Weather update GPS technology
'Choice of GPS system crucial for entrepreneur'
The mechanization world sees the number of GPS systems that are ordered ex works is increasing rapidly; sometimes under pressure from the 'full-liner shelf', who want to see everything at farmers (AB line to harvester) in their color. If it is up to Vantage Agrometius, the customer will retain its independent position. "It is crucial for your company."
Vantage Agrometius started importing GPS systems from Trimble about 15 years ago. Since then, the number of products has increased considerably. In addition to Pessl moisture sensors, the Veris soil scanner and the AgroSpin rtk correction signal, it will also have Müller terminals from 1 July. It also develops its own products, such as the online portal Taskcard.nl, but also hardware (such as LogMaster and YieldMaster) on harvesters.
interchangeability
"Our sales network extends over the Benelux and Germany. We have 3 branches with a total of 75 employees," explains Maarten van Kampen, marketing manager at Vantage Agrometius. "In our team, 5 employees are continuously working on R&D. They develop new techniques, but also ensure interchangeability with other brands. We want to be and remain the independent precision agriculture specialist. A Dutch farmer or contractor has so many brands in his yard. technology that suits him. That could be a field sprayer from Agrifac, a tractor from John Deere and a planter from Miedema. Ultimately, those machines have to talk to each other to make precision farming possible."
The full liners have been on the rise in the last decade. They buy up machine manufacturers to deliver everything in 1 color scheme. However, John Deere does not venture into planters or onion seeders. Third-party machines are therefore always present. According to Vantage Agrometius, it is a reason to choose an independent platform: Task card. Over there wrote we talked about before.
Not enough attention
Van Kampen: "As good as the purchase of a tractor is considered, it is just as bad when buying a GPS system. Buying a system ex works is tempting, because it looks cheap and looks good. Everything is integrated "We only have to draw an AB line." In practice, we see that companies invest quickly. The new tractor is equipped with GPS ex works, but that does not talk to the forage harvester. The data is not exchangeable. choosing a system is therefore crucial for your business operations. If not now, then perhaps in a few years' time."
The company also notes that systems are sometimes sold under false pretenses or by uninformed representatives. This turns out to be a cat in the bag afterwards. The company therefore advocates in the first place a brand-independent system that works in all cabins. Trimble works with Android for that, so it's always universal. "If we go one step further, the separate terminal may well be a thing of the past and it will only be about the software," reports Van Kampen. "We can already see this happening in new cars. We can also bring old machines up to date with Müller technology. For example, the application rate can be adjusted with Isobus on almost any tool."
Support
You should not only think carefully about generating data. Storage and processing also require attention, according to the company. Treat it just like your product, is their motto. "You have to store it properly, sort it and deliver it. That's why it creates their Task Card platform. As with all technology, it stands or falls with the right support."
Vantage Agrometius hopes to play an important role on this front as well; certainly at mechanization companies that do not have the knowledge themselves. "For the 'cultivation' part, we work together with various advisers. We take on the technical issue, because the cultivation adviser usually has little feeling for this," explains director Dennis Nijland. "We see that more and more mechanization companies come to us for support. We have an extensive helpdesk in Utrecht. So we are much more than just Trimble. We want to communicate that. We offer a solution for everything, regardless of the brand."
Niels van der Boom
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