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thinkBIG
Cutting through the AI hype
Chapters
1 The AI journey every business is taking
Learn about AI, how businesses are using it, and what the latest trends show us
2 Understanding AI risks
Common AI risks and legal considerations, plus how to protect your business
3 Developing an implementation roadmap
Step-by-step implementation roadmap for effective AI adoption
4 Making AI part of everyday work
Leadership’s role in AI adoption and how to overcome staff hesitation
5 Measure, iterate and improve
Why AI adoption can never be ‘set and forget’
CASE STUDY:
Calculating ROI on the Farm
After watching farmers struggle to determine whether investing in automation would result in a worthwhile return on investment, RSM's financial modelling team, led by Tim Linke, F.A.R.M. (Feasibility of Automation Return Model).
The tool helps agribusinesses assess the financial impact of automation by modelling capital costs, operational savings, funding options and payback periods, while also factoring in grants and R&D Tax Incentives.
Tim Linke
According to Tim, one of the biggest challenges facing producers is determining if the benefits of automation justify the upfront investment.
"Farmers understand the pressures they're trying to solve – whether that's labour shortages, productivity challenges or rising costs. The harder question is determining if a piece of technology will deliver enough value to justify the investment. There hasn't always been a clear framework to help quantify that decision."
WHAT IS F.A.R.M ?
F.A.R.M. was engineered to bring greater certainty to those decisions by allowing producers to compare different investment scenarios and understand their potential financial outcomes before committing capital.
- improve productivity
- reduce exposure to labour constraints
- free people to focus on higher value activities.
"In many cases, automation is about creating capacity within the business so people can spend less time on repetitive tasks and more on activities that support growth and better decision making."
The tool also incorporates available grant programs and R&D Tax Incentives to help producers understand how external funding may improve project viability.
"For many businesses, funding support can change the economics of an automation project. By considering grants and R&D incentives alongside the investment itself, producers can make decisions with a more complete picture of the opportunity."
For farmers, the result is a clearer understanding of whether, when and how to invest in automation.
"Ultimately, we're helping producers answer some very practical questions such as: How much will it cost? What could it save? How long will it take to pay back? Once they have those answers, they can make decisions based on evidence rather than uncertainty."
This case study is featured in our thinkBIG report, Cutting through the AI hype: A practical guide to AI for SMEs.
Contributors
Ready to put AI to work in your business?
Whether you're exploring AI for the first time or looking to build on existing capabilities, RSM can help you identify opportunities, manage risks and develop a practical approach to AI adoption.
Ready to put AI to work in your business?
Whether you're exploring AI for the first time or looking to build on existing capabilities, RSM can help you identify opportunities, manage risks and develop a practical approach to AI adoption.