Agritechnica – 2015: Edge of Tomorrow!
Over the time of its existence, this international trade fair has become for agricultural producers the starting point to the future. This year, 2,700 manufacturers from various countries exhibited their agricultural machinery and equipment. No doubt, Agritechnica today represents the global farming tomorrow.
The team of AgroCentre customers visited fifteen expositions of leading machinery and equipment manufacturers.
‘Agritechnica is probably the best opportunity to learn today what will be operating in the fields tomorrow’, says Dmitry Ivanov, Sales Director of AgroCentreZakharovo LLC. ‘We are happy that our customers are so progressive, they think of tomorrow and how to work more efficiently.’
As usual, the exposition of AGCO multi-brand corporation astounded the guests with the diversity as well as the size of the site and the scope of plans and offers of innovative solutions for Russian agricultural producers.
One of the most memorable models in the range of Single Disc air drills widely acknowledged in Russia is the Challenger 9830NT Series with the working width of nine metres.
‘We offer a different concept of a seeder’, says Aleksey Gushchin, Regional Sales Manager of AGCO-RM joint venture. ‘Its core feature is that unlike the other machines of this model range, this seeder has a seed tank installed on the frame and not behind the drilling mechanism, which adds maneuverability. The central element of the novelty, the Challenger single disc colter with a proven efficiency in quality seed embedding, has not been changed. As for the seed tank, it is one of the largest – 6,200 litres – among the machines of this category.’
The introduction of the new E Series track tractors became the most breathtaking moment for the guests. Next year already, the machines will hit the Russian market.
These innovations are presented by improved models of the globally acknowledged flagship MT800 C Series tractors unmatched in their performance and reliability. They are fitted with the 12-cylinder V-shaped AGCO Power engine with the 16.8 litre capacity ensuring a softer ride and fuel efficiency by means of improved workflow.
In Russia, the E Series will be available in three models with a rated output from 500 to 600 hp: МТ855Е, МТ865Е, МТ875Е. The machines will be fitted with the Tier 2 engines specially for the Russian market.
Fendt ‘knocked the socks off’ the Agritechnica audience by debuting the new 1000 Series tractor. This commercial tractor, 500 hp, is the only one worldwide featuring an unbreakable frame. No other tractor manufacturer has been able to design anything like that.
The creators of the Fendt 1000 Series tractors promised: these models will get on the Russian market in the second half of the next year.
‘We keep on improving our tractors’, says Aleksandr Tsaytler, Regional Fendt Sales Manager in the Eastern Europe and the CIS Countries. ‘The improvements in our unique Fendt VarioGrip Pro tyre pressure regulation system were awarded the Gold Medal of Agritechnica – 2015. Now, it takes 35 seconds to change the tyre pressure by 1 bar and not 3-4 minutes as it used to be.’
AGCO also announced to the customers of AgroCentre the debut of the new Massey Ferguson tractors with an output of 80-120 hp. According to the promises of the company specialists, these machines will come to replace the renowned local low-horsepower tractors. They do not conceal either that the machines are going to be 30% more expensive but also unrivalled in this segment in terms of comfort and reliability.
Further, the AgroCentre team headed for Vaderstadt booth to get acquainted with the new 16-row Tempo L precision planter. It should be noted that the 8-row Tempo planter was first introduced at Agritechnica – 2011, and its innovative PowerShoot seed placement technology, which still has no equivalents, made a real sensation proving that speed did not interfere with quality sowing. Back then, it also won the hearts of our producers. If only the size had not been too small for Russian fields.
‘Specifically for the scales of Russian producers, we designed this large 16-row model’, says Pavel Vilchinsky, Representative of Vaderstad. ‘With high planting speed (up to 18 km/h), the output of the Tempo L can be 260 ha/day, and it is more than the conventional 24 – row-crop planters can do’.
In addition, Vaderstad presented the Tempo V sugar beet planter, but the launch of this model is expected only in 2017.
The Spirit 900C planter caught interest of a number of guests. Models with the working width of 3 metres and 4 metres are already available on the market, but this 9-metre model is also designed to meet the specific needs of Russian farms. As all Vaderstad implements, the planter can run at a high speed of 18-20 km/h.
Besides, the new Spirit is equipped with the Automatic Crossboard – the system of automatic control and even distribution of harvest residues. It prevents the planter from raking up the vegetation residues. This function is very convenient for operators working nights in poor visibility conditions. Definitely for a reason, the system was awarded the Silver Medal of Agritechnica.
The exposition site of JCB celebrating its 70th anniversary this year was also looking forward to the guests coming.
Out of the JCB novelty range, the guests from AgroCentre were most interested in two models. The first one is the highest capacity JCB 560-80 Agri telescopic handler with a 5 m3 bucket. It is a perfect fit for big farms where handling heavy loads is very important.
The second one is the JCB 525-60 telehandler. There are no length or width limitations for it. It will access any cow barn, poultry shed or outbuilding with low ceilings and narrow gateways perfectly well. Moreover, the telehandler is equipped with a 2-metre pallet fork for transporting poultry containers.
‘In the nearest two years, we are planning to put extra focus not only on large but also mid-scale and small-scale farms’, comments Svetlana Petrova, Agricultural Equipment Business Manager in Russia. ‘So, such farms require a different productivity, and they have different financial possibilities. Today we introduce the JCB 526-56 telehandler with the maximum lift capacity of 3.6 tonnes and the maximum lift height of 5.6 metres. It is exactly what a Russian farmer needs.
The model is more compact and has a little less engine power as compared to its ‘elder brothers’ in the model line, but it has taken over absolutely all other features. The only difference is the gear hydraulic 80 l/ min pump, thanks to which the model is going to be more affordable. This telehandler will keep on saving your money even after sales. According to the research, the JCB 526-56 Agri consumes on average only 5 litres of fuel per hour.
Agritechnica – 2015 has appeared to be not only a review of state-of-the-art technical innovations, one could also feel a strong demand of the Russian agricultural producers for smart machines. A growing number of AgroCentre customers show interest in smart services such as E-control by Vaderstad or LiveLink by JCB enabling to monitor all performance parameters of a machine, control its state and operation.
In search for the machine intellect, the AgroCentre team dropped in at the booth representing NivaControl system. It is the first and the only system for control, monitoring and analysis of farming machinery operation designed specifically for the Russian agricultural industry. A number of agricultural producers commented after trying it that it is an excellent assistant in taking important production decisions and performing analysis of farm operation costs.
‘Agritechnica is a huge exhibition and the agricultural industry in miniature at the same time, it is a forecast of what is going to be relevant tomorrow’, says Vladimir Klementyev, Director of Agro-VVEK LLC (Chelyabinsk region). ‘The trip with AgroCentre has helped to sort out what is relevant in the global farming today, what machines and systems are of interest currently. It is also important that irrespective of the current geopolitical situation, nobody pushes Russia in the background, on the contrary, Russia is considered a promising agricultural producer and consumer of modern farming machinery. So, we will promote this trend.’