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Central Alberta | Back in the 90s, we were running 3 AgChem Terragators. Wonderful machines for sure, but they ran into financial trouble, and were sold to AGCO in 2001. It seemed to me that prior to their financial collapse, they were all-in with some of the latest cutting-edge technology. They had a lot invested in variable-rate application, and the machinery was incorporating technologies that seemed 30 years ahead of its time. For example, the control system used Microsoft Windows, with a rollerball mouse incorporated into the armrest. The components nd sensors were linked together using an Ethernet network. Instead of running miles of separate wires, there were only communication nodes which communicated with the main computer using pulse-width modulation.
Such tech is fairly routine today, but back in the 90s, it was a bit exceptional. I see a parallel with what happened to the Pebble Watch. Those running the company had more of an "engineering mindset" than a business mindset, so it was up to the new owners to cut back on the advanced technology, and settle for "what's here and what works." But I think we've all benefitted from the incremental developments that such companies have contributed.
Edited by Cooperator 3/26/2024 06:18
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AgChem
