CNH Industrial N.V. (NYSE: CNHI / MI: CNHI) has launched the AGXTEND™ brand, focused exclusively on aftermarket precision farming technology solutions. AGXTEND™ will provide customers of CNH Industrial's agricultural brands, Case IH, STEYR and New Holland Agriculture, as well as those of competitor companies, access to exclusive productivity enhancing precision farming technologies, which will be of benefit throughout the entire cropping cycle.
AGXTEND™ is the first brand specializing in emerging precision farming and ISOBUS solutions in the agricultural industry to provide customers with comprehensive access to a range of breakthrough and dynamic precision farming solutions from strategic partner companies, shortening their time to market, and facilitating wide-scale adoption. CNH Industrial has undertaken extensive industry benchmarking, to ensure the product range represents the very best available on the market.
AGXTEND™ will significantly extend CNH Industrial's offering in the precision farming segment, and is a key step in the Company's transition from focusing predominantly on guidance solutions to encompassing the full range of precision solutions and connected services. Moreover, it is further evidence of CNH Industrial's commitment to facilitating the adoption of technologies which help drive agriculture forward.
CNH Industrial has developed a core initial offering of five products which focus on:
1) zero-chemical weed control, through the use of electro-herbicide technology;
2) real-time soil sensing systems which automatically adjust implement working parameters to deliver uniform tillage performance;
3) highly accurate near infrared and sensing systems providing real time crop data to enable the selection of the most efficient machine operating parameters;
4)a biomass sensing package which analyses actual plant condition to subsequently calibrate the application of fertilizer; and
5)the use of Internet of Things logic to combine a range of real-time weather sensor data to facilitate informed agronomic decision making.
The Company is committed to a significant and rapid expansion of the offering.
The AGXTEND™ range of products can be fully integrated into Case IH's AFS, STEYR's S-TECH and New Holland Agriculture's PLM existing precision farming platforms. Additionally, a full range of competitor tractors, harvesting equipment and implements will be able to use these solutions, providing technical compatibility criteria are met. These products are an important component of CNH Industrial's approach to Precision Farming Solutions, which empower customers to select the service or tool which is right for them and enable them to maintain control of their data with opt-in logic.
The AGXTEND™ products have the potential to significantly enhance the sustainability of agribusinesses through the resultant reduction in fuel consumption as well as the targeting of and eventual reduction in both fertilizer and crop protection products. Furthermore, the commercialization of innovative zero-chemical weed control through the precision use of electric pulses will substantially reduce a farm's environmental impact by providing an effective and more sustainable alternative to agrochemicals.
Customers will be able to purchase AGXTEND™ products and services from Case IH, STEYR and New Holland dealers. A phased rollout is foreseen throughout the first quarter of 2019 across the entire EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) Region and a full suite of services will be available, comprising pre-purchase assistance, training and ongoing support services to facilitate customers with the continual optimization of these products and technologies.
This latest digital agriculture agreement forms part of CNH Industrial's overall Precision Farming Solutions strategy.