Ag Growth International (TSX: AFN) delivers systems for farm and commercial applications, which include several key product and service offerings, including storage, structures, and project management. These components are individually valuable products and services, but by bundling these into systems and solutions, Ag Growth International (AGI) is able to combine the company’s diverse product line with AGI’s design, engineering, and project management capabilities to offer customers facility-wide solutions on a global scale.
Moving from selling individual products and services to providing solutions and full systems is an important shift, as AGI aims to become a key strategic partner to agricultural customers. Throughout most of AGI’s history, the company has successfully focused on handling equipment, initially on-farm and later for both farm and commercial applications, with several well-known brands. AGI next turned the company’s attention to storage, initially with the acquisition of the Twister line in 2007, then more meaningfully with the acquisitions of Westeel in 2015 and MFS in 2017.
Innovative technology offering
In addition to North America, AGI also manufactures handling, storage, and processing equipment in the company’s Brazilian and Italian facilities. AGI storage, handling, and processing equipment is used in applications across all five platforms. AGI’s technology offering is built on a foundation of Internet of Things sensors generating robust data streams of practical data from across farm and AGI systems and delivered in rich, intuitive, beautifully designed software platforms.
The company’s technology platform offers monitoring, operation, measurement and blending controls, automation, hazard monitoring, embedded electronics, farm management, grain marketing and tools for agronomy for agriculture retailers and grain buyers. These products are available as both standalone offerings, as well as in combination with larger farm or commercial systems from AGI. A number of these components now form part of a technology platform called AGI SureTrack.
Automated monitoring system
AGI SureTrack is a software and hardware platform that brings together data from across the farm to better manage crop production and the overall business of farming. This allows users to monitor and market crops based on content and robust traceability. Grain buyers utilize the AGI SureTrack platform to offer premium programs to growers who are able to provide some or all of the data layers of traceability across crop production, conditioning, and storage.
As an example of how controls and technology complement other components within the AGI product catalogue, AGI SureTrack’s highly automated monitoring system works with conditioning equipment to efficiently maintain the quality of stored grain and allows for remote monitoring and control. Numerous types of customers benefit from the AGI SureTrack functionality including growers, grain buyers, agricultural retailers, and food processors. In short, several features make AGI SureTrack unique.
Highly specialized services
Engineering and project management has also become a core part of AGI’s complete system approach, enabling the company to offer highly specialized services, as well as more turnkey solutions to the company’s customers. These services have quickly become widespread throughout AGI. To meet the needs of commercial grain handling customers, AGI offers custom design and engineering for bulk and high-capacity handling and storage solutions.
