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XtraBlatt Issue 02-2018

  • Text
  • Krone
  • Machinery
  • Forage
  • Straw
  • Farmer
  • Contractor
  • Dairy
  • Bales
  • Agricultural
  • Cows

TITLE THEME PREMOS OUT

TITLE THEME PREMOS OUT ONTO THE Presentation of the Premos pellet harvester at Agritechnica 2015 immediately brought Krone hundreds of customers from all over the world with concrete interest in buying. But before full production could start, there lay ahead an intensive trial and development phase. In 2019 the first machines should start work for customers out on the fields. 6

FIELDS Something good is well worth waiting for – in agricultural engineering there have always been good examples of this saying. From initial idea through to real practical application there quite often lie six to eight years. In this respect, the straw pellet harvester Premos 5000 officially previewed by Krone at Agritechnica 2015 where it won a DLG Gold Medal, lay right in time. First functional test model of a pelleting form was working by 2011. In July 2013 there followed a first mobile version of the technology and in 2015 the Premos achieved full functionality. However, the machine still isn’t in the showrooms. Here, XtraBlatt discusses current development and the next steps towards market introduction with Premos factory product manager Kai Lüpping who looks after construction and development, and with machinery specialist Dennis Göcke. XtraBlatt: Herr Lüpping, right from the start in 2015 Premos not only engendered enthusiasm but also a very large portion of concrete buying interest from many customers. But three years further on the Premos is still not in the price lists. Doesn’t this frustrate potential buyers? Kai Lüpping: Even during that first Agritechnica, the interest was very large and in such a concrete form that we could have sold numerous machines right then during the show. Meantime, the list of those signifying serious interest has grown to several hundred. Thus, the pressure to “at last” begin marketing has been substantial and continues to be so. But there’s no sign of disappointment or even frustration. At least, this is our impression following many discussions over the past three years. Our message is always that a thoroughly tested machine absolutely ready for serial production is the crucial aim before we step-up into large-scale regional marketing. Any other strategy would not be acceptable under our standards. After all, there’s a lot of responsibility behind a product such as the Premos. We’re actually dealing with a very complex machine with a price that will be in the range of at least a large forage harvester. During the 2016 field trials we also realised that there was technical fine-tuning still needed at a number of important points. Product manager Kai Lüpping (r) and machinery specialist Dennis Göcke look forward to the Premos working with first customers in 2019. XtraBlatt: For instance? Lüpping: The pelleting rollers are now 1,000 mm diameter instead of the former 800 mm. This enables increased throughput so that, in effect, we could produce a possible 5t/h instead of 3 t/h. The main drive has been substantially strengthened. The hydraulic block changed to load sensing. Additionally, machine control is no longer via individual function as it still was in 2015, but now over a management terminal. This makes things much easier for the driver. Dennis Göcke: Not to be forgotten is the tandem arrangement fitted instead of a single axle. The bigger rollers mean the machine is a little heavier and design was adjusted accordingly. XtraBlatt: Is the Premos as practical in mobile form as in stationary application? Lüpping: Yes. In principle, nothing is changed except a fundamental redesign of intake technology for stationary application to handle bales so that straw processing is optimised and material flow kept uniform. This, for instance, involves rollers for breaking down the bales. Just as important for us in this respect is safety, for persons in the danger zone around intake machinery or during removal of baler twine. We have not quite reached our target with such solutions and for this reason I reckon it will be 2020 before the intake table is market-ready. 7