In agriculture today, just as was the case 1,000 years ago, wind speed and direction are always decisive factors for the successful application of seeds and fertilizers. A farmer obviously does not cultivate their field in a full-blown storm. But up to what wind speed is it possible to engage in spreading? And what kind of gritting materials are needed? Fine granules? Only coarse granules? In our blog interview we find out how the renowned agricultural machinery manufacturer RAUCH from Sinzheim found an easy-to-use solution for farmers – in combination with Trotec and our BA16WP vane anemometer.
RAUCH, the agricultural machinery manufacturer, had an idea that is as ingenious as it is simple: Given that wind speed is decisive for the efficient spreading of agricultural materials, farmers themselves should be equipped with the tools to accurately measure prevailing wind speeds. All they need to do is connect the tried and tested RAUCH app “Fertilizer Chart”, which gives clear setting recommendations for combining RAUCH machines with respective fertilizers; to a suitable wind measuring device, such as the BA16WP vane anemometer from Trotec.
To find out if it really was that easy, we talked to Trotec product managers Harald Frank and Tobias Himmel from RAUCH Electronics Development and IT project manager Lars Michalsky from Neusta mobile solutions.
Trotec blog: Mr Himmel, the agricultural machinery manufacturer RAUCH may not be familiar to all readers of this blog. Perhaps you’d like to address that…
Himmel: With pleasure. RAUCH Landmaschinenfabrik has existed as a family business in Sinzheim near Baden-Baden since 1921, and is now in its 5th generation. From the very beginning, the company has specialised in the development and manufacture of fertiliser spreaders, and has provided revolutionary innovations in the process: for decades, our company’s solutions have been awarded gold and silver medals at Agritechnica, the world’s largest agricultural technology trade fair in Hanover, time and time again. In 1984 we were the first manufacturer ever to offer electronic fertiliser dosing for example. From then right up to the RAUCH app it’s actually a fairly straightforward path ….
Trotec blog: Now we’re on the topic: Mr. Himmel and Mr. Frank, you are both responsible for the implementation of Trotec’s BA16WP wind speed sensor in the RAUCH app. This gives farmers clear setting recommendations for the combination of machine and respective fertilizers. How did this cooperation come about?
Himmel: We came up with the idea of adding the ‘wind speed’ function to our RAUCH app. We then presented the finished concept last November at the Agritechnica in Hanover. For this showcase, however, we still used the connection to other wind-measuring sensors than those from Trotec.
Frank: I guess we had a lot of difficulties implementing our competitors’ products in the RAUCH app. In the end, we contacted one another quite classically, with a business partner inquiry. As a manufacturer of measuring devices, Trotec aren’t starting from scratch. They’ve been successfully offering high quality solutions for years – always in a highly competitive environment.
Trotec blog: We have an expert on the topic present: IT project manager Lars Michalsky from Neusta mobile solutions – responsible for the integration of wind measurement on behalf of RAUCH and developer of the existing app. In your opinion, what was the problem with the embedding?
Michalsky: Actually we tested products of different competitors and checked them with regard to the requirements. But with no satisfactory result! Those tests were afflicted with product problems without exception, and never met the desired quality standards. Required software libraries were either non-existent, faulty or very outdated.
Frank: Luckily, thanks to our in-house software engineers, we at Trotec have all the necessary skills to program the required software quickly and in a customized way, i.e. exactly to the customer’s needs.
Michalsky: I can only emphasise that: The preparatory work, i.e. the programming of the interface library by the Trotec, was really top-notch! Their developers designed and implemented the software in less than two weeks. Respect! Using the interface library and the sample software provided, we were able to integrate the commissioned extension to the app seamlessly and without any problems – the entire subsequent integration of the Trotec sensor into the RAUCH app went very smoothly. The final validation and acceptance of the finished function by RAUCH was then completed.
Trotec blog: Good, but Mr. Himmel, how exactly does our BA16WP vane anemometer work in the RAUCH application?
Himmel: Well, it’s just as simple as we wanted it to be from the start. The user – usually farmers themselves- stand in the field to be fertilized and select the feature ‘WindMeter’ in the RAUCH app. Manual pairing is a thing of the past – as the vane anemometer is then switched on, the smartphone automatically connects to the device via Bluetooth. The display shows a three-step indicator similar to a traffic light, with either green, amber or red indicating which spreading materials can be spread at the locally measured wind speed. The wind speed at right angles to the direction of travel is of course decisive. This is because cross wind is the greatest danger for a potentially false spreading pattern.
Trotec blog: This means, gentlemen, that you are completely satisfied, both in terms of the cooperative partnership between the three companies involved and also because the result is completely in line with your wishes. So could we call this a win-win-win situation
Frank: A win-win-win situation indeed – after all, it‘s RAUCH customers who will benefit from Trotec’s newly implemented wind gauge.
Trotec blog: …and they will also be happy because in future they will be able to reliably determine how fast the wind really whistles over their fields. Thank you all for the informative conversation!
Trotec – always open for good ideas
RAUCH’s business partner enquiry proves once again how uncomplicated and at the same time profitable it is for other companies to work with Trotec. As a manufacturer of high quality measuring devices, our company fulfils its responsibility in the search for the best, the fairest and the most sustainable solutions, just as it does in its capacity as a successful manufacturer of machines for climate optimisation. Test our products, give us a challenge – and simply call us on +49 2452 962-400. You can also reach our team at the email address online-uk@trotec.com
