How Industry 4.0 transforms the production of agricultural machinery in Brazil

The concept of Industry 4.0 has been discussed for years and, little by little, it has become part of the reality of the job market. One of the sectors that most feels the impact of the fourth industrial revolution is the automotive industry. The use of data and automation in the manufacturing of vehicles and machines is already in operation, with efficiency gains for companies attentive to innovations.

In the agricultural machinery segment, some tools are fundamental for the development of high-performance tractors. Industry 4.0 is present in all stages of equipment production, with benefits for safety, profitability, quality verification, assembly and worker well-being.

AGCO has equipment and a production line that meets Industry 4.0 standards. One of the main examples of technology that helps AGCO's production process, smart glass is incorporated into factories and is used in machine maintenance checklists and in the quality check stage of monoblocks, a structure that includes the front and rear axles, the transmission and engine.

With smart glass, the person responsible for quality control receives a series of information on the screen that appears above the field of vision, which facilitates the operation. In addition to ensuring efficiency in carrying out work, the glasses provide increased productivity, as operators no longer need to be between the computer and the component. The smart glass also allows you to take photos and send the records to quality engineers instantly.

Another tool available in factories is the AGV (acronym in English for Automatically Guided Vehicle). It is a robotic, self-driving platform that performs work that was previously done manually. With the AGV, a route is programmed and the robot is responsible for transporting the monoblock around the plant. The use of AGV enables the assembly of more complex models and provides workers with greater agility, comfort and work safety, as the transport of heavy materials is carried out in a more controlled manner.

The benefits of Industry 4.0 can be proven not only in the manufacturing of products, but end consumers themselves can see the impact of innovations during the purchasing experience. In the agricultural machinery market, for example, the Dyno system accurately simulates the quality level of equipment operating in the field before delivery to the farmer.

Tangible results like these have transformed, through Industry 4.0, factories into large hubs of intelligence and technology, where all devices are designed to provide gains in production and efficiency. All of this allows us to affirm that the application of this high volume of technology at the initial stage of machine development will certainly be reflected in the final stage, offering a more efficient, economical and sustainable operation to farmers across the country.

By Alexandros Aravanis, operations director AGCO South America