G R O U P
$600mn Approximate revenue
1986
Year founded
1,400
Approximate number of employees 14
lobster, abalone, tuna and prawns are
years behind salmon farming, not just
projected to contribute most to
technologically but operationally,”
fisheries product export value across
states Leary. “We will now be able to
the medium term (2018–19 to 2022–
leverage our expertise in salmon farm-
23), where these commodities will
ing and transfer this to prawn farming,
account for around 80% of export
utilising technology to significantly
value,” leading to further opportunities
increase production rates and yields.”
for the business to diversify its
Leary is continuously motivated in
portfolio and grow its presence in
supporting organisations to utilise
existing markets. “Prawn farming is
technology to improve business
quite an immature industry, and in
outcomes, and at Tassal, has fully hit
Australia especially, is probably 10-15
the ground running in improving the
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way the business grows and produces
next 10 years. At the same time, we
fish, optimising performance and
remain conscious of the impact of
guaranteeing feed efficiencies.
digital transformation in the market
“We’re Australia’s largest aquacul-
side of things. They’ll be our areas of
ture business and we want to make
focus over the coming years, taking
sure it stays that way,” he says
on board new challenges wherever
enthusiastically. “We’ve got ambition
they may present themselves.”
to continue to grow the salmon farming side of the business, but with the prawn farming acquisition, we’ve certainly got very ambitious targets to draw, to really increase that over the w w w.t a ssa l . com . a u
Tassal Group 1-5 Franklin Wharf Hobart Tasmania 7000 Australia T +61 3 6244 9099 www.tassal.com.au