Large-Scale Fleet and Lack of Transparency in Harvest Operations
1,100+ Vehicles and Manual Trip Verification
The customer operated a fleet of more than 1,100 vehicles, including combine harvesters, grain carriers, and weighbridges. At this scale, fully accurate manual control of harvesting operations was not feasible. Although part of the machinery was equipped with sensors, there was no configured monitoring logic or structured reporting.
The company tracked fuel consumption only. Field operations themselves remained largely unmonitored: grain unloading from combines was effectively “digitized” only at the weighing stage. A significant amount of time was spent manually reconciling carrier waybills, combine operator logs, and weighbridge documents. Human error in calculations and verification was unavoidable.
No Confirmed Data on Grain Unloading
During the harvesting season, operators and drivers did not use driver cards. There was no verified information about when, where, and how many grain bunkers were unloaded to a specific carrier.
As a result, management relied on assumptions about how the harvesting process was actually organized. Every day required extensive manual validation of trips, unloading events, and acceptance procedures. The business needed reliable, confirmed data covering the entire crop movement chain — from the combine to the weighbridge.
End-to-End Harvest Monitoring: From Field to Weighbridge
Process Audit and System Requirements
The integrator proposed a comprehensive solution for harvest control with full digitization of each operational stage. The TRON software platform was used to visualize and manage the entire harvesting chain.
The first stage was a detailed audit. Together with the customer, the following key requirements were defined:
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Control of the auger to register grain transfer to carriers
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Header operation monitoring
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Monitoring of standard bunker fill-level sensors
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Carrier verification during unloading, including testing both contact and contactless identification methods
Under the contact scheme, the driver had to tap a card to a reader installed on the combine. An alternative approach was automatic identification without leaving the cab.
Pilot Deployment of Trackers and Identification Equipment
In autumn 2023, during the harvesting season, the customer allocated 1 weighbridge, 4 carriers, and 5 combines for pilot testing. In total, 9 vehicles and one weighbridge were involved.
The equipment installed included Galileosky 7xC trackers with external antennas, UHF readers mounted on combines, and wireless UHF tags assigned to carriers. Over several months, system parameters were configured and adjusted as required.
The system recorded all necessary events to track the full operational chain: unloading, transportation, and weighing. Through the dashboard, the customer could monitor harvesting progress and operational speed based on real-time indicators.
To control auger activation, different connection methods were applied, including CAN integration. The integration method depended on the specific make and model of the combine. This configuration eliminated unauthorized grain discharge from the bunker.
Contactless Carrier Identification in Grain Unloading Operations
Analysis of Violations During Contact Identification
During testing, 9 violations were recorded at different stages of the harvesting process. Most of them were related to the contact identification method. Under real field conditions, requiring drivers to tap a card proved inefficient and difficult to enforce consistently.
The customer needed confirmed data on when, where, and how many bunkers were unloaded to each driver, with minimal operational delay.
Automatic UHF Identification and Event Registration
After several test runs, the contactless approach was recognized as optimal. UHF readers were installed on combines, and carriers were equipped with wireless UHF tags. When a carrier approached a loaded combine, the system automatically identified the vehicle and registered the unloading event.
A similar algorithm operated at the weighbridge. As a result, the entire crop movement process — from field unloading to final weighing — became fully traceable and supported by verified system data.
Digital Crop Control and Loss Prevention
Elimination of Manual Data Entry
Manual input into the monitoring system was eliminated. All operational data were automatically collected by the installed trackers and identification equipment and generated into reports. This removed human error from trip reconciliation and unloading verification.
Yield Forecasting and Performance Growth
Based on accumulated operational data, the customer gained a tool for more accurate yield planning for the following season. Even during the pilot phase, crop yield increased by 2% compared to the previous year’s figures provided by the customer. With full fleet deployment, further improvement is expected.
The system compares the number of unloading events recorded by the combine with the weight measured at the weighbridge. This cross-verification helps detect discrepancies and ensures accurate accounting.
Prevention of Unauthorized Grain Discharge
Auger monitoring and bunker data analysis, combined with weighbridge information, eliminated unauthorized grain discharge. Continuous comparison of data at each stage of transportation helps prevent product loss during transfer from fields to storage facilities.
The implemented harvest control system transformed a fragmented and manually verified process into a transparent, data-driven operational model covering the entire agricultural logistics chain.
Contact: sales@galileosky.com
