Nova Soft: “We are always there for our customers”

Nova Soft has been a renowned software supplier for the horticulture sector for 27 years. Owner Martien Kleijn was there on the eve of the digitisation of the sector and is still working on it at full throttle. However, the end of 2022 will see a change: "I'll be passing the baton to Ed (van Ingen), who now knows everything that needs to be known. It's time to wave goodbye".

Martien ran the business with his wife from the beginning: "Marietje took on the administration and continues to do so. We were supported by various staff for the first eight years". Then, 22 years ago, business was going so well that Martien decided to bring software developer Ed van Ingen on board. Ed: "We now serve a sizeable club of small and large growers in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, mainly growers who trade on auctions. It's all remote, but they all manage to find us".

The predecessor of the EAB

Martien was no stranger to the horticulture sector when he began Nova Soft. "I had my own nursery. First Freesias, then Chrysanthemums, followed by Roses and finally Alstroemeria. And I also had one big hobby: automation".

In the late 1980s, he began writing small programmes to support fellow growers. "I'd bought a PC to regulate the climate in the glasshouse. But then I want on to do quite different things with it: for example, I developed a document that growers could fill in and print out, so that the readability of the delivery forms no longer relied on handwriting quality.

When, in 1996, Bert Eigenbrood from the VBA (Alsmeer United Flower Auction) wished to promote working electronically, he invited Martien to work together on a new project. Martien: “He saw me as a developer and wanted us to elevate the EAB to a higher level together. Many growers then didn't want to collaborate with the EAB, as they didn't see the point. I took up the challenge even though I didn't yet see myself as a developer. That's how I got started with Nova Soft".

Helpline

The growers allied with Nova Soft are loyal. Ed: “We've built up a good relationship with our growers. Previously, we went all over the country to visit them, and we don't do that any more. Although nearly all contact is online, we don't feel much distance. They manage to find us easily enough for all kinds of things. Whether it's specific questions about the API link, or the internet connection. We always help. We log in via Teamviewer and investigate the problem along with them. We even still have contracts with ex-growers. As they can rely on us, they gladly keep us on for other matters as well".

Higher security and speed with API

In late 2020, Nova Soft started developing the API link. Ed is currently modifying the API link so that growers can switch to it for direct trading. Ed: "The great advantage of working with the API link is that the grower no longer has to put all their trust in email. We are increasingly having to deal with e-mail security. As a result, you can't always assume that something will arrive. With the API link you can be certain, because you immediately get feedback. That not only gives speed, but also security".

Ed adds, "The disadvantages? You must always have internet. And if you end up in a loop of endpoints and if one of those doesn't work well, then it jams. So it is a bit sensitive. Recently however, Floriday has become more stable, so trust in the API link has also grown".

Version management clarified

Nova Soft thinks it a positive development that Floriday now works with version management for the API link. Ed: “It's now clearer to see exactly what changes have been made to endpoints. So we also get a better understanding of how our work is going to look. On the other hand, we do miss some background information: why has this change been applied, and what does it deliver for us and the grower? I still miss that in the documentation. It would help if Floriday explained this better. I also envisage that we are less likely to need a new version over time, because less and less development will be needed".

Nova Soft in the future

Not much will change for Ed from December. Martien: “He's already picking up all developments”. Ed: "We are currently working with diverse programmes, such as Plantion. In the future, I would like to work with a single system, but I think we'll naturally move in that direction. That also depends a bit on what the growers come up with". "I'm now entirely focussed on Floriday, to get working via the API link right down to the last detail. We expect the growers will naturally switch to Floriday once they see that their colleagues work with it well. Growers tend to stick with what's old and familiar. That's why I involve them in the development, guiding them through the process. I explain the benefits of the new developments. The message gets across, not only due to our explanation, but also through the trust we've built up with them".