From the farm to the cloud: The story of Pechugón with GeneXus
This is the story of how Pechugón, the leader of the poultry industry in Paraguay, successfully transformed its legacy systems, making them scalable and future-proof with GeneXus.
Granja Avícola La Blanca S.A. - Pechugón is a Paraguayan company dedicated to the large-scale breeding, fattening, and slaughtering of chickens. It is the only company in Paraguay that has the complete poultry production cycle: breeder farms, hatcheries, broiler farms, balanced feed processing plants, and a quality control laboratory.
Under the "Pechugón" brand, they market their products both nationally and internationally, reaching more than 30 countries, including China, Russia, Albania, Angola, Bahamas, Benin, Cape Verde, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Kuwait, Liberia, Maldives, Mozambique, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Togo, and Vietnam.
With its exponential growth came technological challenges. In 2003, their IT systems were becoming obsolete, and they could no longer scale effectively to handle the complexity and volume of operations required by their global expansion.
“We needed the system to be available on the web and to continue using the IBM Power DB2 database. Of all the options available on the market, I chose GeneXus because it generates in the Java language for the Internet and is designed to integrate with the IBM AS/400. environment. Although our original language remains RPG, I never considered using GeneXus to generate in RPG. Instead, I chose to fully migrate to GeneXus, initially intending to abandon it. Over time, both languages naturally adapted, strengthening our system and increasing its reliability by working together," explains Jorge Caballero, Systems Manager at Pechugón.
GeneXus not only allowed Pechugón to modernize its technological infrastructure, but also to preserve and improve existing functionality while adapting to market demands. Today, nearly 500 users utilize Pechugón's Critical Mission System , which began 20 years ago with GeneXus 7.0 and remains up-to-date today with GeneXus 18, the most powerful version of GeneXus.
“I always opted to create programs for sectors that used languages in Windows environments with their own databases or still worked with manual paper processes. By migrating or developing programs in GeneXus Java, we managed to integrate operations, including the core accounting/financial in RPG. Thanks to GeneXus, we have been able to work in a web environment, take advantage of new technologies, scale our system, and generate applications for mobile environments with a quick learning curve. GeneXus developers can create applications in a known and efficient environment, allowing us to release and update products much faster than in other environments,” assures Caballero, who leads Pechugón's development department, comprising 12 Systems Analysts and 1 Area Manager.
For Blanca Ceuppens Talavera, the company's CEO, fostering a culture of constant innovation and continuous learning in all areas of the company is essential: “We are proud and take great responsibility in preserving the legacy of our founders while guiding Pechugón into the future, adapting to new technologies and market needs with promising projects."
Pechugón also uses K2B Tools Patterns technology: “With version K2B Tools 15, we discovered that the true magic of patterns lies in their ability to adapt to our specific needs. Using different templates, we were able to customize our processes to perfectly fit what our company requires at any given time, with the added bonus of improved visual appeal for the user. The use of K2B Tools patterns in organizational processes has transformed the way we work. Not only have we simplified and standardized our processes, but we have also gained agility and adaptability. Keeping up with the latest trends in this field has allowed us to remain competitive in a constantly changing market,” adds Roberto Verón, GeneXus Developer at Pechugón.
The origins of Pechugón date back to 1967 when spouses Blanca Talavera and Daniel Achille Ceuppensstarted their chicken breeding and selling business from a modest family shed in Capiatá, Paraguay.
Today, Granja Avícola La Blanca S.A. - Pechugón directly and indirectly employs more than 3,000 people, both in rural and urban areas. Their products are sold in various presentations, including fresh, frozen, bulk, boxed, whole, by pieces, boneless, seasoned, processed, and more.
For their trajectory and contributions to society, they have received various awards and recognitions, including the "Marca País" License Certificate from REDIEX Paraguay and the FSSC 22000 Food Safety Certification, allowing them to export their products to more than 30 countries. They have also been awarded Employer of the Year 2024 and >Top Seller 2024 by the Paraguayan Supermarkets Chamber (Capasu), as well as Exporter of the Year 2024 for the ninth consecutive year. They have also emerged as leaders in the chicken category in the Top Of Mind 2024 for thirteen consecutive years, achieving 52% of mentions in this category.
