It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that the Covid-19 virus wreaked havoc on practically every other business in various industries. However, the pandemic has accelerated technical innovations, making us humans realize the importance of technology in today's world. Stay-at-home orders, a ban on all social events, and a slew of other pandemic-related restrictions forced businesses to embrace the digital format to stay afloat. And the tea industry's landscape appears to be no different. According to Statista, India is the second-largest tea producer in the Asia Pacific, trailing only China. As a result, this implies that the industry substantially contributes to the country's economy and has been a leader in attracting investment. It is, unquestionably, critical for any company functioning in such a huge business to maintain a competitive advantage in the market by staying abreast of all the newest trends and developments.

However, when it comes to tea procurement, public tea auctions have always played a crucial role as the major venue for the primary marketing of tea in the country ever since the first tea auction center was established in Kolkata in 1861. Every year, public tea auctions handle around 500 million kg of tea. Auction Centers are now using the newly built eAuction system (Kolkata, Siliguri, Guwahati, Cochin, Coimbatore and Coonoor), bidding manually earlier. The system's many users, such as manufacturers, warehouses, auctioneers, and buyers, have been now given access to the system's various features. Each Auction Centre now can perform duties such as registration, policy revisions, and data maintenance. The eAuction system unifies the entire process, from invoice production to tea delivery from warehouses, allowing for improved control and eliminating duplication of effort, and therefore, saving time.

Cost-efficiency and more revenue generation

The use of technology in manufacturing processes reduces the cost of production and the amount of time it takes to complete the task. In addition, as processes become more effective, the probability of human mistakes decreases and the amount of time spent on superfluous tasks decreases, the business saves money and generates more revenue.

Online presence streamlines businesses

In today's world, having a strong online presence for any buyer or seller is crucial since it allows them to interact directly with their customers and sell, regardless of geographical obstacles. A website allows customers to track their orders and receive updates on all progress, which increases customer service and satisfaction. As a result, both groups save money and time, making this a very beneficial decision to make. Furthermore, the information on the websites assists purchasers in learning more about the tea and empowering their product decision-making. These minor details, aided by innovation, go a long way toward expediting the entire process.

Technological intervention enhance efficiency

Unsurprisingly, the introduction of technology in the tea sector can revolutionize the industry. The use of technology makes procedures more exact and accurate, reducing the chances of errors and waste and facilitating the process. Digitizing tea procurement and supply chain management is one way that technology is helping to make the process easier. IoT (Internet of Things) and AI (Artificial Intelligence) technologies improve and enable efficiency in the manufacturing stage.

Over the years, innovation has proven to be a significant competitive advantage for several worldwide businesses. It's worth noting that digital transformation and technology adoption was already at an all-time high when the global health crisis occurred. The pandemic has only accelerated its spread across several sectors, including the tea industry. The tea business is quickly integrating technology in the field for spraying, weeding, other tasks, and factory operations, sales, and procurement.

Author - Srinivas Ganadinni, Founder, The Tea Planet