This news article was originally written in Spanish. It has been automatically translated for your convenience. Reasonable efforts have been made to provide an accurate translation, however, no automated translation is perfect nor is it intended to replace a human translator. The original article in Spanish can be viewed at ‘Gota a gota’ hacia la plena integración

John Deere advances in the process of integration of his division of irrigation by dripping

‘Drop to drop' to the full integration

David Muñoz25/03/2013

From the acquisition, between the years 2006 and 2008, of the companies Roberts Irrigation Products, Plastro Irrigration Systems and T-Systems International, John Deere comes exerting a process of integration of his business of irrigation by dripping (John Deere Water) in the general structure of the Group, with the final aim to give an integral offer to his customers. To give to know in which phase finds this process of integration and deepen in the different solutions that already can offer this signature through John Deere Water, the Iberian subsidiary organised the past 21 March, in Manzanares (Ciudad Real), a meeting with his distributors and with the technical presses, that included a visit to the factory that has the company in this place manchega, as well as the possibility to see in situ the installation realised with one of his products crashes, the D5000, in the Finca The Late.

As it signalled Mel McGlinchey, regional manager of Sales in John Deere Water, from the 2012 has accelerated the integration of the division of irrigation of dripping inside the structure of the Group John Deere, with the aim, in the first place, to be able to offer an only solution to the customers to the hour to work the terrain, and besides can keep growing in regions like which conform Spain and Portugal with an improvement in the channels of distribution and with an increase in the range of products.

Photo of group with the managers of John Deere Water and of his network of distribution, to the entrance of the factory of Manzanares.

This process of integration initiated between the years 2006 and 2008 with the purchase by part of John Deere of three companies with a strong presence in the sector of the irrigation, as they were Roberts Irrigation Products, Plastro Irrigration Systems and T-Systems International, that together happened to conform from 2009 an only organisation, the one of John Deere Water.

In 2012 and until the 2015 the process has gone in in a new phase centred in integrating and range John Deere Water with the Agricultural division of the Group, contributing besides new and advanced solutions of irrigation. The aim of face to 2018 is to offer a vision shared of global solutions so much of agricultural equipment as of irrigation to all the customers of John Deere.

This integration is guided by the four values that define the DNA of the Group: “Integrity, Quality, Commitment and Innovation”, as it remembered Juan Francisco Martínez, manager of Sales of John Deere Water for the Iberian market, the one who added that the irrigation goes to be one of the key factors, beside the mechanisation and to the genetics, that could allow satisfy the increase of 70% that expects until the 2050 in the global production of foods.

Of left to right: Mel McGlinchey, regional manager of Sales in John Deere Water, and Germán Martínez, adviser delegated of John Deere Iberian.

Efficiency in the irrigation

In spite of manifesting like the system of irrigation more efficient (80-85% of efficiency) in comparison with the flood and grooves (40-60%) and the systems of aspersión (70-80%), the irrigation by dripping or irrigation by low volume hardly supposes today between a 1 and 1,5% of the world-wide surface irrigated. Well it is true that give big desfases regional since for example, in Western Europe this system reaches already 13% of the total whereas in Asia hardly arrives to 0,5%.

As it ensured Juan Francisco Martínez, the irrigation by dripping offers remarkable profits to all that that uses it: greater efficiency in the use of the water and of the fertilizantes; a reduction of the cost of pumping (less power), of the use of agroquímicos and of the cost of personnel; elder tecnificación (what facilitates the control and the automated as well as the precise application of fertilizantes and agroquímicos in each cycle of the crop); the option of remote control via sensors; a suitable solution for the use of waters recycled, allowing systems chords with the environingingmental requirements and of energetic sustainability, etc.

A moment of the presentation to charge of Juan Francisco Martínez, manager of Sales of John Deere Water.

