Our motto at Mprise Agriware is: people first. Our customers and colleagues are our number one priority. Who are the people behind Agriware and what motivates them? Meet William van Loenen, CPO at Mprise Agriware. The excellence of our product suite is in his hands. A perfect way to combine his fascination for horticulture and IT!
- What do you like to do in your leisure time?
Since my workdays consist mostly of thinking, I like to spend my free time mostly working with my hands. I am a true maker. I love to bring ideas, often from my creative wife, to reality. This creativity is now mostly unleashed in and around our house. Making a kitchen, building an extension, rebuilding the garden. When we have visitors they always have to look at what has been changed again 😊. But because you can't always be busy, I also enjoy being with the family, going for a walk in the woods and cooking good food. - What makes horticulture an interesting world for you?
My first experience in horticulture was, as for so many, a summer job at a nursery. Nursery Schneider in Ridderkerk in my case. The seed was planted here I think, because when I got the chance to apply my passion for software in the horticultural sector it was quickly decided. It was even more fun to implement Agriware not long after that at the nursery where I had been a helper a few years before. The circle was complete, they say.
When I explain how a nursery differs from a standard production company, I often give the example that 'in a bicycle factory the wheels don't just die'. And maybe that's it. The products are alive and well in our sector and it brings me closer to nature. In addition, horticulture is a sector where I still see a lot of room for growth. Technological developments are happening faster than ever and this is always opening up new possibilities. This also suits me, because I am always thinking about how something can be done better and smarter. It is therefore my passion to help companies in this living sector grow further in maturity, partly with the help of technology. - What Agriware moment will you always remember?
You may have heard of it before, 'the Indigo Solution'. This term dates back to when Agriware was still part of the Indigo Solutions company. We were on the eve of the rise of ERP in the horticultural sector and not everyone knew what to do with it yet. Customers expected our software to solve all their problems overnight. Like a big red button with which, if you press it, 'everything' goes automatically. But nothing could be further from the truth, of course. Software can support companies in professionalizing, but the organization and the people determine the success; the well-known "organize first, then automate. When a colleague from the first hour left us, he left us a trophy; a large red push button on a log with the text: The Indigo Solution. I still use this example from time to time, because it makes it very clear what, above all, you should not expect from integral business software. - To which place do you prefer to go on vacation?
As is obvious, I love new things and variety. This is also true on vacation, because we spend our vacation in our camper. When we hit the road, we don't have a destination, but a direction. And under the motto 'Home is where you park it' every place we stop is our home for a while. And then everything is beautiful, whether it's Denmark, France or the Netherlands. I love just discovering where you are and driving on when you've seen it. Last year we followed the north coast of Brittany, in France. This brought us to the most beautiful places. And then it is a matter of parking, legs up and enjoying the view of the sea. - What do you like to watch or listen to? (Music / film / art / books)
That's very diverse! I never really watch movies, just give me a good documentary about Kodak or Elon Musk, or a program like 'The Great Renovation' (Dutch television) for inspiration. As for music, I listen to almost everything, except metal or techno. Then I prefer classical music, which may sound a bit stuffy but if you listen carefully are true works of art.
Mprise Agriware
We help to shape digital transition in Horticulture with our team and software
