**5. Some results in smart agriculture**

This section presents two contributions in which international cooperation, established with the help of the previously mentioned instruments, has contributed to better and faster smart solutions to be implemented in the farming sector.

The first project deals with developing a new type of tractor for a Romanian manufacturing company based on agricultural expertise from Slovakia and Internet of things expertise from Hungary. The main development themes set by the company for the new product lines dealt with the following topics:


The product development process has followed a combined model, using elements of stage-gate and quality function deployment, with the documentation for production approaching finalization. **Figure 5** presents a summary of the deployment of requirements to product characteristics, identifying along the way the main subassemblies in relation to the agreed upon technical specification.

The chassis design and the fitting of the engine and powertrain were undertaken in Romania, the mobile sensor configuration and connectivity was designed in Hungary, and the adaptation of the device to agricultural best practices was achieved in Slovakia. This collaboration has been undertaken based on a cooperation agreement, with the three involved organizations sharing costs and risks in the same percentage as future sales of the product, should it be successful in the promising market [19]. The intellectual property rights have been mapped out from the beginning, and common authorship patents will be filed for the innovative elements.

**87**

**Figure 6.**

*International Cooperation for Smart and Sustainable Agriculture*

The second project deals with a multinational team of scientist and experts from the Danube region and also from the UK and the USA involved in developing a total preventive maintenance model for automated screw conveyors used in grain silos. The product combines a mechanical structure with automation and sensorics that permit to start and stop according to the quantity and flow of the product that it has to transport. It is used for loading and unloading operations, in relation with trucks and human operators and, to a larger extent, in internal transport operations of the silos in order to achieve the rotation of stock and treatment operations upon the grains and for optimizing loads and usage of the storage spaces that form

The equipment operates mostly automatic, with manual control possible in case of override situations. Both the mechanical and the automation components require

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86464*

the facility.

**Figure 5.**

*Establishing the main smart tractor components.*

*Total preventive maintenance for an automated screw conveyor.*

*International Cooperation for Smart and Sustainable Agriculture DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.86464*

The second project deals with a multinational team of scientist and experts from the Danube region and also from the UK and the USA involved in developing a total preventive maintenance model for automated screw conveyors used in grain silos. The product combines a mechanical structure with automation and sensorics that permit to start and stop according to the quantity and flow of the product that it has to transport. It is used for loading and unloading operations, in relation with trucks and human operators and, to a larger extent, in internal transport operations of the silos in order to achieve the rotation of stock and treatment operations upon the grains and for optimizing loads and usage of the storage spaces that form the facility.

The equipment operates mostly automatic, with manual control possible in case of override situations. Both the mechanical and the automation components require


#### **Figure 5.**

*Sustainability Assessment at the 21st Century*

**5. Some results in smart agriculture**

*Logical structure of "Made in Danube" activities [18].*

**Figure 4.**

ries to ensure better yields

existing on the market

This section presents two contributions in which international cooperation, established with the help of the previously mentioned instruments, has contributed

• Following in a manned and semi-unmanned fashion precise working trajecto-

• A climate smart device with a lower carbon footprint than current tractors

• Real-time data collection of information regarding soil and weather conditions

The product development process has followed a combined model, using elements of stage-gate and quality function deployment, with the documentation for production approaching finalization. **Figure 5** presents a summary of the deployment of requirements to product characteristics, identifying along the way the main

The chassis design and the fitting of the engine and powertrain were undertaken

in Romania, the mobile sensor configuration and connectivity was designed in Hungary, and the adaptation of the device to agricultural best practices was achieved in Slovakia. This collaboration has been undertaken based on a cooperation agreement, with the three involved organizations sharing costs and risks in the same percentage as future sales of the product, should it be successful in the promising market [19]. The intellectual property rights have been mapped out from the beginning, and common authorship patents will be filed for the innovative elements.

to better and faster smart solutions to be implemented in the farming sector. The first project deals with developing a new type of tractor for a Romanian manufacturing company based on agricultural expertise from Slovakia and Internet of things expertise from Hungary. The main development themes set by the com-

pany for the new product lines dealt with the following topics:

to adapt the operations to the work conditions

• Ability to work under difficult conditions with ease

subassemblies in relation to the agreed upon technical specification.

**86**

*Establishing the main smart tractor components.*


considerable preventive maintenance in order to remain in an operating condition inside the environment of the silos, which is characterized by high amounts of dust, large variation of temperature with the outside weather, and possible blockages when grains enter the conveyor components and get lodged. The total preventive maintenance (TPM) model is applied with the help of two maintenance teams. A maintenance program is applied through software, based on a risk management algorithm that determines the components most prone to breakdown, taking into account complexity and history of operation. The software permits the grouping and scheduling of operations and the recording of maintenance dates, including tasks performed and situations encountered in the field, as well as the generation of material list for supplementing the consumables and materials stock (measuring devices, bearings, controllers, plugs, grease, paint, etc.).

By implementing the smart conveyor instead of the classical version and by applying the total maintenance program on a silo with six conveyors (one for input and output from the building and five internal ones for moving and transporting the grains), the savings have been recorded to be over 6.5% of the total revenue per year, with a payback period of less than 3 years but an estimated active life (with proper maintenance) of cca. 15 years. **Figure 6** presents the main elements that can be incorporated in the total preventive maintenance strategy.
