The agricultural industry is constantly engaged in the constant development of productivity, also due to the increase in the world population. Furthermore, the number of people employed in the agricultural industry is continuously declining, while skilled labor is, in some regions, an increasingly rare commodity. As a result, many farmers, compared to workers in other sectors, are now forced to extend their working days.
The agricultural mechanization industry responds to this problem with various solutions, aimed at offering constant improvements both through the technology called precision farming , and through the optimization of agricultural machinery, making them more and more robotic and expanding their power range.
For CLAAS , investing and collaborating with the start-up AgXeed represents a further step towards the future, increasingly in the name of technological progress.
Advanced technology and extension of applications
Dutch start-up AgXeed offers an intelligent, sustainable and fully autonomous system with advanced hardware, virtual equipment planning and complete machine data; that is why it is one of the leading European companies in this sector.
Indeed the AgXeed not only offers the AgBot for fields, pastures and special crops, but also a complete set of connections for equipment. The purpose of these field robots, equipped with a diesel-electric motor, wheels or tracks, up to 156 hp and standard three-point hitch, is to assist farmers by performing a wide range of functions on their behalf.
“This agreement gives CLAAS access to the most innovative technologies in a known market segment and improves our automation and robotics skills,” explains Thomas Böck, CEO of the CLAAS Group . «On the other hand, AgXeed will benefit from the experience of the CLAAS Group in different sectors, for example data transfer, interfaces and traction systems. In our opinion it is a fruitful collaboration for both parties, and it is the reason why we decided to invest in this start-up, as well as the fact that AgXeed technologies are futuristic. From an economic point of view, this solution offers farmers and contractors an added value and will be available shortly. "
Soon on the market
"This kind of cooperation reflects exactly who we are for AgXeed ", adds Joris Hiddema co-founder of AgXeed BV "It means setting up futuristic alliances between innovative companies, hungry for sustainable agriculture, where farmers can optimize productivity while preserving the soil and the environment. In CLAAS we have found a partner who believes and shares our ideas on the future of agriculture and who will bring our solutions to farmers' fields ”.
AgBot, together with the software solutions and related platforms, will be launched on the market in 2022 and will represent an added value for customers.
The AgBot carries out the most monotonous and in some cases even the most dangerous tasks on behalf of farmers, leaving them more time to devote themselves to daily challenges. The ecosystem revolves more and more around centralized planning, based on the web and on analysis tools, through the optimized programming of driving and machine settings.
The optional 300 to 910 mm wide track, with a maximum weight of 6.0 t (without ballast), makes the AgBot ultra-soil-friendly. The track is adjustable in width, the lifting capacity up to 8.0 t. An electric PTO, independent of engine speed and high voltage external connections, are available as an option. The electrical equipment includes all the technologies necessary for the detection of faults and dangers, in addition to the RTK steering system.
AgBots will be launched in different formats and performance classes. Complementary solutions are currently under development.
