INNOVATION IN AGRICULTURE
The importance of agriculture in Spain mandates that companies in the sector have to provide complete solutions such as new applications for technology and innovative fertilization products.
How has the company evolved in Spain since its foundation?
JAVIER GOÑI Grupo Fertiberia is the result of the integration of a group of companies in Spain as part of an industrial restructuring process in the 1990s. In 2014, the company started the path of leading the fertilization of the future, namely green fertilization with products that provide greater added value to the farmer, are more sustainable, and promote a decarbonized economy. Triton Partners acquired Fertiberia in 2020, betting on the company, its roadmap, and its professionals. Today, our goal is to specialize and progressively focus on the development of special, intelligent products tailored to each crop variety.
MARIO DE MIGUEL John Deere was established in Spain in 1963 following the international expansion of John Deere to serve the local tractor market in Spain. The activities included production in the plant at Getafe and distribution and sales over a dealer network that was developed for that purpose. After Spain joined the EU in 1986, John Deere concentrated tractor production in Germany and the factory turned to a drivetrain component business such as transmissions and gearboxes. The factory has specialized in high-tech, high-value components that add a differentiated value to John Deere and are customized for specific applications. This transition resulted in what today is the Drivetrain Center of Excellence to serve the company, including product design and product verification and validation. Today, the factory exports 100% of the production to over 20 different countries.
How does Fertiberia develop green fertilizers and increase crop productivity simultaneously?
JG Both objectives are complementary. Agriculture must be transformed within the new framework of fighting climate change. Fertiberia Group has defined a roadmap aimed at becoming leaders in agronomic solutions. It is necessary to design fertilizers with technologies that enhance the absorption of nutrients and provide additional elements that add a sense of robustness to the plant. This allows the plant’s absorption level to be higher, such that what emitted into the air or water is virtually nil. Fertiberia TECH has developed a series of technologies that have allowed us to double our sales over the last five years.
How important is innovation for the company?
MDM Innovation is the central part of our strategy at John Deere, mainly innovation in products and heavily in technology. Our products have unique features that provide our customers with a sustainable competitive advantage optimizing complete production systems, delivering better results using less resources optimizing inputs like water, fertilizers, seeds, and so on. Innovation ion technology at John Deere goes around automation and autonomy using machine learning and artificial vision to drive and perform the job that is required, satellite guidance to help customers drive our machines optimizing performance, and connectivity to support, for example, service and complete fleet management across production systems.
What are the group’s decarbonization objectives?
JG We continue to invest in all our factories to achieve greater energy efficiency. Currently, our industrial process requires the use of natural gas, from which we produce hydrogen, with which we then manufacture a wide range of products. Grupo Fertiberia represents 25% of hydrogen production in Spain, and our objective, in line with the roadmap of the Government of Spain and the European Agenda 2030, is for 40% of total hydrogen production to be green.
What makes John Deere stand out from other companies in the industry?
MDM John Deere is a smart industrial company that is focused on the customer and delivers intelligent, connected machines that revolutionize agriculture and construction to unlock customer economic value. The company is now organized around production systems versus product lines to respond better to customers.