In 2006, UAB Scandagra started operating by procuring grain crops and conducting wholesale trade of fertilizers, seeds, and plant protection products.

Now, the company has evolved into one of the leading organic production firms in the country. It actively exports grain to destinations such as Germany, Austria, Holland, and Belgium, continuously expanding its sales geography each year.

“One of the most substantial benefits brought by Dokobit is risk management. It is crucial to fix the grain price and other conditions and formalise and sign the contract immediately. Waiting and allowing risk to creep into a dynamic agricultural sector is rather counterproductive.”

Indrė Januškevičiūtė, Grain Purchase Coordinator

Challenge

The agriculture industry functions in a very dynamic environment, facing a wide range of tasks every day and inevitably running into challenges. The nature of the work demands a fast-paced and efficient approach, where actions such as price fixing and contract signing need to occur promptly. Furthermore, many tasks, including grain procurement and sowing, are undertaken by individual farmers themselves.

In the past, signing documents was tedious due to the multiple steps. The contract followed a chain principle where the responsible person would send the contract in PDF format to the manager, who would then forward it to the farmer. After the farmer signed the contract, it was returned to the manager, who would then return it to the responsible person. This entire process relied on email and traditional mail, which took too long. On average, it lasted about a week to receive the signed contract. This workflow’s manual and non-automated nature consumed a significant amount of time for all signing parties.

All documents were carefully recorded and archived, resulting in a significant consumption of paper. This, in turn, led to substantial financial expenses related to archiving, including allocating resources such as staff and paper costs. The abundance of paperwork also created time-related difficulties. It took quite a while to look through vast piles of stored paper to find vital documents, such as legal ones.

Solution

Before selecting an e-signing solutions provider, the organisation conducted extensive market research. The decision to choose Dokobit was based on several crucial factors, including the capability to sign documents using a qualified e-signature, user-friendly experience, potential integration with their existing systems, availability across all Baltic countries, and a wide range of eID tools. The convenience of finding everything on the Dokobit portal eliminates the need for additional systems. The integration process with the portal is swift and does not need any extra work, resources, or specialised skills.

Scandagra currently uses Dokobit portal to sign most of its grain purchase contracts and supplements. From the program in which the contract was created, the document is sent for signing within the desired timeframe. This facilitates the processes for all signing parties: the responsible person, the manager, and the farmer.

Result

Scandagra highlights the promptness of document signing. Now they are happy to be able to sign grain purchase contracts right away – the document signing time, which used to take a week, now takes just a couple of minutes.

The organisation considers the integration of the Dokobit portal as a highly successful project. From the first day of using e-signing solutions, Scandagra experienced a seamless process without any issues, disruptions, or malfunctions. The company appreciates the user-friendly interface, the convenience of having all functionalities in one place, efficient document archiving, and the speed and effectiveness of the signing process.

The company has also observed a substantial reduction in manual workload costs, as fewer human resources are required to carry out daily tasks. The contract preparation and signing process have become significantly faster, allowing farmers to receive timely price fixation without delay, be it a week, a day, or even an hour, as it happens instantly.

Dokobit offers a prominent advantage in terms of risk management. Establishing grain prices promptly, setting terms, formalising contracts, and signing them is crucial. Delaying these processes and allowing risk infiltrating the dynamic agricultural sector is counterproductive.