In the past, tractor operation was made possible using a few oversized levers and light-emitting diodes which are being replaced today by giant displays, joysticks, many buttons and levers.
Three years ago, the Preh company from Bad Neustadt focused on this market with its "Commercial Vehicles HMI" division that was set up specifically for this purpose. Although the automotive industry is the main component of Preh's billions of euro in sales, the commercial vehicles sector alone, with sales of 30 million euro in agricultural engineering, already accounts for 60% of total commercial vehicle sales.
Not three, but thirty years ago Preh started equipping agricultural machinery with instruments and controls from well-known manufacturers, such as John Deere. Preh's so-called shifters are furnished in continuously variable tractors from John Deere. Not only the shifters convinced John Deere; therefore its cooperation with Preh is at the "partner-level supplier" level, John Deere's highest supplier rating.
Among other well-known agricultural machinery manufacturers in the Preh customer portfolio are Claas, which uses the automotive supplier's joysticks and control elements, and Deutz Fahr.
In its offer, Preh concentrates on specific special solutions, which are individually tailored to the partner and always take place in close coordination.
In the product requirement profile, too, other standards must be set than in the automotive sector.
If the latter focus is more on a haptic experience and a high-quality ambience, commercial vehicles must be robust and even more durable equipment. This becomes all the more important the further a vehicle is used from the street. Dust, dirt and rain play an increasingly important role and must not impair functionality in any way. That is why robustness and longevity mean switches, buttons and other operating elements must survive a test with 1.5 million actuations in order to be ready for series production.
By way of comparison: "Only" one-sixth of these operations is required for controls in the automotive sector.
In order to be able to withstand such loads, high quality is required. Preh achieves this through extremely high level vertical integration up to 90%. From development to prefabrication, assembly and final inspection, almost everything is pre-developed, further advanced and processed at Preh in-house.
The robust consoles for agricultural machine technology almost make you forget that delicate electronic components from Preh are used everywhere in them. Potentiometers, transistors or resistors, over a quarter of a million electronic components are processed every hour at Preh in Bad Neustadt. These are also necessary in this number, because electronics will also increase significantly in the agricultural machinery sector, for example for presentations on displays.
Preh develops complex operating concepts for modern agricultural machinery including the display, joystick and armrest.
A concept study by Preh aims to reduce the number of agricultural machine switches and buttons in the cab cockpit and introduce ergonomic solutions that combine the work machine and the office.
Control elements integrated in the armrest, ergonomic two-way control lever with a small touch sensor and double display unit that can be easily controlled with the sensor are just a few examples of such an agricultural machinery concept study. By means of active haptic feedback, noticeable feedback comparable to pressing a button, can be realized when a function is selected on the touch display. The operator immediately feels when the function has been confirmed. Two modular rotary knobs are also part of the concept study by Preh and enable a direct view of the touch screen display. Thanks to this reduction in buttons, levers, rotary controls and knobs, the agricultural machine cab cockpit is not only tidier, but also supports the vehicle operator in his work.
