CNH Industrial global agricultural brands Case IH, New Holland, and premium European tractor brand STEYR, were awarded ‘Machine of the Year 2020’ titles for innovative machinery and technology by a jury of agricultural journalists at this year’s edition of Agritechnica, the world’s largest agricultural trade show currently underway in Hannover, Germany.
Case IH won the coveted title in the Hay and Forage category with its LB436 HD baler, which was recognized for its new design enabling farmers and contractors to create denser bales, thereby reducing handling requirements and transport costs. Its innovative twine knotter system, TwinePro, is designed to boost productivity while eliminating twin off cuts, ensuring zero forage contamination. This type of loop knot increases knot strength by up to 30%, for greater baling efficiency and productivity.
‘Machine of the Year’ was also awarded to New Holland’s BigBaler 1290 High Density, which was recognised for its technical innovation and the benefits it brings to customers, with selection criteria focusing on innovative features, performance, productivity, cost of operation, ease of use and operator comfort. The baler produces up to 22% denser bales when compared to a conventional large square baler, significantly increasing transport and bale handling efficiency. The model features award winning SmartShift™ gearbox technology with two-speed start-up to deliver smoother baler engagement, thereby protecting the tractor driveline.
In the electronics category, DataConnect won ‘Machine of the Year’ for the agreement recently entered into between Case IH, STEYR, New Holland, CLAAS, John Deere and 365FarmNet, which aims to enable global mixed-fleet customers to view their machine data in the platform of their choice. The participating brands have all agreed to enable cloud-to-cloud exchange of machine information (machine location, speed, fuel level, working status) in their respective telematics platforms.
