Press

Challenger at Agritechnica 2009

05/10/2009

AGCOMMAND telemetry puts managers in complete control.

All Challenger machines, new or existing, sister brands and competitor machines can be equipped with AGCOMMAND to provide various level of information for a fleet management system.

“With AGCOMMAND there is a continuous link between machines and the office or even suitable mobile devices. Customers using the system can obtain information about machine position, past locations and field tracks as well as monitor machinery and staff performance,” says Challenger’s Philipp Kamps.

“It will also inform owners and managers about machinery service intervals and flag potential problems. All the data is recorded to common standards so it can be used by farm management software to create precise records and, for example, calculate operating costs.”

The system will also have the unique ability to allow managers and operators to view AGCOMMAND information on mobile devices as well as upload information recorded on these, such as GPS location co-ordinates, text messages, voice recordings and even photographs.

Systems installed with farmers and contractors during the development period are already providing enormous benefits. One application specialist using Challenger Terra-Gators reports savings of about $1,800/day by reducing filling, mixing and transport time. Employing the system also provides the significant advantage of using a ‘Geo-Fence’ to alert owners if the machine leaves a specific area.

How AGCOMMAND works:
Data on the vehicle’s position is located by GPS satellite and this, along with operating data on the CANbus, is recorded by an Asset Manager data logger. This also transmits the information by a standard mobile phone SIM card, via the GSM network to AGCO’s central computer server.

The operating data is then made available on a special secure website, www.myagcommand.com. Individual users’ data is protected by a username and password and is accessed simply through a secure internet connection on a PC or, uniquely, a mobile device.

AGCOMMAND puts all operations on screen
When users log-in to their specific pages the Back Office shows the separate location of the entire fleet on Google Maps in real time. Zooming into particular items and by ‘hovering’ the cursor over the machine icon shows an Instant Report card, which lists the type, model and brand of machine. It also indicates whether machine is working or not, it’s actual position (as co-ordinates and address) engine hours, current speed and even compass heading.

This allows owners to quickly and accurately locate the exact position of the entire machinery fleet, which enhances management as well as security. Indeed, inertial sensors in the Asset Manager data logger also detect if the machine is moving with the ignition switched off, which could indicate it’s been stolen. This can be set to send an alert to the owner’s mobile device and computer.

Instant machine positioning and performance monitor
Machine performance can be monitored using various efficiency and running cost reports, again on an office PC or mobile. For example, this could show a graph that analyses the time a machine was parked (off), headland turning, in transport, working or stopped (idling).

AGCOMMAND will be available in four levels. These build into an unrivalled machine and labour monitoring and management system, allowing owners and managers to improve performance, prevent down-time, improve servicing and to create and transmit tasks.

Operators can also alert owners and managers to problems by uploading messages, photographs of problems or any other information via mobile devices. This has the advantage of not only providing the manager with an instant report, but also the vehicle’s exact location.

Simplified, accurate machinery and labour management
AGCOMMAND will offer owners and managers access to an unrivalled amount of information with which to manage and monitor the performance of machinery and labour.

It also has inherent safety and security features to track and restrict machinery movements to a specific location. A simple ‘Geo-Fence’ or ‘virtual boundary’ can be set up for individual machines, which provides an alert if it leaves or enters that area. As well as improving security, this ensures a sprayer, for example, is working in the correct field as well as help to improve turn-around times.

Regular servicing can be tracked and planned using the Back Office, with text or emails being sent automatically to addresses to alert operators that maintenance is due. This helps reduce downtime and ensures equipment is maintained on schedule.

In the future, managers are also able to generate job plans on the office PC and transmit these, maps and instructions direct to the machine. Operators simply select the task from the list and the application runs automatically, according to the treatment map.

Ready-made reports
The Back Office facility will provide a comprehensive list of more than ten ready-to-use reports to help analyse, manage and control costs.
These include:

• Engine time
• Machine performance – measures the productive work
• Machine comparison – compares performance of different machines
• Machine Operating costs – puts actual figures to machines and tasks
• Operating cost trends – view costs over a period of time to help, for example, plan replacement policy
• Machine activity – reports on what machines and operators have been doing
• Operator trends – track the performance of individual operators over time
• Field machine use – summary of machine operations and costs in a field
• Field harvest report – summary of harvesting operation including yield (t/ha) and total output
• Field machine trends – track machine operations and costs over an extended period of time