To be able to benefit of all these advantages John Deere Water has configured a complete catalogue of products, to the that follow adding constantly new references: stravel of irrigation and pipes with drippers integrated , drippers punctured, estacas, connectors multisalidas, aspersores, diffusers, nebulisers, hoses, accessories, metallic filters and of plastic… All this with the idea to be able to offer integral solutions to the customer through an only provider.

Factory John Deere Water in Manzanares

John Deere Water explains at present with twelve factories delivered by different parts of the world: two in EE UU, three in Sudamérica (Brazil, Chile and Argentina), one in China, one in India, one in Australia and four in the designated Region 2, that integrates Western Europe, Middle East and North of Africa. Specifically these last locate in Israel (Gvat and Migdal Haemek), in France (Lespinasse, although it also explains in the south of France with a base of distribution and of projects key in hand, in Chateaurenard) and in Spain (Manzanares).

The plant of Manzanares was purchased by Plastro Irrigration Systems in the year 2006 and two years afterwards happened to the structure of John Deere Water. It occupies a surface of 11.200 square metres, of which 2.000 are allocated specifically to the production. In these installations work 46 employees and has five lines of production, four for round pipes and one for flat pipe with gotero D5000.

As it indicated Carlos City, director of the factory of John Deere Water in Manzanares, from his integration in the structure of the Group John Deere, the plant manchega has enjoyed of remarkable improvements: high quality of the products (satisfaction of 99,8% of the customers), extension of the range (flat pipe with gotero D5000 from 2011, new range of leak from 2012 and gotero turbulent plane D2000 launched in 2013 for the Region 2), improvement of the hygiene in factory to warn the siniestralidad labour, application of processes of improvement (5S and CI) and high commitment with the environingingment (this year have given beginning the projects of reduction of broadcasts of CO₂).

Carlos City, director of the factory of John Deere Water in Manzanares (Ciudad Real).

The invited to the day of John Deere Water had besides the opportunity to see in the own plant how manufactures the pipe with gotero D5000 integrated , for which employs the line of production number 5. It treats of a process of an only stage, in which, in bold strokes, joins , by means of a process of extrusion, the gotero that arrives of Israel and the polietileno, happening later by a process of cooling that gives form to the pipe.

In the process include machines like the mixers, attendants to employ the exact quantities of the different types of polietileno, of agreement to the formula chosen (this factory employs near of 3.000 t of polietileno to the year); the punches, allocated to drill the just pipe in the ‘tubs' of the drippers to be able to give exit to the water; or the bobinadoras and paletizadoras, especially designed to improve the logistical registers of the company and facilitate the storage and transport of the pipes.

All the products happen besides by different controls of quality to guarantee that they go out to the market in perfect conditions.

Opportunities of business

John Deere Water sees this new stage with optimism and in fact already expects for the 2013 keep a line of growth thank you, among others factors, to the greater demand that appreciates in the production of corn, to the increase that expects achieve in other crops as they are the cotton and the cane of sugar, and to elements more related with the own structure of the Group as it is the incorporation of some agricultural dealers to the network John Deere Water (important synergies) or the development of new projects, like the organisation of demonstrations in field.

Juan Francisco Martínez, manager of Sales of John Deere Water.

As it concluded Germán Martínez, adviser delegated of John Deere Iberian, with this process of integration looks for incidir in the big aims of the Group: be preminentes in cotton, cane of sugar and corn, leaders in cereals and soya, and attain be also a solid reference in other segments in which it already is present this signature as it is the olivar or the vineyard.

Flat pipe with gotero D5000 in the Finca The Late.

250.000 m of pipe in the Finca The Late

To check in direct the advantages of the systems of irrigation by dripping, John Deere Water organised a visit to the Finca The Late, near of Manzanares. On a terrain of some 200 hectares, devoted to production vitivinícola, is installing at present 250.000 metres of flat pipe with gotero D5000, with a separation between gotero and gotero of 1 metre.

The installation Is realising with a tractor trucks John Deere that incorporates a special accessory in his leading part to unroll the pipe (the usual is to carry the accessory in the rear part of the tractor).