Vision of Claas
Big data is indispensable for the farmer of the future
The theme of the Sima show in Paris this year was 'Being a farmer in 10 years'. Machine manufacturer Claas gives a preview of how they envision this and what the company is already doing to make data available to machine users.
Claas has long been committed to data and was one of the first to implement telematics in its machines. In the coming decades it will continue to revolve around tractors, combine harvesters and forage harvesters on agricultural and contracting companies, or so it thinks. What changes is the addition of smart technology, which makes it easier for the driver. Examples are automatic crop settings on the combine or a filling camera on the chopper.
Where the focus lies in the future is the cooperation between different machines. They can share information in one network. For example, for optimizing the logistics between tractors and combine or forage harvester. Claas has developed the Fleet View app for this. A kind of TomTom for tipper drivers.
Because the data network is improving, it is also easier to exchange data between machines, Claas thinks. However, data from outside is also involved. That changes the way we work now. The farmer, contractor and dealer all use one system. The farmer sees what the contractor is working on, the contractor where his combine is driving and the dealer when spare parts are required.
A better world starts with yourself, so goes the saying. Claas therefore started with a 'digital agenda'. This means that all communication with customers takes place via the Claas Connect digital platform. License renewals, spare parts orders and used equipment inventory are all collected digitally in one place.
The German company also realizes that not every major manufacturer or full liner has to set its own course in the digital field. In 2014 it started E-Systems, in which all electronics solutions of the brand are bundled. In the autumn of 2017, that branch will move to its own premises in Dissen, Lower Saxony. 150 employees tinker with electronic systems there. It also cooperates with other manufacturers for this. For example with Trimble and Ag Leader in the field of GPS. The 365FarmNet management program, co-initiated by Claas, is now widely supported by German manufacturers. It will also be available in France from this year. In the Netherlands, it is still probing the market.
There is a lot of talk about data ownership these days. Claas states that all data is owned by the customer, regardless of the source. According to Joachim Stiegemann, head of product management at E-Systems, it is one of the core issues that data must meet in order to be future-proof.
Claas has more than ten years of experience with telematics. Today it comes standard on all Axion 800 and 900 Series tractors, Xerion, Lexion and Tucano combines and Jaguar forage harvesters. There are three levels: basic, advanced and professional. They differ in options and price. In the future, each machine will have its own SIM card ex works, which will work in all EU countries. All machine functions and diagnoses can be read via Telematics and the app. The most luxurious package offers live monitoring of the machines and the possibilities to compare data with each other. An additional option for all levels is to document at field level. Each plot then receives all machine data (fuel consumption, harvested tons, time, etc) bundled in an Isoxml file.
The next step is that not only tractors and harvesters have Telematics, but also implements. Claas calls this TONI (Telematics On Implements). The Quadrant large square baler and Cargos dual purpose trailers already have this. It is in consultation with Amazone, Horsch and Lemken to allow tractor and implement to 'talk' to each other and thus to collect valuable data.
Niels van der Boom
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