Customer stories

Smart Diagnostics, Red Leather Comfort for First AFS Connect Magnum 340 Owner

29 Jul 2021

Case IH diagnostics software is helping a Bay of Plenty-based Case IH dealership to support customers in their new territory on the East Coast.

Gisborne-based maize corn and squash grower H Pak Ltd has taken delivery of New Zealand's first Case IH AFS Connect™ Magnum 340.

AFS gives users freedom to adjust, manage, monitor and transfer data the way they want. The Magnum 340 is outfitted with a new AFS display, operating system, receiver and completely redesigned hardware environment that allows for remote display viewing, remote support capabilities and more.

For H Pak owner, Henry Dods, buying a 340 signalled a return to Case IH after a 10-year break, while for Jacks Machinery the order was a milestone in its recent expansion out of their home base in Bay of Plenty.

Case IH's AFS (Advanced Farming Systems) is helping Jacks to service the East Coast from afar, with help from a new team based in Gisborne. The remote diagnostics information in the AFS Connect Magnum 340 cab is fed to the Jacks Machinery service team in Whakatane, then on to the dealership team in Gisborne.

Users simply log in to AFS Connect to view current field operations, fleet information, agronomic data and more, remotely keeping an eye on their operation as if they are in the cab. It's peace of mind for farmer and dealership alike.

​"They were really looking forward to seeing it. They were squabbling over who was going to get to drive it" - Steve Jacks

H Pak runs 20 tractors on the heavy, fertile Gisborne Plain. Dods' half a dozen staff were keen to take a look inside the AFS Connect Magnum 340 cab, Jacks Machinery owner Steve Jacks said.

"They were really looking forward to seeing it. They were squabbling over who was going to get to drive it."

The timing was right for Dods to return his business to Case IH: Jacks Machinery had just landed some tractors in the type and size that he needed. Working on heavy soil, H Pak's AFS Connect Magnum 340 will spend most of its life attached to a power harrow, so Dods went looking for horsepower, full powershift transmission and dual wheels.

The display is set up for intuitive navigation and optimum visibility on even the brightest days. Remote display viewing connects operators with farm managers seamlessly, and Bluetooth capabilities pair the display with a mobile phone to bring everything onto one display.

"If you are used to operating an Android phone you'd be right at home with the touch screen," Jacks said.  And driver comfort is a top priority too, of course. The staff immediately took a shine to the red-leather seat upholstery, Jacks said.


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