ISOBUS: how technology discussed in Europe is impacting Brazilian agribusiness

A unique language that talks to all the different brands of agricultural machinery. This is the objective of the universal protocol that standardised communication in the field. What began a decade ago with movement in central Europe has evolved and transformed the way tractors, implements and devices interact. In Brazil, the movement is becoming increasingly popular in agricultural machinery. This is what the experts at Hexagon's Agriculture division point out, a reference in the sugar-energy, forestry, and grain markets.

"The lack of compatibility between the different brands was a major problem for the sector. For example, if a single tractor had three solutions by different brands, it would be necessary to make different adjustments, which makes the process more complex. With ISOBUS, there is full compatibility of data transfer between systems and software, improving the optimization and automation of equipment," says Marcio Blau, Sales Director of Hexagon's Agriculture division.

Process optimisation is the constant challenge for agribusiness. The sector was the only one in the Brazilian economy that had a positive result in GDP for the first quarter. The value generated by the field was BRL 120 billion and, by the end of the year, with record harvests, crops should yield BRL 697 billion. For Fabio Neumann, Strategic Accounts Executive at Hexagon's agriculture division, the subject has begun to gain more relevance in Brazil recently. “We have been following this movement with the companies we serve outside the country and that hold this advanced process — such as Australia, South Africa and Europe — and we are noticing growth in the Brazilian domestic market. I believe that 20% of the equipment already has this technology coupled here in the country," he says.

With the dollar rising, the preference of companies, farmers and manufacturers is in the domestic industry. “We realised that, even with the record harvest, agribusiness is focusing more on optimising and improving its current equipment than buying a new one. Although the standardisation of communication in agricultural machinery is the trend of the sector, it is still very costly to have state-of-the-art tractors that already come with this system in Brazil. Therefore, our role is increasingly to bring embedded solutions that allow everyone to adapt to the market", Blau explains.

An example of these embedded solutions is HxGN AgrOn ISOBUS Display, a precision agriculture tool that ensures the performance of activities with efficiency, quality and in a more visual way to the operator, with a single screen to monitor. The system has two features: Universal Terminal (UT), which allows machines to operate an implement with any terminal and works with different accessories, and the Task Controller (TC), which records and provides information on operations. The HxGN AgrOn ISOBUS Display is also compatible with other Machine Automation solution products from the HxGN AgrOn platform.