“Production can increase significantly with better control over labor”

Eight greenhouse growers in Mexico work with a new labor management system this summer. The system tracks employees in real time using smartwatches. The system, called BigGrower, was developed by a Spanish company that is now preparing to expand into European markets, including Almería in Spain and the Netherlands.

The software gives growers real-time insight into employee activity, aiming both to optimize performance and eliminate the risks associated with manual registration. As greenhouse operations become larger, the system is also intended to help employers better monitor the well-being of their workforce.

BigGrower team members José Fernando Artés and Francesc Català presented the system at GreenTech Amsterdam. The system consists of three components: the Growatch (a smartwatch worn by employees), a web application, and a Grobox unit for data collection. Following pilots and commercial rollout in Mexico, the company is now targeting the Spanish and Dutch markets.

Real-time tracking
Labor registration systems are nothing new in horticulture, but BigGrower differentiates itself through precision location tracking that operates independently of manual input, according to Artés. “We track people with high precision, where they are and what they are doing.”

The smartwatches collect large volumes of data, which artificial intelligence then converts into operational insights, including how individual workers perform and where their strengths lie. According to Artés, this data enables growers to plan labor more effectively.

Optimizing production
Labor is one of the most significant cost items for growers, making workforce optimization a priority. BigGrower points to a Mexican case where improved labor control helped a tomato grower increase yields from 30 to 50 kilograms per square meter. “People will always work harder when they know there is oversight,” Artés says.

Worker health and safety
Employee health is another focus of the system. Artés referred to incidents in Spain in which workers suffering from heat stress could not be located quickly enough in large growing operations, resulting in delays in emergency response. With real-time tracking through BigGrower, the system generates alerts that allow growers to respond immediately.

Applications beyond horticulture
BigGrower was founded with horticulture as its primary market, and its first customers were Mexican growers. Three years after its founding, the company exhibited at GreenTech Amsterdam for the first time, having previously appeared at a trade fair in Mexico. Artés and Catala see trade shows as a key route to introducing more growers to the system’s capabilities.

The company is owned by Juan Chamorro, who also owns Agricultural Projects Holland, a greenhouse construction firm based in De Lier, the Netherlands. That connection raises the question of whether BigGrower could find applications within greenhouse construction projects. Egbert Bruins of Agricultural Projects Holland sees potential, while noting that BigGrower is also exploring opportunities in the warehouses of large distribution centers.

The question is how BigGrower is able to determine the exact location of employees in challenging environments such as greenhouses and warehouses. Artés explains that BigGrower uses the same location technology as Apple’s AirTag, adapted for its own purposes. “We use this existing technology, but in a different way.”