Exclusive: Trimble's Precision Ag Products Now Available From Independent Dealer Partners For All Makes and Models

Trimble's Darryl Matthews says as precision agriculture becomes even more complex, Trimble wants to help simplify it for farmers by allowing technology to be seamlessly available across all platforms today. 
Trimble's Darryl Matthews says as precision agriculture becomes even more complex, Trimble wants to help simplify it for farmers by allowing technology to be seamlessly available across all platforms today. 
(Farm Journal )

Trimble, a company known for its precision agriculture hardware and cloud-based applications, is updating its aftermarket distribution strategy, making it easy for farmers to access and adopt precision ag solutions.

Farmers' growing demand to have available technology for mixed fleets is aligned with what the company says is a long-lasting strategy to deliver precision ag technology to most brands and models of machines that are used on farms around the globe today.

Trimble uses multiple go-to-market approaches to access the agricultural market, including independent dealers and direct selling to enterprise accounts. A significant portion of aftermarket sales has historically been generated through CNH Industrial (CNH) to reach their affiliated dealer network.

As part of its distribution strategy, Trimble will directly manage and further build out all of its distribution channels to ensure better access, service, and support for its customers. Trimble’s mixed fleet aftermarket solutions, which deliver precision agriculture solutions for new equipment, as well as equipment already on the farm, will be available through these independent dealer partners, who are focused on selling the entire portfolio of Trimble-branded precision agriculture solutions.  

Farm Journal had the chance to talk exclusively to Darryl Matthews, senior vice president for Trimble, about the main drivers behind Trimble’s strategy change. Matthews says as precision agriculture becomes even more complex, Trimble wants to help simplify it for farmers by allowing technology to be seamlessly available across all platforms today. 

“A big challenge in precision technology is farmers are operating mixed fleets, and they want it all to be connected and all of it to communicate,” Matthews says. “Mixed fleets can also be an older tractor with a new implement, and you want all of it to be connected. A significant challenge for a farmer is that they cannot replace all of the equipment on the farm at once as technology progresses, but what they want is all of it to connect and work together in a unified environment.”

As farmers sort out their options in light of the challenges of adopting new technology on the farm, Matthews says Trimble is positioning itself to make that process more efficient for farmers while also focusing strongly on local expertise and knowledge. 

“Trimble's main objective in agriculture, construction and transportation is to apply technology to help customers do their work better, faster, safer, cheaper and greener. We've been doing that for a long, long time,” Matthews explains. 

Trimble leaders have identified a growing interest in local service on the technology side as farmers have expressed the need to work with local and independent technology providers who understand the challenges in their local environment. 

“They want someone that is brand agnostic in the work that they do, and they really want someone that can understand the complexity, but make it easy,” says Matthews. “Farmers tell us they want technology that they can push the button and go, helping them optimize and bring efficiency to the farm. We are evolving our strategy with our distribution partners and distribution to ensure that we can bring that brand-agnostic and mixed-fleet know-how to the farm.”

In the past, Trimble has worked with independent distribution partners as well as CNH Industrial. In the case of CNH Industrial, they offer their technology as factory fit, which means a farmer can order that technology on a new tractor. In contrast, Trimble’s precision products were also offered as aftermarket products under CNH brands. The aftermarket piece is what Trimble is changing. Trimble’s technology will now be offered via expanded and dedicated precision ag dealerships.

“We have notified CNH that we will be changing our distribution of aftermarket, and have given them 12 months’ notice that we will no longer be supplying aftermarket precision agriculture products through CNH corporate to reach their affiliated dealer network. The reason for the change is that we think it's critically important that we've got a dedicated channel that understands the complexity of the farm and has the ability to pull together mixed-fleet solutions as a brand-agnostic approach, so that the farmer can choose the best equipment for the job,” Matthews says.

“CNH Industrial has been a great partner in the ag technology space, and we look forward to continuing to work with them on factory-installed technology, as well as other ongoing projects,” Matthews adds.  

Trimble already has more than 100 of original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners to which Trimble supplies factory-fit technology. Now, in addition to all the OEM locations, the company will continue expanding the aftermarket Trimble distribution network.

“What a Trimble dealer is doing is saying to farmers that they can choose the best equipment for the job. Our job is to combine all that technology and tie it into one unified, mixed fleet, interoperable technology base that you can utilize and find easy to use,” Matthews explains. 

Trimble technology is used today in many geographies despite the crop, farm size or growing season. And now, with a reinforced brand-agnostic approach, farmers can use Trimble’s products on a broad range of equipment and implements, regardless of the brand and model. 

“This means farmers have more freedom to choose the brand of equipment that better suits their needs, yet they have local support, have someone that is a technology expert that understands their challenges and can pull together a mixed-fleet environment and can offer them the best technology solutions that they need to drive efficiency on the farm,” Matthews says. 


 

 

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