Machinery giant CNH Industrial is continuing to expand its precision agriculture portfolio, this time through the acquisition of Augmenta.
The parent company of Case IH and New Holland already held a 10.5 per cent minority stake through its CNH Industrial Ventures division and has bought Augmenta Holding SAS for US$110 million.
Augmenta was founded in 2016 by Dimitri (Jim) Evangelopoulos and George Varvarelis and specialises in fully-automated applications of farm inputs.
This is done through the use of the Augmenta Mantis, a plug-and-play device with a multispectral camera that can be retrofitted to tractors or self-propelled sprayers and spreaders.
Data is processed in real-time and the system is able to automatically calibrate rates according to in-field variability and analyse inputs.
CNH Industrial agriculture president Derek Neilson said the company's work with Augmenta had brought increasing benefits to its customers' operations.
"What began as a minority investment in their potential, now culminates in us adding this proven tech excellence directly to our sprayer offering," Mr Neilson said.
"This is an important development for our agriculture business that will further support our dealers by differentiating our equipment through value-added technology."
Augmenta's existing employees in Greece and the United States will be retained and operate within CNH Industrial's Raven Industries team.
Raven is another precision agriculture company that was bought by CNH in 2021.
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Speaking at its Tech Day late last year, CNH Industrial chief digital product officer Parag Garg said the Raven advantage was playing a major role in and enhancing CNH's tech stack capabilities.
Mr Garg said the company was driving productivity in three key areas - connected platforms, automated solutions and autonomy developments.
The purchase of Augmenta is expected to accelerate the growth of CNH's Sense and Act technology.
This selective spraying technology makes it possible for chemical volumes to be regulated and precisely directed.
The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of 2023, subject to the completion of customary closing conditions and receipt of regulatory approvals.
