For harvesting to be efficient, the entire transport chain from field to storage must run without delays. Optimal loading of all the equipment involved in harvesting is critical to achieving profitability. The Fendt Logistic app makes it possible to minimize empty runs and downtime for both the harvesting equipment itself and the vehicles hauling the harvest away from the field.
Achieving rational and efficient coordination of equipment requires having all the information available, in particular on the fill level of the transport vehicles involved, as well as the location of every other element in the loading chain. As soon as one vehicle reaches its maximum load level, the next one immediately takes its place. The whole scheme must function regardless of each specific machine’s brand and configuration. In this case, all the equipment involved in harvesting must be united into a single chain.
To implement this task, the Fendt Logistic app was developed, which works independently of the equipment’s characteristics. A self-learning algorithm recognizes recurring situations and can offer increasingly accurate shipping forecasts for each case.
In practice, it works like this: all drivers install the Fendt Logistic app on their smartphones or tablets, enter their user data, and select a role – harvesting-equipment driver or transport-vehicle driver. The enterprise manager or the person responsible for hauling cargo can create an order, specifying the key data: the field being worked, the equipment being used, or the type of harvest storage (unloading station, warehouse, elevator, etc.). Just like the drivers, they also receive, together with the app, a map of the field being worked, the location of all the machines involved, navigation data, and a classification of the equipment in use. The combine driver, in turn, can use the call function to signal the nearest transport vehicle or direct it to a specific point and have it wait there.
In addition, the app allows the person responsible for hauling cargo to adjust the amount of equipment in use directly during harvesting. They receive a notification if a combine is forced to stop because a transport vehicle isn’t on site, or if a transport vehicle cannot unload at the elevator because of a windrower’s operation. All participants in the chain can communicate with each other in a chat and receive push notifications about significant events, such as traffic jams, detours, or accidents. A placed order is closed by the person responsible for hauling cargo or by the combine driver. The order tab displays the area processed and the time spent.
The Fendt Logistic app is offered both for smartphones and tablets (on the Android and iOS platforms) and for PCs. Some selected enterprises and contracting organizations will be able to try it out in test mode during the 2018 corn harvest.
