SENSING TECHNOLOGY

For the precision farmer, Moisture = Money.  The combine moisture sensor, or “harvest monitor”, is a device used to measure the moisture content of the crop during the harvesting process.

Challenge

• Quality issues, arising from Dealer field repair process utilizing an array of service components.
• Cost issues to both the end user farmer and the OE Dealer.
• Reduced revenue to both the farmer and the OE Dealer.

Goals

• Ensure the OEM quality of the moisture sensor and warrant with OEM “new” part warranty.
• Lower the average cost to both the farmer and the dealer.
• Raise the average margin to the dealer through a single consolidated product offering.
• Aid in ensuring the farmer revenue is not hindered by the equipment solution.
• Provide an end to end supportable product platform for the OEM.

Solutions

• Eliminate potential failure modes by consolidating the service components into a singular product offering and ensure “new assembly” quality tolerances and calibrations were in place.
• Streamlined production process and materials sourcing, to ensure product offering is cost competitive.
• Average margin to the OE Dealer is enhanced via singular product, singular price scenario.
• Product is supportable to OEM through Ciona materials management and forecasting.

Results

• Single product offering, utilizing the new production quality standards and calibrations, has eliminated the loss of revenue to the end user farmer.
• Single product offering has lowered the average cost to the farmer and the OE dealer as the service model is now removed.
• Warranty rate on the new units is less than 2%.