“What will fit?” “How exactly?” and “Where should I place it?” These are the questions often asked every day by Rula Agri and its staff, for which answers are sought.
Once again, it has been seen and experienced that moving from seven years ago, where it all started with “to measure is to know”, to catching up with others who have a lifetime of experience, is a greater challenge than initially thought.
Understanding the user requirements of the South African producer is in itself a challenge. Even more so, to think that suppliers could easily surpass the insight, creative thinking, and hands-on approach of the South African producer with a product range that will impress the industry and result in sales. A farmer makes his own plan — without a designer’s plan.
Rula Agri had to go through a process of introspection and changed thinking to adjust and optimize its product range to come closer to the truth. The goal remains to develop South African products that are competitive, benefit the producer, and provide employment in the manufacturing industry.
What will fit?
User requirements, problem statements, mathematical calculations, strength theory, innovative thinking, material choices, design drawings, verification over and over until something is produced that seems to fit, or appears to be a solution. Everything has to be better than the competitors’, and cheaper to gain a market share and pull sales through. Then, user requirements vary from area to area — and for that, you must make it fit …
How exactly?
Completely precise. Not just the machine itself, but also its operation. With changing climate and soil conditions, one farmer wants it this way, and the next one wants it that way, but everyone wants it exactly this way. Precisely on time, exactly that width, exactly so much per hectare, exactly in row, precisely cut, precisely sealed, exactly strong, exactly painted, and then also priced exactly right. Our producers know their units and usage requirements.
It is inspiring to talk to a successful producer and experience the passion with which they approach and overcome the technical challenges of the industry.
Where should I place it?
Is it seeds, fertiliser, or maybe lime? Unlike the material handling industry, where Rula constantly develops techniques to move material (convey) mostly for processing, the agricultural industry additionally requires that it be correctly “placed”. The placement and coverage of the seed or granules, or the drop in the soil, is where Rula Agri wants to make a difference in the industry.
Planting seeds and fertilisers is like putting a sleeping baby in a crib without waking it, carefully wrapped in cotton, with a bottle nearby for if it gets thirsty. But it must happen with the producer’s recipe and must happen at speed, seed-by-seed and row-by-row, all the same.
In addition to the seed and fertiliser placement techniques, Rula has also now developed a deep lime placement tool. On the same precision basis, lime can be placed up to 900 mm deep through a rip action in the planting row.
With the patience and advice of knowledgeable producers, several products have already been developed. The product range that has already been developed for precision placement includes the following:
Precision fertiliser application systems (granular or liquid)
- Simultaneous in-row rip application
- Processed or unprocessed land – Minimum tillage application (min-till)
- Strip tillage application
- Pre-plant or top-dressing fertiliser
- Prescription map application
- Variable rate application of up to three products
- Fertiliser systems for planters
Precision planter product range
- Precision planters
- Electric-driven planter meters
- 4- to 24-row planters
- Central fertiliser and seed control system
- Conventional or minimum tillage planters (Min-till)
Ripper options
- Tandem tooth ripper
- Conventional ripper
- Deep lime placement ripper to 900 mm depth
- Ripper with fertiliser placement
