In 2014, MachineryGuide from Hungary entered the market with its solution for GPS-based tractor navigation. The niche product of the company was based on GPS application for tablets and smartphones, instead of a display designed and manufactured in-house. During the first decade, the company grew successfully with currently global coverage.
The company’s designers placed great emphasis on accuracy, as farmers expect economical solutions in terms of fuel consumption, spray and fertiliser output. This turned out well and as a result, the company’s turnover doubled almost every year. This success has encouraged the developers not only to keep the concept, but also to further improve the user-friendliness. Initially, the system could be used to perform large working width tasks, but in the meantime, hardware has been developed that can work to decimeter accuracy. And after the national correction network was set up, the system can now operate with an accuracy of two centimeters.
After the successful launch, Managing Director Zoltán Bertók of MachineryGuide, felt that the company’s portfolio should be broadened to offer potential customers a more complex service. Over time, the company also started retrofitting agricultural machinery with automation. Automation solutions for spraying and fertiliser application machines were therefore made much easier. Instead of a multitude of different operations, the operator just inserts the amount of spray or fertiliser to apply per hectare and the automation does the work.
The Hungarian company initially produced the products on its own, but in 2019 they signed an agreement with industry players who took over production. This allows MachineryGuide to concentrate exclusively on development, and as a result, most of their staff are developers and programmers. Distribution is two-way, selling to both end users and resellers. The company’s products are currently present in 25 countries around the world through distribution agreements.
One of the milestones in the company’s life is also linked to foreign relations: they produce custom-made equipment for a Danish fertiliser spreader manufacturer, and as a result of the cooperation, the company’s revenues have increased significantly. The next milestone was the launch of a proprietary automated steering system. The development took three years, but the end result has lived up to expectations. All the more so because they offered their own developments at a third of the price of most of the products of the companies on the market at the time.
Currently the focus of MachineryGuide is on research and development of universal products that can be produced in large numbers and brought to market. In addition, their focus is on spray technology, which is a key asset for the company.
