Manufacturing Magazine August 2018 | Page 64

KUHN KRAUSE
64

D igitisation is transforming businesses across the globe – and the agriculture sector is no exception .

With the world ’ s population mushrooming , consumer demands changing , and commodity prices becoming more volatile , the agriculture sector is being pushed beyond traditional business models into the digital age .
With 100 years ’ experience in manufacturing farm machinery , Kuhn Krause is a melting pot of traditional agricultural values and technological innovation .
It is perhaps this unique perspective which has thrust the American firm into the spotlight as one of the leading agriculture and farm machinery manufacturers in the market today . “ No matter what segment of the agricultural industry we ’ re in , our mission is to build the best equipment and deliver the best customer experience with that equipment ,” explains Marketing Director Curt Davis . “ That really comes from identifying and understanding the customer , understanding their needs and providing the equipment that solves the everyday problems many of the farmers face with their operations . “ This mindset helps us to create a differentiable product in the marketplace , so that when a customer hears about our equipment they will immediately say to themselves , ‘ This is the solution I ’ ve been looking for ’.
“ It ’ s all about the profitability , the time savings , the agronomic focus that we take in designing and building our machinery ,” he adds .
Looking forward , the digital agriculture market is expected to triple in size to $ 15bn by 2021 , according to PA Consulting .
With this in mind , Director of Operations , Eddie Smith , says he has seen a seismic shift in the way farmers operate . “ I think we ’ ve seen a dynamic change in the way farmers approach business ,” he explains . “ They ’ re no longer just trying to make a living for their families but are now increasingly looking towards more technical aspects of farming . “ I think they ’ re better educated . They ’ re business people and they run the farm more like a business . They have expectations that their fathers or their grandfathers didn ’ t have , and so they are looking to derive value . They ’ re looking for the latest and greatest technologies that can give them profitability .”
AUGUST 2018