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Krone's new testing facility at Lingen.
German manufacturer Krone has opened a new testing facility at its Lingen site.
The Future Lab complex, built in just under a year at a cost of €20million, covers around 30ha and houses 30 staff.
It will be used as a validation comples to allow the company to test machinery, but also to prove supplier componentry before it is installed into Krone products.
On-site, a 4,000 square metre building houses three large-scale test benches - two for servo-hydraulic testing and another to monitor performance levels.
There are also facilities to test components, sub-assemblies, electronic systems and software applications.
A further department is available to test transmissions - particularly conducting 'lifetime usage' evaluations. This is before these are incorporated into products such as the Big X foragers, Big Pack balers and the recently released Premos pellet harvester.
Making the most of the latest energy saving technologies, the building features solar panels for electricity generation.
The indoor facilities are complemented by a 1.1km test track that offers gradients up to 18% that will be used for driving tests, homologation procedures and software validation.
"The facility will provide us with excellent opportunities to explore the industry's rapidly emerging technologies, such as autonomous driving strategies," says Krone Group chair Bernard Krone.
In other Krone news, following on from the Big X 480, 530, 580 and 630 models being configured to a 3.0m transport width as far back as 2013, the larger 680, 780, 880 and 1180 models are to follow suit, courtesy of a new 680/80 R38 front tyres option.
Compatible with all types of headers, using the optional transport running gear for the XCollect maize header, all Big X models now stay within the bounds of maximum permissable axle load ratings, according to the company.
Global tyre manufacturer Michelin has extended its agricultural trailer tyre range, with the introduction of its new WorkxBib series, designed for tipping trailers, slurry tankers and manure spreaders.
Following the record-breaking success of its hydrogen-powered Hydromax, JCB is ramping up its investment in the business, key to the first major change at the executive level of the business, with George Bamford stepping up to the post of joint chairman, alongside his father Lord Bamford.
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Massey Ferguson has announced a strategic supply partnership with International Tractors Limited (ITL), a manufacturer of low-horsepower and compact tractors, with recognised brands such as Sonalika and Sollis, to expand its portfolio with a new tractor range.
With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
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