Agco buys Manitoba ag autonomy firm JCA

International farm equipment maker Agco is aiming to boost its bench strength in the precision agriculture and autonomous ag sectors by buying a Prairie software and hardware company known for both.

Agco, the maker of machinery brands including Massey Ferguson, Fendt, Challenger and Valtra, said Monday it has bought Winnipeg-based JCA Technologies for an undisclosed sum.

JCA specializes in designing and producing electronic systems and developing software to automate and control equipment for OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) in sectors including agriculture, construction and mining.

The company, which started as JCA Electronics in 2002 and rebranded in 2020, today also maintains a U.S. office in Lincoln, Nebraska.

JCA’s products today include the tablet-based Vireo precision ag system, the Eagle autonomous equipment system and the Falcon and Oriole controller systems, among others.

Among JCA’s developments is the control system supporting the Canadian-made DOT autonomous ag equipment platform, which was rebranded as OMNiPower after its acquisition in 2020 by South Dakota-based Raven Industries.

Raven and its product lines were in turn taken over last year by Agco’s OEM rival CNH Industrial, the maker of Case IH and New Holland ag equipment.

“The purchase of JCA is another important addition to our precision agriculture capabilities,” Agco CEO Eric Hansotia said Monday in a release.

JCA, he said, is “one of the most advanced developers of autonomous machine technologies for off-road OEMs, and this acquisition will accelerate Agco’s delivery of machine automation and autonomous systems that improve farmer productivity.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network