Incitec Pivot Limited: Rules Automation

by harrietbetts
,

Powering IPL with a modern rules engine

Overcoming legacy system limitations with a scalable and auditable rules platform.

Incitec Pivot Limited (IPL), a leading technology supplier to the Australian agricultural industry, needed to modernise its core fertiliser recommendation system with rules automation.

As an ASX-listed, highly regulated company, they required a robust, auditable solution that would set a new foundation for future growth.

IPL Quick Facts

Employees: 10,000
Revenue: $3.6bn
ASX Listed

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The Challenge

Incitect Pivot Limited’s legacy rules engine was maintained through code and configuration. It played the crucial role of interpreting lab results to provide recommendations. However, in an industry where scientific accuracy must be continuously updated, the system became increasingly complex and challenging to manage.

This complexity led to a fear of change, increased key-person risk, and stifled innovation. With tens of thousands of intricate and unique rules, the system gradually became unmanageable and inflexible. 

To address this, we helped reframe and extract the codified ‘rule’ elements, integrating them into a structured rules engine within Decisions. This modernised their approach and improved efficiency, flexibility, and long-term maintainability.

Pain Points:
  • The system was notoriously difficult to manage and maintain, with limited personnel understanding its behaviour.
  • Changes were approached with trepidation, slowing down the ability to adapt to new scientific research or market demands.
  • It took longer than needed to implement changes, taking up IT and agronomist’s valuable time.

  • An excellent company to work with.

    They go out of their way to understand our business requirements and provide solutions that match.

    We trust the quality of their work. They are flexible and understanding of our processes and timelines. We have worked with them on several projects now.
    Jan Edwards
    Director of Agronomy & Sustainability

Our Solution

We developed a thorough understanding of how rules supported IPL’s operations and product strategy, then designed a solution that:

  • introduced significant clarity to the whole concept rules within the organisation
  • simiplied integration patterns whilst offering flexibility to expand its products and service offering
  • provided their agronomists the ability to make important adjustments to their models with little to no IT intervention
  • was designed for manageability and scale.

We delivered a scalable, auditable system, integrating seamlessly with their existing enterprise application and enabling strong data governance for faster deployment and reduced risk.

  • Clarity, flexibility, and a system built to evolve.

    [IPL gained] a refreshed set of rules with visibility of the code, data and flows. A modern system that is purpose-built and flexible so it can be changed and built on as we understand more.
    Jan Edwards
    Director of Agronomy & Sustainability

The Results

IPL now enjoys significantly easier rule management, reduced key person risk, and increased agility. They can update their recommendations models much faster and with complete confidence. They have already begun expanding their products knowing the technology will continue to support their rapidly evolving needs.

Our solution empowered IPL to maintain its market leadership with a robust, adaptable system, meeting regulatory and compliance demands and enhancing operational efficiency.

Curious about hidden inefficiencies in your rules management?

We’re offering a free discovery session to uncover those opportunities. We’ll help you pinpoint ways to improve the manageability of your rules and turn them into a strategic differentiator. Get in touch today.

Let’s Chat
By Luis Nejo

CEO, Founder Digital Experience Labs

About Digital Experience Labs

At Digital Experience Labs, we live and breathe process and rules automation and architecture. As specialists in rules automation and digital transformation, we’ve helped organisations throughout Australia and New Zealand redefine their process automation.

  • A thoughtful, customer-centric partner

    Digital Experience Labs takes the time to understand our requirements.
    They have skilled staff who are then able to think about the design from a customer perspective. They worked very well with our internal project manager & project team. 
    Jan Edwards
    Director of Agronomy & Sustainability


Challenge

IPL’s complex legacy rules system hindered innovation and created key person risk. The system made updates slow and daunting. 

Solution

We re-imagined their rules architecture, redesigned their integration patterns, and focused on creating auditable and scalable rules. Integrating with existing applications accelerated deployment and minimised change risk.

Results

IPL now benefits from simpler rule management and greater agility, allowing them to implement updates to their algorithm faster.

Get in touch to book a free discovery session.

Let’s Chat

Curious about hidden inefficiencies in your rules management?

We’re offering a free discovery session to uncover those opportunities. We’ll help you pinpoint ways to improve the manageability of your rules and turn them into a strategic differentiator

Let’s Chat

Some of our clients

Our success is in our client’s success. We work with bold companies that have ambitious goals. We promise to push the boundaries of traditional ways of working and succeed together.

Why

Digital Experience Labs

No matter your size, we can help modernise your operations to a digital business model with our in-depth domain expertise – enhancing customer experience, optimising business processes, lowering cost to serve and increasing business agility.

We are industry agnostic, but with acute strengths in select industries.

Insurance

  • Buyer journey optimisation
  • Claims automation
  • Data-rich underwriting
  • Intelligent pricing and validation

Startup

  • MVP ideation and development
  • End-to-end digital product development
  • Virtual CTO

Lending

  • Omni-channel application capture
  • Automated, integrated loan origination
  • Next generation credit decisioning
  • Real-time pricing and validation

Legal

  • Intelligent case workflow
  • Document automation

Contact

Enter your details If you have a question or would like further information about how Digital Experience Labs can support your digital transformation journey.

Email:
letschat@dxlabs.com.au

Send a message

Categories: Automation, Case Study

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