Under the "Pechugón" brand, they market their products both nationally and internationally, reaching more than 30 countries, including China, Russia, Albania, Angola, Bahamas, Benin, Cape Verde, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Kuwait, Liberia, Maldives, Mozambique, Republic of the Congo, Sierra Leone, Singapore, Togo, and Vietnam.
With its exponential growth came technological challenges. In 2003, their IT systems were becoming obsolete, and they could no longer scale effectively to handle the complexity and volume of operations required by their global expansion.
“We needed the system to be available on the web and to continue using the IBM Power DB2 database. Of all the options available on the market, I chose GeneXus because it generates in the Java language for the Internet and is designed to integrate with the IBM AS/400. environment. Although our original language remains RPG, I never considered using GeneXus to generate in RPG. Instead, I chose to fully migrate to GeneXus, initially intending to abandon it. Over time, both languages naturally adapted, strengthening our system and increasing its reliability by working together," explains Jorge Caballero, Systems Manager at Pechugón.
GeneXus not only allowed Pechugón to modernize its technological infrastructure, but also to preserve and improve existing functionality while adapting to market demands. Today, nearly 500 users utilize Pechugón's Critical Mission System , which began 20 years ago with GeneXus 7.0 and remains up-to-date today with GeneXus 18, the most powerful version of GeneXus.
“I always opted to create programs for sectors that used languages in Windows environments with their own databases or still worked with manual paper processes. By migrating or developing programs in GeneXus Java, we managed to integrate operations, including the core accounting/financial in RPG. Thanks to GeneXus, we have been able to work in a web environment, take advantage of new technologies, scale our system, and generate applications for mobile environments with a quick learning curve. GeneXus developers can create applications in a known and efficient environment, allowing us to release and update products much faster than in other environments,” assures Caballero, who leads Pechugón's development department, comprising 12 Systems Analysts and 1 Area Manager.
For Blanca Ceuppens Talavera, the company's CEO, fostering a culture of constant innovation and continuous learning in all areas of the company is essential: “We are proud and take great responsibility in preserving the legacy of our founders while guiding Pechugón into the future, adapting to new technologies and market needs with promising projects."
With the Power of K2B Tools
Pechugón also uses K2B Tools Patterns technology: “With version K2B Tools 15, we discovered that the true magic of patterns lies in their ability to adapt to our specific needs. Using different templates, we were able to customize our processes to perfectly fit what our company requires at any given time, with the added bonus of improved visual appeal for the user. The use of K2B Tools patterns in organizational processes has transformed the way we work. Not only have we simplified and standardized our processes, but we have also gained agility and adaptability. Keeping up with the latest trends in this field has allowed us to remain competitive in a constantly changing market,” adds Roberto Verón, GeneXus Developer at Pechugón.
About Granja Avícola La Blanca S.A. - Pechugón
The origins of Pechugón date back to 1967 when spouses Blanca Talavera and Daniel Achille Ceuppensstarted their chicken breeding and selling business from a modest family shed in Capiatá, Paraguay.
Today, Granja Avícola La Blanca S.A. - Pechugón directly and indirectly employs more than 3,000 people, both in rural and urban areas. Their products are sold in various presentations, including fresh, frozen, bulk, boxed, whole, by pieces, boneless, seasoned, processed, and more.
For their trajectory and contributions to society, they have received various awards and recognitions, including the "Marca País" License Certificate from REDIEX Paraguay and the FSSC 22000 Food Safety Certification, allowing them to export their products to more than 30 countries. They have also been awarded Employer of the Year 2024 and >Top Seller 2024 by the Paraguayan Supermarkets Chamber (Capasu), as well as Exporter of the Year 2024 for the ninth consecutive year. They have also emerged as leaders in the chicken category in the Top Of Mind 2024 for thirteen consecutive years, achieving 52% of mentions in this category.