Machinery Chatter

Here's a news release headline that took me by surprise: "Trimble Acquires IRON Solutions."

You know Trimble. It supplies high technology to the agriculture, mining and surveying industries and others. In my mind, Trimble is GPS receivers, monitors, Connected Farm, even drones. Trimble is cutting edge digital tools and data management.

You know IRON Solutions, too. The company track equipment prices and sales and are a key provider of online information for farmers and others looking to buy tractors, combines and used equipment.

(Note to reader: Do not confuse IRON Solutions with IronPlanet, which describes itself as "the leader in online heavy equipment [including agricultural machines] buying and selling." IronPlanet last month merged with Associated Auction Services LLC, which operates under the name of Cat Auction Services. I'm unclear about the new company's ownership, but Cat Auctions Services uses the Caterpillar logo on its website.)

How do these two -- Trimble and IRON Solutions -- fit together? I asked Joe Denniston, vice president of Trimble's Agriculture Division. "It starts and ends with the grower," he said. "We are looking at all the ways we can to help the grower be the most efficient and profitable."

Growers rely on trusted advisors these days like agronomists, seed companies and machinery dealerships, Denniston explained. Trimble dealers strive to be trusted advisors through the products they sell and also through services they provide like Connected Farm, which includes a suite of wireless (telematic) communication tools. Trimble has a line of agronomy tools in its portfolio including technology for irrigation management, soil sampling and analysis.

Likewise, IRON Solutions is a trusted advisor for used equipment, Denniston said, "From our view, what IRON brings to the table is that they are the neutral trusted source for valuation of used equipment." IRON Solution users can go online to search for used equipment to purchase.

IRON Solutions also offers online business management and customer services products for equipment and precision ag dealers. Trimble, of course, counts those same dealers as customers. This is one of the intersections where IRON Solutions and Trimble meet, and it's a major reason Trimble added IRON Solutions products to its portfolio.

Until recently, Trimble's Connected Farm was focused inward for the grower. Last fall, Trimble introduced an advisor's portal to allow, for instance, a grower to share his crop data with an outside agronomist. Via Connected Farm a grower can give his equipment dealer access to machine data from his tractors. That same dealer can use IRON Solutions technology to help his grower better maintain his equipment, understand how his vehicles are being utilized and improve fleet management.

Under this scenario, the dealer becomes more productive and profitable as he helps his grower/customers become more productive and profitable, Denniston said. "Win, win."

The IRON Solutions brand is not going away, at least not for the foreseeable future. Dealers who use IRON Solutions can continue to do so and won't notice any change. "At least that's the plan mid- to long-term," Denniston said.

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