By Lynda Kiernan
Precision ag leader Raven Industries has accelerated its commitment to autonomous agriculture, and has acquired all remaining equity in DOT Technology Corp., a key player in autonomous platforms.
Headquartered in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, DOT is the developer of the “DOT Power Platform”, a U-shaped, autonomous diesel-powered platform that can accept a range of agricultural production implements.
Through its path planning technology, the platform is able to complete tasks autonomously, allowing farmers to more efficiently use their time, and save on labor. Integrating this with Smart Ag, an Iowa-based autonomy company that Raven acquired in November 2019, and Raven’s core technology platforms in guidance, steering, and machine control, will enable the delivery of cutting edge solutions, and to accelerate Raven’s long-term growth in applied technology. This mission is being realized through the commercialization of Raven Autonomy™, which will be expanding its portfolio with new offerings to rapidly increase the value of autonomy for end users.
“We see tremendous synergies between our current business and in the investments we have made in DOT and Smart Ag, an Iowa-based autonomy company which we acquired last November,” said Wade Robey, executive director, Raven Autonomy.
“We are very excited to be a leader in ag autonomy, and we are committed to working with our customers and partners to help bring these exciting new technologies to ag markets around the globe. Developing solutions for ag autonomy expands the total addressable market served by the Applied Technology Division by several billion dollars and positions the business for tremendous growth over the next several years.”
Raven states that as the demands of farming operations grow, and compliance requirements evolve and become more complex, the efficient use of resources becomes more critical. This deal, which is an extension of the company’s core offering of application and machine control platforms, will provide that ability to ag retailers and farmers.
Raven has been gaining strength and market position through tying-in and integrating with outside technologies. In May 2018 Raven announced its partnership with precision ag and data management solutions company Farmers Edge – uniting Raven’s precision agriculture hardware with Farmers Edge precision digital solutions and on-farm data points.
“Partnering these best-in-class technologies provides our customers with a powerful opportunity,” Brian Meyer, division vice president and general manager, Raven Applied Technology said at the time. “This collaboration will empower growers and ag retailers to do more with their data, making better decisions and, ultimately, increasing efficiency and improving yields.”
Lynda Kiernan is Editor with GAI Media and daily contributor to the GAI News and Agtech Intel platforms. If you would like to submit a contribution for consideration, please contact Ms. Kiernan at lkiernan@globalaginvesting.
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