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Automatic Hitching for theTotal Safety of the Farmers when Coupling machinery

Project description

A new hitch system for farmers

Automation is transforming agriculture and saving farmers time and resources. But the practice of connecting tractors to implements and other towed equipment can be dangerous. It is estimated that 40 % of fatal farm accidents involve machinery such as tractors or implements. In this context, the EU-funded SIWI project is developing an automated, strong and reliable hitch system. This game-changing technology allows farmers to hitch their heaviest implements from the tractor’s cabin in less than 30 seconds. It also enables farmers to use only 1 tractor instead of 4 which is the current way of working. SIWI’s patent-protected technology will be presented to key customers in Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada and the US.

Objective

The penetration of automation in the agricultural industry is forging ahead. Yet, the process of changing and hitching trailed implements, a key operation that every farmer performs many times per day, remains manually operated, as it was 50 years ago. Due to this, 40% of farmers deaths in farms are the result of being crushed by machinery such as tractors or implements, with fatal farms accidents costing to the EU society €923 million/year. The need for an automated, strong and reliable hitch system has never been greater.
Listening intently to the needs of our customers, we invested 3 years of R&D to develop industry’s first fully automated hitch system. Our game-changing technology is 10x times better than closest substitutes and allows farmers to hitch their heaviest implements from tractor’s cabin, in less than 30sec. This redefines farm operations, enabling farmers to use only 1 tractor instead of 4 which is the current way of working, and brings huge cost savings enabling farmers to recoup their investment in our product in less than 258 working hours.
Currently, our patent protected technology is at TRL6, with the system being optimised in our Danish facilities. With a feasibility plan developed under a Ph1 grant, we now seek a Ph2 grant to fine-tune our industrial-grade high pressure connection system and optimise our Machine Module to certify it for transport on public roads as per TÜV. Also, we will patent our new Machine Module and fully certify our systems for strength, reliability and safety. To speed-up market launch, we will showcase our products to key customers who have already expressed their interest.
This will allow us to launch our products in Europe, Japan, Australia, Canada and the US, growing our business by €24 million in cumulative net profits by 2025. This cash-flow is vital to build our new facilities to meet market demand and continue improving our products, ultimately generating 18 new jobs in SIWI production and sales activities

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Topic(s)

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Funding Scheme

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SME-2 - SME instrument phase 2

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Call for proposal

Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.

(opens in new window) H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020

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Coordinator

SIWI MASKINER APS
Net EU contribution

Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.

€ 1 504 799,63
Address
PRIORSVEJ 15
8600 SILKEBORG
Denmark

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SME

The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.

Yes
Region
Danmark Midtjylland Østjylland
Activity type
Private for-profit entities (excluding Higher or Secondary Education Establishments)
Links
Total cost

The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.

€ 2 149 713,75
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