Growing communications technology on the farm

Machine-to-machine communication (M2M) is nothing new – it has been around since the first telephone calls and radio broadcasts – but modern mobile communications technology is opening up new possibilities, which are being exploited by some of Ireland’s most innovative firms.

"M2M connects machines to the internet, transforming them into intelligent devices that exchange real-time information and open up a range of possibilities for how businesses are run, how they grow and how they keep customers happy," explains Barry Tierney corporate and public sector marketing manager with Vodafone.

Irish agri-engineering firm Keenan is an example of a company that has successfully employed the new technology to its best effect. Keenan is one of the world's foremost livestock-feeding businesses and its distinctive feeder wagons can be found on thousands of farms throughout the world.

Key to the company’s success is the fact that it is far more than simply a supplier of farm machinery. The accuracy and quality of the physical feed mix delivered by its wagons produces improved milk and beef production, more healthy cattle and improved farm incomes.

Keenan’s team of scientists and nutritionists define the precise make-up of the physical mix and how it should be presented to animals for the best possible results. What M2M technology brings to the table is the assurance that wagons thousands of miles away deliver the exact mix required for the animals on that particular farm.

“We wanted to find a way of ensuring that the perfect mix that we had specified would be delivered, no matter what difficulties a farmer might be experiencing on the ground,” says Michael Keogh, Keenan group marketing manager.

Mixing process
This was achieved through the incorporation of an on-board Performance Acceleration & Central Enhancement (Pace) computer, which controls every step of the wagon's mixing process, from the quantities of the ingredients within each feed, the sequence of feeds and the number of rotations within the wagon. But this computer could not achieve the desired result on its own.

That was delivered by M2M communications enabled by Vodafone Sim cards being built into each machine.

"Vodafone M2M Sims and network connectivity established built-in, direct, wireless contact between Keenan's control centre team in Ireland and the on-board computers in its livestock feed machinery," says Tierney. "This eliminated the need for intervention by farmers and improved the consistency and quality of the feed mix for the dairy and beef herds."

The outcome has been increased milk production by an average of 1.75 litres per cow per day by virtue of a more consistent ration being fed to the animals as a result of farmers having real-time information sent via Vodafone M2M Sims and network.

“If Keenan had wanted to do this a few years ago they would have had to go to network operators in various different countries and come to individual agreements with them,” Tierney adds. “With our global Sim service they have one contract with one operator, a transparent pricing structure, and a single reporting structure.”

The Vodafone global Sim is in effect an international communications passport. It doesn’t matter where the machine which contains it is located as it connects to a local mobile telecommunications network and sends data back to a home computer, regardless of where it happens to be.

“The beauty of the Vodafone global Sim is that it is network independent,” says Tierney. “It will automatically roam to the local Vodafone network if that’s available or to the next best network. It will do that at home here in Ireland as well and that is quite important as you may get a few remote places where we have no signal. This gives users that extra level of assurance that their machines will always be connected.

Another innovative Irish company he points to is Sensormind, which offers monitoring services to assure elderly people's safety in their homes.

“The sensors in the homes connect back to the Sensormind monitoring centre over Vodafone Sim cards. This gives the company total control over the connection. If the connection was made over a landline it could be cut off for a variety of reasons but with the Vodafone Sim Sensormind is in complete charge of it.”

The use of Vodafone global Sims has also enabled the company to export its service to a number of overseas markets without the need to negotiate with local telecoms providers and with the comfort of pre-agreed pricing plans.

The independence from the fixed line infrastructure is increasingly important as well. “There are large parts of the world where there is never going to be a fixed-line network and M2M communications will be reliant on mobile communications,” he notes.

Looking to the future, Tierney points out that M2M technology is rapidly becoming part of our daily lives and this trend will accelerate. "Vodafone Sims are already in use in the real-time passenger information system used by Dublin Bus as well as by a number of security companies. Indeed, some domestic alarm systems now incorporate Sims to connect back to remote monitoring stations. High-end BMWs now come with built-in Sims to connect to service centres for diagnostic purposes. Anyone considering putting in any kind of metering system for utilities would be foolish not to at least consider using M2M communications for meter readings and diagnostics."