4.0: An Evolution, But for What Type of Producer?

Ah, sugaring season! A few weeks of intense activity. For some, it is a few weeks to generate their entire
year’s income. For others, it is about juggling a full-time job alongside being a maple producer. And for
some, it is simply about enjoying the process and doing what they can to make their syrup for the year!

Maple production has been around for decades, and innovation has
always been part of it. From the introduction of spouts and tubing, to vacuum management, the development of concentrators,
high-performance evaporators, CDL Intelligence (monitoring), and the evolution of tapping techniques and work methods…
everything has progressed. Today, more than ever, we’re talking about 4.0. Essential for some, this “thing” is still unfamiliar to many.
Let’s break it down together, I’ll take you into our world!

EVERY OPERATION IS DIFFERENT, BUT THE PAIN POINTS ARE
OFTEN THE SAME.

For those unfamiliar with CDL Intelligence and 4.0 technologies, a typical day might look like this: a nice snowmobile, ATV, or
snowshoe trip to check the pumping station in the morning. You start the pump, make sure everything is running properly. The
vacuum? Oops… much lower than yesterday. What’s going on? An unexpected trip just got added to the day.

Time that was supposed to be spent in the sugarhouse, boiling or processing, will have to wait.

We all know that a tight system is key to good performance. So off you go looking for leaks… one hour… two hours… three
hours before finding THE leak. Thousands of steps later, you find it: a squirrel, a fallen
branch on the line. You fix it, head back down to the pumping station, and the
vacuum is back to normal. Back to the sugarhouse, but there’s still a lot of work to do, and now you’re behind schedule.

Around lunchtime, another question comes up: “The weather is great, why
aren’t the tanks filling?”

Back to the pumping station in a rush: a damaged pipe is letting sap leak onto the ground. Result: half a day of production
lost. Disappointing. But you roll up your sleeves, fix it, and get back to work. People
in agriculture are resilient, we don’t give up easily.

I could go on like this. I operate a 2,300-tap family sugarbush with my parents, and we’ve seen our share of situations. But
today, things are different.

A GRADUAL SHIFT TO 4.0

Over the past few years, we’ve gradually integrated various CDL Intelligence and 4.0 technologies.

Back in 2017, our first need was simple: to start and stop the vacuum remotely
and get a better idea of vacuum levels in the woods. Very quickly, we realized
that this real-time information made all the difference. Why? Because beyond yield, it completely changed the way we work.

We improved not only our production, but also our time management and peace
of mind. At home, everyone has a job outside the farm, on top of managing our
operation morning and night, 365 days a year. Everything has to run smoothly
so that the limited time we have for the sugarbush is truly enough.

In 2018, another challenge came up: managing sap backflow. Constantly having
to go up to the sugarhouse to adjust or check things quickly became a constraint.
Today, that system is automated, saving us unnecessary trips and allowing us to
stay in control, no matter where we are.

PEACE OF MIND, FINALLY

Thanks to CDL Intelligence, we finally have peace of mind. Vacuum sensors,
automatic starters for vacuum and transfer pumps, tank level monitoring with alerts,
motorized valves to perform actions that once required constant back-and-forth…
not to mention a real-time overview of the entire system.

A tank fills up in the middle of the night? Perfect, we get an alert. We can sleep easy.

And we’re not done yet. Every year, we improve, rethink, and eliminate more pain points. We take control of our sugarbush.

• Fewer surprises

• Fewer unexpected issues

• More control

• More comfort

• Simply put-peace of mind

And there are still more projects ahead. Because a sugarbush never stops
evolving.

These aren’t expenses, they’re investments. This isn’t a luxury, it’s a way
of working.

4.0 is the future and the future starts today. Contact our team, we’ll be happy to help
you solve your everyday challenges, one step at a time!