Mercado - Paperless Product and Trial Management at Ball

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Mercado – Paperless Product and Trial Management at Ball

Mercado – Ball: Paperless product and trial management

Ball Horticultural Company is a global family-owned business active in ornamental plant breeding across 20 countries. Founded in 1905 as a cut flower distributor, the company has since grown into a leading player with breeders, R&D teams, suppliers, and distribution companies worldwide. Its headquarters in West Chicago oversee the company’s operations.

One of Ball’s partner companies is Selecta One, where Becky Lacy serves as Product Manager for North America. In her role, she acts as the link between breeding and marketing, working daily with commercial trial evaluations and marketing content.

To streamline processes and eliminate fragmented data, Ball implemented Mercado as its central platform for product and trial management.

When paper and pragmented files undermine efficiënt product management

Previously, the vast amount of data from trials and product management was recorded in separate Excel files and handwritten notes. This approach resulted in inefficiencies, higher risk of errors, and an unstructured process. It also made it challenging to provide colleagues worldwide with centralized access to critical information.

“In the past, I wrote everything on paper, and then back at the office I needed to type everything into my Excel spreadsheets. Not only is the current less time consuming, but also not as prone to mistakes.”

“In a single day, I read about 200 varieties. Imagine that I would have to photograph all of those with a camera. Later, upload them to my computer, and then arrange all those different files and folders in order to match all the pictures to the correct variety.”

From pilot to implementation: Mercado as the central platform for product and trial data

Building on Ball FloraPlant’s existing experience with E-Brida (breeding software) from Agri Information Partners, the company took the next step by adopting Mercado. Over a six-month pilot phase, a team of eight employees actively tested the system’s various modules. Each module was supported with online training, practical assignments, and guidance from the Agri Information Partners team. Despite the challenges posed by complex sister companies and diverse datasets, Mercado was successfully and efficiently integrated into daily operations.

Beyond paperless: Efficiency, time savings, and improved collaboration

With Mercado, Ball now operates within a single digital environment for all variety and trial data. All information, including photos, is recorded directly in the system and can be accessed anytime, anywhere. The reliance on paper and separate spreadsheets has been fully eliminated.

“Mercado is the first system with which I do not have to worry about my data anymore, and that allows me to work entirely without paper. I feel secure that the data I enter on my phone, once synced, is safely preserved in Mercado.”

Paperless working is just one benefit—Mercado also provides Ball with greater efficiency, reliability, and collaboration:

More efficient processes: less time spent on administrative work
Fewer errors: direct digital entry in the field
Sustainable benefits: reduced paper use and less duplicated data
Improved collaboration: all information stored centrally and accessible worldwide

Successful partnership

The collaboration with Agri Information Partners runs smoothly and with a strong sense of trust. Ball values the quick responses, personalized support, and the convenience of having a single partner for both E-Brida and Mercado.

“You guys have truly been of great service to us. It is very convenient to be able to communicate with the same team for both E-Brida and Mercado. Agri Information Partners is always quick to respond and is always readily available to help us out.”

There will always be opportunities for further improvements, and that feedback is highly valued by AIP. It strengthens the partnership: a continuous drive to improve together.

For more than 20 years, our specialists have been developing solutions that bring data together and streamline processes. We are proud that our clients recognize this shared vision:

“The use of technology is one of the best ways to get your business processes streamlined. In order to flourish in our expertise, it really is a necessity to have the right technology in place.”

Other customer stories that may be of interest

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Read more about the approach, the success factors, and the impact of this implementation.

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Mercado – Centralized overview in product development – Takii

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Takii Europe wanted to better organize the collection and sharing of data by its sales and product development teams. Mercado plays a central role in this, providing structured data and improving collaboration. Watch the interview with Erik Vesseur, Sales Manager at Takii Europe, to learn more.

Curious how Mercado can support you with your trial management challenges?

During a free, no-obligation demo, our consultant will answer all your questions.