Valtra Connect will soon be able to predict faults and other impending malfunctions in your tractor. The data transmitted by Valtra Connect will be analysed, and this data can then be used to plan any required maintenance. If the customer chooses, the system can also automatically request assistance from a local service centre.
Valtra Connect has for several years enabled tractor owners and their local service technicians to monitor tractor data remotely. In the near future, this data can also be analysed at the Machine Monitoring Center, where analytics will continuously process the data transmitted by tractors and identify any action that is required in advance.
“So far we have only reacted to visible faults, such as fault codes, but in the future it will also be possible to prevent a wide range of faults in advance. For example, a component that is about to fail can be changed during servicing before it actually does fail,” says Stephen Williams, Director, Technical Service Escalation Management.
The tractor’s sensors measure dozens and even hundreds of different variables, such as speeds, temperatures, pressures, operating hours, flows and so on. If the Machine Monitoring Center notices that a component is failing on the basis of its temperature, operating hours and pressure, for example, a message is sent to the local service centre.
“The nearest authorised Valtra service centre to the customer will receive a message explaining the suspected fault, instructions for fixing the fault, a list of the required components and an estimate of the time needed to make the repairs. This gives both the service centre and the customer the chance to agree on a suitable time to service the tractor,” Williams explains.
Testing complete, service to be launched at the end of the year
The new service has been tested among customers in real-life condit-ions throughout the summer and early autumn. The same system is already in use or being introduced for other AGCO tractors, harvesters and sprayers, so there is already a lot of practical experience with the service.“We will begin to introduce the service on Valtra tractors at the end of the year. The system is being developed all the time, so its ability to analyse data, detect possible problems in advance and provide service technicians with repair instructions is improving continuously. This development work is facilitated by the fact that we are able to utilise the same technologies in different AGCO products.”
Valtra Connect will soon be able to share tractor data not only between the owner and the local service centre but also with the Machine Monitoring Center, where advanced tools analyse the condition of the tractor. If any irregular data is detected that indicates an impending fault or malfunction, a message can be sent automatically to the customer’s local service centre.
No additional costs, hardware or software
The new service will be offered as part of Valtra Connect, so there will be no additional cost to customers. Similarly, no new hardware or software will be required. For existing Valtra Connect customers, accessing the service will be simple. Naturally, customers can also choose not to use the service.The data that is gathered can be used not only to service individual tractors but also to help develop current and future models.
