Mobile machinery is an important sales market for supplier companies. However, this market is subject to strong fluctuations in turnover, which is not without consequences for the supplier companies involved. For 2015, for example, the German agricultural machinery industry recorded a decline in turnover of 11% compared to the previous year. A weaker decline in sales is expected in the current calendar year; the high sales volume of 2008 has not yet been reached again. The same applies to the construction machinery sector.

At the same time, agricultural machinery companies and construction machinery manufacturers are constantly developing their technology in order to ensure their competitiveness. Consequently, companies that supply mobile machinery must keep pace with technical developments or even become 'trendsetters'. Companies that embrace innovation can expect growth through new products, even in a stagnating market. Another aspect is that OEMs are reducing the number of their suppliers and looking for efficient development partners.

What are the trends?

Intelligent machines require new sensors. And this development in turn has an impact on future control units and driver's cabs, for example.

Electrification will also have a major impact on electronics, meaning that software and mechatronics will take on a new significance. Changes to the machine will be implemented via software updates.

Last but not least, total business solutions pose new challenges for communication systems. This is where intelligent sensors come into play.

Experience shows that development departments often focus solely on product development and frequently neglect important trends on the market side. Another problem is that solutions demanded by customers are often only considered late in the innovation process. It is therefore immensely important to recognize at an early stage in which area an invention can be used and how this area will develop. After all, what use is a high-performance component if the market switches to new solutions? A holistic approach is required here. The motto is to recognize disruptive technologies at an early stage.

However, in order to recognize and assess the potential of an invention in terms of marketability, important questions need to be answered.

A further objective assessment of the marketability of an invention can then be obtained as part of an individual market study or via a market launch.

What the innovation database brings

Analyzing existing technologies and innovations is essential in the context of innovation projects. The innovation database of Stieler Technologie- und Marketing-Beratung shows in which product areas innovations are currently being made. The analysis of around 800 companies that were represented as suppliers for mobile machinery at Agritechnica 2015 in Hanover reveals around 200 innovations. A further analysis of 700 companies at Bauma in Munich in April 2016 resulted in around 250 innovations.

In summary, the innovation database provides OEMs and suppliers with the following information: OEMs receive a comprehensive presentation of important innovations. Suppliers receive important information for their own product development, so that the innovation database can be used as a starting point for new products and solutions. New product fields can be identified more easily.

Innovations are linked to other machine components. Thanks to the innovation database, these connections can be worked out and viewed holistically. This is all the more important as the trend is towards system innovation - the focus is no longer on individual products, but on platforms.

Last but not least, comparing and contrasting your own innovations with other solutions enables better market positioning.

But what does the 'innovation database' look like in detail?

Information such as the name of the company, the product group, the description of the innovation and the evaluation of the innovation with regard to the machine technology, the electronic components and the development trends are entered. This results in evaluations such as the number of innovations per product group, the frequency of the individual development trends or the relevance of a particular innovation for machine technology and electronics components.

Analysis by product group

innovations per product group. Manufacturers of mobile machines benefit greatly from the innovative spirit of their suppliers. Disruptive technologies are driving new machine architectures.

© Stieler Technology and Marketing Consulting

Electronic controls and devices are now an integral part of mobile machinery. As part of the analysis, they are ranked first in terms of innovation. Electric drives are in second place, followed by hydraulics and combustion engines. Second place shows that the trend is still moving towards electric drives.

Sensor technology, gears and camera systems follow in second place. Although camera systems can also be categorized as sensor technology, they were presented separately in the analysis due to their growing importance. Hybrid and generator technology are also gaining in importance, but today with different solutions than a few years ago.

Connectivity and software, important components of current and future machine generations, follow in the next places. Significantly more innovations can be expected here in the future. Another product innovation is connectors, whose importance for mobile machines is not insignificant. The trend towards machine automation is being addressed with modern steering systems and ergonomic HMI solutions. Robots that are used as mobile machines are new.

In addition to the description of product innovations, the database includes an evaluation of the innovations with regard to their interaction with machine technology, relevant electronic components and future development trends.

Evaluation of innovations

Ultimately, product innovations should not be viewed in isolation from machine technology. Innovation analyses repeatedly show how little consideration is given to machine technology requirements early on in the development process. For example, a new hydraulic component was designed to be robust by the developer - and met with resistance from potential users, as lightweight construction will play an important role in the future.

For this reason, an analysis was carried out to check which other machine components the respective product innovations are related to. In particular, combustion engines, transmissions, hybrid drives, electric drive systems, electromechanical actuators, electric accumulators, hydraulics, traction & suspension, steering and robotics were considered. Product innovations from the electric drives group, for example, now complement transmissions, hybrid drives, electromechanical actuators, hydraulics and traction and suspension systems. The presentation of these interactions shows suppliers from the respective product areas which machine components may be relevant for them. Manufacturers of machine components can use the matrix to find out which product groups are important to them.

Relevant electronic components

As electronics are of great importance, it was also analyzed which electronic components are important for product innovations. Electronics, software, sensors, controls, HMI, camera and GNSS devices were examined. In a further analysis, product innovations were analyzed to determine the extent to which they correspond to future development trends.

• The topic of efficiency in terms of energy efficiency and_{CO2 reduction} has long been a high priority. Today's product innovations in hydraulics, motor technology, transmissions and electric drives are making important contributions in this area. Electric drives will have the greatest impact, as they change the entire drivetrain. Dual clutch transmissions can replace existing transmission solutions. This will have an impact on hydrostatic drives.
• Naturally, engine technology has the greatest influence on the emissions of mobile machines. However, hybrid and generator solutions as well as hydraulics can also influence them.
• In terms of ergonomics, it should be noted that new solutions in the areas of operation (joystick solutions with force feedback, for example) or tablets and apps will change the operation of mobile machines and lead to modified operating concepts.
• The topic of machine safety (functional safety) now has a high priority for the entire machine design. Accordingly, it is also taken into account in a large number of product innovations.
• The trend towards automation of work and driving functions is a given and will continue. Today, the focus is on partial automation to support the driver in the form of assistance systems. In the long term, it will be the automation of the entire machine.
• New operating concepts that help to increase machine productivity are an important aspect. Intelligent sensors that enable efficient machine operation also have a major influence on the productivity of a machine.
• In the context of precision agriculture, precision control and the associated technical possibilities play an important role.
• Last but not least, connectivity solutions are important for communication, data management and navigation. Their importance will increase significantly in the future.

Author:
Joachim Stieler is Managing Director of Stieler Technologie- und Marketing-Beratung in Lörrach.