PepsiCo’s virtual harvester training explained
- PepsiCo reports an average 87% increase in bruise-free potatoes following virtual harvester training in Brazil and Mexico.
- Around 40% of its global potato harvest goes into storage, where internal damage may remain undetected for months.
- Experienced and newer operators improved after training, with benefits extending to those responsible for teaching seasonal recruits.
- The programme works across several devices and doesn’t require connectivity once loaded, making training easier to access.
Potatoes damaged during harvesting can spend months in storage before the bruising becomes apparent, leaving snack producers carrying the cost of handling a crop that could fail quality checks when it reaches processing. Preventing that damage depends partly on decisions made by harvester operators, who must adjust complex machinery to changing field conditions during a short and demanding season.
With this in mind, PepsiCo and agricultural machinery manufacturer Grimme developed a digital replica of a potato harvester that lets operators look inside the equipment and practise changing its settings before working with the crop. Using a virtual reality headset, tablet, smartphone or desktop computer, they can virtually remove panels, examine the internal mechanics and experiment with adjustments that would be difficult or unsafe to try in the field.
The collaboration began with pilots in Brazil and Mexico, where bruising levels and operator performance were assessed before and after training. PepsiCo reports an average 87% increase in bruise-free potatoes and a 1.7x reduction in severe bruising, with improvements among experienced operators and those newer to the machinery. The training has since been rolled out to Romania and Poland.
PepsiCo’s VP of global agriculture Rob Meyers previously told us about the difficulty of putting new farming technologies into practice. Now, PepsiCo is expanding virtual harvester training to give more operators time to familiarise themselves with the equipment before a live harvest, when they must balance protecting the crop with keeping the machinery moving.
The cost of finding damage too late
Around 40% of the potatoes PepsiCo harvests globally go into storage, often for six to nine months, according to Meyers. That interval means damage caused in the field may become a problem for the processor much later, after the potatoes have been handled and stored in preparation for production.
“Internal damage may not show until after storage or when the potato reaches processing,” he says. “If a potato then fails quality checks, resources have already been spent handling and processing it.”
Bruising can affect crop quality, storage life and farmer income if potatoes have to be discarded. The operator’s immediate task is to lift the crop efficiently, but decisions about machinery settings can influence the condition of potatoes supplying production months afterwards.
PepsiCo’s training aims to help operators understand how those decisions affect the crop as it moves through the harvester. Seeing the internal mechanics allows them to explore what happens when they change a setting, before making the same adjustment during a live harvest.
“What Brazil and Mexico showed us is how much small operating decisions can affect bruising and crop quality,” says Meyers. “The pilots included both experienced operators and people newer to the machinery, and both groups improved after the virtual training.”
Reducing losses at this stage could also reduce the resources needed to supply production. PepsiCo says preventing waste may mean fewer potatoes need to be grown, stored and transported to produce the same amount of food, potentially reducing associated water, energy and fertiliser use.
Protecting that improvement requires care after the crop leaves the field, however, because subsequent handling and storage also influence its condition.
“Harvest is only one step,” says Meyers. “Protecting a potato at harvest doesn’t replace good handling, storage and processing afterwards. The value of acting at harvest is that we can help prevent damage early, rather than finding it later.”
Learning without risking the crop
Harvesting presents a difficult setting for training because operators need to learn while keeping pace with a time-sensitive job. Some may use the machinery for only a few days or weeks each year, while seasonal recruitment means experienced staff can find themselves introducing newcomers to the equipment as well as operating it.
“Harvest is a short, high-stakes period,” says Meyers. “Operators may only use this equipment for a few days or weeks a year, teams can change from season to season, and even experienced operators benefit from a refresher.”
The digital harvester gives operators an opportunity to prepare before the season begins and repeat the training when they need to refresh their knowledge. They can explore the machinery without risking a crop, including testing settings that would be difficult, costly or impractical to try while harvesting.
“Training operators at scale has long been an issue for the industry but can result in a costly impact if harvesting equipment is not used effectively,” says Frank Nordmann, GM, key accounts and sustainable development at Grimme.
During the Brazil and Mexico pilots, operators first harvested and adjusted the machines using their existing knowledge. They then completed the virtual training before bruising was measured again, allowing PepsiCo to assess changes in harvest quality alongside operator performance.
“The improvements were significant enough that we deferred a third pilot we had planned and moved into scale-up,” says Meyers.
The findings among experienced operators were particularly useful because those people are often responsible for teaching newer colleagues. Improving their understanding of the machinery can therefore support the training they deliver themselves.
“One of the most interesting findings from the pilots was that even experienced operators improved and they are often the people who train newer, less experienced operators,” says Meyers. “So the technology also strengthens an experienced operator’s ability to train others.”
Hands-on field experience remains essential, with the digital programme supporting operators, instructors and agronomists. Its accessibility helps address the difficulty of reaching seasonal teams spread across different locations before harvesting starts.
“The reality, though, is that there aren’t enough highly skilled instructors to send into the fields for training,” says Meyers.
The programme works across several devices and once loaded, doesn’t require mobile reception or Wi-Fi. Growers can use it without relying on field connectivity or access to a VR headset, while operators can revisit the training before returning to the machinery for another season.
Keeping quality and harvesting speed in balance
Operators must respond to conditions that affect both the machinery’s performance and the potato’s susceptibility to bruising. Soil type, stones, variety, weather, heat and drought can all influence how the harvester should be operated, while the available harvest window puts pressure on teams to keep moving.
“The aim is not to set one approach for everyone, but to help operators understand the machinery so they can make good decisions for the conditions in front of them,” says Meyers.
He says protecting potatoes and covering ground don’t have to conflict when machinery operates according to specification, while emphasising that the training must fit the economics and daily realities of the farm.
The potential benefit also varies with existing capabilities. Growers with highly skilled operators are likely to see smaller incremental gains, according to Meyers, although the programme can still help them introduce new staff. Growers without access to mechanised harvesting face a different challenge.
“This training tackles a gap in operator knowledge,” he says. “If a farm’s main challenge lies somewhere else, a different first step may be better.”
Growers supplying PepsiCo are receiving access first, but the technology is available on a non-exclusive basis. As deployment expands, PepsiCo and Grimme plan to refine the training modules and increase language support.
PepsiCo says its grower contracts set quality expectations and reward farmers for meeting them, giving both parties a financial interest in protecting the crop. Better understanding of the harvester can help operators meet those requirements during the few weeks when their decisions affect potatoes that may be needed months later.
A potato rejected after storage has already consumed resources well beyond the field. Helping operators prevent the original damage could spare growers and manufacturers the expense of carrying that potato through the supply chain, only to discover at processing that it can’t be used.
