Agrifac is a pioneer in agricultural technology with innovative sprayers and beet harvesters. A quintessentially Dutch company that is gaining international fame with its technology. What Audi and Tesla mean for innovations in the automotive world, Agrifac means for innovations in agriculture.
The relationship between Sentech and Agrifac dates back to the very beginning of Sentech. Over the years, Sentech has become Agrifac's R&D partner for sensor technology in its high-end agricultural machinery.
The goal is to continuously add functional innovations to the equipment. This has already led to several successful sensor solutions, enabling farmers worldwide to cultivate their fields more efficiently.
Agrifac wants to reduce the ecological footprint of the world population.
Agrifac CTO Martijn van Alphen on Agrifac: “Agrifac wants to help its customers, farmers and contractors, achieve higher yields from agricultural land with innovative agricultural sprayers and beet harvesters. We are aware of the growing ecological footprint of the expanding global population and want to help reduce that footprint.”
The technological possibilities are there, but Argifac still sees a large gap between current agricultural yields and the potential for increasing them. “With innovative field sprayers, we offer the technological capability to achieve higher yields with less crop protection. The field sprayers are developed according to the ‘4e for growers’ concept. Efficiency, economy, ergonomics, and ecology are leading in our development processes. This gives us a global lead in innovation and technology,” according to the CTO.
This is how Agrifac contributes to the sustainability of agriculture and can help farmers continue to meet the growing demand for food.
Agrifac field sprayers: innovation with Hall sensors
The Steenwijk-based company develops and manufactures a wide range of high-end field sprayers for farmers and contractors in Europe, North America, Australia, and New Zealand. Quality and reliability of all machine components are crucial.
Agrifac CTO Martijn van Alphen explains that sensor technology plays a significant role in agricultural sprayers. “Until we connected with Sentech, we used standard Honeywell sensors for various functions.”
It was Rob Pieters, account manager at Sentech, who contacted Agrifac thirteen years ago. That turned out to be the start of a fruitful collaboration that has led to several concrete sensor solutions for agricultural sprayers.
Van Alphen: “However, we are currently also working on projects with Sentech to add new functionalities to our sprayers with innovative sensor technology.” Sentech thus makes a significant contribution to the innovations in Agrifac's field sprayers.
Sensors in production: low-pressure sensor and Hall sensor
Currently, two types of sensor assemblies are supplied for the agricultural sprayers. Van Alphen: “We use a low-pressure sensor that measures the level of the clean water tank; a sensor that we also want to use in the fuel tank.”
Pieters adds, “This is an assembly of a sensor and housing, which is simply off the shelf. The principle here was: if it doesn't need to be difficult, you can effectively make use of standard sensor products.”
That's a different story for the angle sensor of the extendable boom of the agricultural sprayer. Van Alphen: “We wanted to move towards fully automated boom extension. And it had to happen a lot faster. This required replacing the angle sensor that monitors the boom extension. The sensor development based on Hall sensor technology is nearly complete and is becoming an off-the-shelf option for Agrifac.”
Pieters indicates that this has become a special. “The development went smoothly, but it still took two years before the first machine could be equipped with it. That's not about the number of hours.”
Van Alphen: “It took a while to assess and test whether Sentech's idea was practical. Now, a few years later, it turns out to be a great solution.”
Sentech proactively addressed the problem that a loose angle sensor or other issues with the boom could not be detected. Van Alphen: “The challenge was to have a sensor that signals a defect in the boom. When rapidly extending the boom, you want to be sure that everything is working. The hall sensor, which detects problems in time, prevents the boom from incurring (more) damage during extension.”
The sensor solution developed by Sentech ensures that the overall function of the agricultural sprayer becomes more reliable.
Customer focus is paramount
When asked about Van Alphen's view on Sentech's position, he responds: “Sentech is an R&D partner in the field of sensor technology and is absolutely unique in this regard in the Netherlands and Europe! We are currently collaborating on new promising sensor technologies, which we want to integrate into our agricultural sprayers in the future.”
Collaborating and innovating with Sentech is very pleasant according to the CTO. “We gain new insights and discover possibilities that we couldn't have come up with on our own. Sentech helps us to realize our mission.”
Pieters reacts: “That's nice to hear. I often compare us with other competitors. Sentech is truly progressive in many things, but you don't really want to say that about yourself. That sounds arrogant. There is a kernel of truth in it. Most sensor suppliers start from their product range; ‘do we have this and does it fit?’ Sentech starts from a customer's measurement and control needs and then looks for or develops the most optimal sensor solution for them.”
Numbers don't matter to Sentech in this regard. “The added value of our company lies in adding sensor knowledge and technology to machines, vehicles, and installations. Additions that make a product better and more reliable. Sentech proactively seeks solutions and opportunities for improvement.”
Sentech does not trade in standard sensors and does not compete on price. “We want to deliver added value. It doesn't matter to us if a customer buys one hundred or a thousand. They always receive the same service and commitment. The importance is just as great for every company. The fact that these interests are not only financial is evident from our collaboration with Agrifac. It is wonderful to be able to contribute to innovations in agriculture and to a solution for the growing demand for food.”
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