Management of any production nursery , large or small is something that must be done with robust data point - base insights and knowledge . To increase the usance of data on business enterprise management , the Hort Innovation strategical levy - funded project Nursery industry statistics 2016/17 to 2019/20 ( NY17008 ) labor has created a Benchmarking Data Tool to assist businesses in crap strategical and operational conclusion . Townsville Plant Wholesalers is one stage business that is reaping the benefits of data .

Kris Grundy was deliver in Victoria with glasshouse industry in his blood , but the itinerary which led to him hightail it the 2 - Akka Townsville Plant Wholesalers and supervise a squad of 8 was anything but linear .

derive from a family that have nurseries , Kris naturally connect the industry working at various small and large glasshouse in a variety of roles until the long time of 22 , when he began draw electric and air conditioning businesses across the commonwealth .

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Running a business focused on cool theatre , saw Kris chasing heat all the direction to North Queensland . But as a knifelike businessman , Kris was always wait for new business opportunities and soon found himself back in the nursery plot after purchase one of Townsville ’s few output nurseries , Townsville Plant Wholesalers .

After a long menses of metre out of the industry , Kris find a lot had shift since he was a yield manager in his early 20’s . But after discovering the Nursery Industry Benchmarking Data Tool , it was n’t long before he was able to get back up to speed and get pretend strategical decisions as if he never left the diligence .

The prick is made of four primal components which raiser can use to get a sense of where they sit down amongst their peers and make strategic decisions accordingly . The four elements are : a top - down view of trends over time , using past days ’ results ; Sales insights , where growers can input their own datum for comparison ; engagement data point and human resources cost ; diligence sentiment which track the current and future expectations for the industry , ground on grower feedback .

For Kris , the information from the benchmarking tool gave him the mean grade of noesis and penetration about his novel business and the blanket industry , to enable him to make straightaway operating conclusion and ramp up a long - term scheme .

Kris Grundy , possessor , Townsville Plant Wholesalers

“ Although I was return to the manufacture , I was essentially starting from scratch . From daytime one I had huge gaps of noesis in condition of where the diligence was at , and where the young business fit into that , ” Kris said .

“ By consulting the benchmarking tool , I was able to occupy the gaps , understand our emplacement and start map out how we would get to where I postulate us to be .

“ Whether it be interpret what varieties are being raise across the industry , the market segmentation of customers or understanding the workforce of the industriousness , the information that could be procured from the data was almost endless . ”

An instance of how the tool has help forge his line strategy is through learning and developing . The dick pay Kris a window into the level of training and teaching that employees of other nurseries were receiving .

Understanding the value of training , Kris leveraged the data point in the tool and made the decisiveness to invest in upskilling his staff . Although relevant courses are knockout to amount by in Townsville , Kris invested in place some of his mature - long time stave through an on-line Certificate 3 class in greenhouse . He expect his byplay to glean the benefits of a more train workforce in the intermediate - term .

Throughout his working biography , Kris has been an innovator . However , he has a long - held belief that innovation should serve a determination and be back up by a stage business or industriousness pauperization . The benchmarking cock has worked as a usher for Kris as he decides how much creation should be pursued . By referencing the shaft , he can see how the sentiment of other standardized business towards instauration and make calculated purchasing decisions consequently .

In fact , it was through the consultation of the tool that he was able to justify the purchase of automated engineering such as a potting machine , which has improved the efficiency of his surgical operation and the bottom product line of the clientele .

“ Although the data point is technically a ‘ attend back ’ at the diligence , taste to drive a business frontwards without consulting it , is like drive at dark without headlamp on . You credibly make out what direction you are going , but without the benefit of hindsight , everything up in advance is less outlined and you ’re more likely to get lost along the agency , ” Kris said .

Since purchasing the nursery , Kris Grundy has moved to expand the leading squad to serve confer on major business decision , something he expect that the benchmarking tool will also continue to play a major office in .

“ We ’re looking onward to continue to lease with this task as long as it ’s running . We contribute to the survey part every year as we know that the more accurate the data point is , the better it will be for the entire industry . And we will go on to mark our calendar each class when the shaft comes out to help bring home the bacon credibleness to the strategical decisions we are realise to keep Townsville Plant Wholesalers productive and profitable . ”

For a snap of the event of the Nursery Industry Statistics 2018 - 19 please refer toFacts at a Glance .

For more information , please contact Greenlife Industry Australia at:[email   protected]or on 02 8861 5100 .