Farmers spend more and more time on planning, organizing and documenting their work. FendtONE offboard is a digital solution for simple, individual work organization and documentation that complements the FendtONE onboard driver workstation. FendtONE offboard will keep expanding and gaining new functionality in line with customers’ evolving needs.
Farms come in very different structures. As a result, they face different challenges and cost factors. While operations with a large number of small plots have to spend a lot of time planning orders and handling paperwork, an operation with many employees needs more time for staff planning. In times of skilled-labour shortages, regulatory constraints and tight harvest windows, farmers need to use their time as efficiently as possible.
Rising costs for fuel, fertilizer and crop protection, as well as for staff, weigh on farms worldwide. On average, 45% of working time on an arable farm goes to productive machine-hours, and 15% to servicing and machine care (source: BB Göttingen operating-data assessment). That means 60% of working time is tied to the machine itself.
The remaining 40% of working time is mostly spent on organizational tasks, such as managing land parcels, planning orders that use machines and staff, and documenting field activity. This is exactly where FendtONE offboard comes in, cutting down that time with simple solutions.
Precise preparation saves time
When the weather allows the first fieldwork, lengthy preparation costs precious time. All the resources needed to build orders during the season can be set up before the season even starts. The “Team” function registers every employee at the operation. Each person can be assigned a specific role. Permanent staff might, for example, be allowed to create orders, while that might not apply to seasonal workers or trainees. The “Machines” function lets you keep organized records of tractors, implements and self-propelled machines along with their specifications. Operating materials such as fertilizer and crop protection products can be entered in advance. This preparation makes it easier to assign orders and saves time at the start of the season.
What’s more, if a machine already has data on the available field boundaries and guidance lines with an optimized working pattern, the trailer’s throughput is put to full use from the very first minute in the field. These can be checked in advance in FendtONE offboard and then sent directly to the driver in the machine via mobile connectivity. This way, areas are worked precisely and efficiently regardless of which machine is used, based on a single set of source data. If farmers additionally use smart technologies such as Fendt Guide navigation, Section Control (SC) or Variable Rate Control (VRC), this simultaneously reduces consumption of operating materials and increases profitability. These solutions unlock their full potential especially on highly variable terrain and soil conditions.
Less downtime and optimized machines in the field
Harvest chains are especially efficient when they run continuously. With FendtONE, downtime caused by running low on fuel or not knowing the terrain can be avoided. Farms with widely scattered or changing fields, as well as those with many machines or even rotating drivers, benefit from using the “Map+” function. The map shows machine locations, as well as fuel or AdBlue levels in real time, provided the tractor is fitted with Fendt’s basic telemetry package. Supplying machines in the field with operating materials such as fertilizer and diesel, or navigating unfamiliar terrain, happens quickly and as needed. The result: less downtime.
Smart technologies such as the navigation system, Section Control or Variable Rate Control in FendtONE onboard make it possible to use resources efficiently, significantly cut consumption of operating materials and, in doing so, can raise a farm’s profitability.
Orders straight from the office to the machine
Today, most farms coordinate work orders by phone or via chat apps. With the “Fendt Task Doc: Create order” function in FendtONE Offboard, work orders can be planned the evening before with just a few clicks and sent directly to the machine. At the start of the working day, all the information – about the machine and implement, the area to be worked, and the exact order details – is already stored on the machine. There’s no need to coordinate in person or by phone, so drivers can get straight to work. Another benefit: all the information is visible at a glance, so machines are loaded optimally.
As soon as an order is completed, it’s sent from the machine back to the office and appears there in the “Fendt Task Doc: Order reports” function. The report can be saved and later exported for documentation if needed.
Simple, fast documentation
Social and regulatory requirements around the careful use of resources and soil conservation keep growing. Along with that, the scope and requirements for documenting completed work, as well as fertilizing and crop-protection measures, keep increasing. This often happens at the end of, or after, the season. Order reports in FendtONE offboard already automatically include key information about each field, such as the area worked or the amount of material applied. Saved order reports can not only be stored, but also exported as a PDF. This information makes it easier to document work in line with applicable regulatory requirements and significantly cuts the time it takes. Farms without a farm-management system can start with digital documentation easily and intuitively using FendtONE. Farms with an existing system can complement it with the easy-to-use FendtONE Offboard solution.
Looking ahead, with continued improvement
FendtONE already records extensive machine data and makes it available to farmers. They, in turn, can use it as a basis for operational decisions and optimize their resources to match the farm’s needs. FendtONE offboard is continuously being improved. Thanks to new technologies and machines, the platform will keep expanding in terms of functionality and offer new capabilities, so it can keep providing customers with modern, efficient solutions.
FendtONE offboard will be available in the German, UK, French and Italian markets starting in the fourth quarter of 2022. The system will then be gradually rolled out to other markets.
