The XUV835R and XUV865R Signature Edition vehicles are the premium models for John Deere enthusiasts. In addition to the features that Deere customers have come to expect, including a climate-controlled cab, easier shifting with an integrated park brake, informative instrument cluster, and 4-wheel drive and differential lock with the flip of a switch, Signature Edition Gator Utility Vehicles come standard with the following:

• Genuine leather seats and leather-wrapped grab handles that are easy to clean
• Integrated touchscreen infotainment system delivers automotive-grade smartphone integration, rear-facing camera, Bluetooth wireless connectivity, AM/FM, and SiriusXM satellite radio.
• Memorable audio experience with a seven-speaker sound system, professionally tuned by Harmon
• The rear-facing camera displays images on the infotainment screen with the push of a button to provide better visibility when attaching trailers or spreading materials like seed or salt.
• Bumper Pro Brush Guard protects the front of the vehicle, provides rubber bumpers for pushing gates, and features a center screen to keep debris from entering the radiator
• Front roof-mounted LED driving lights
• Rear-sliding window

“At John Deere, ‘Signature Edition’ means the top of the line with the best features and upgrades. That’s exactly what you’ll get with Signature Edition Gator Utility Vehicles – leather seats, touchscreen infotainment system, high-end audio, rear-facing camera – it’s the best of the best in UVs,”

said Maureen McCormack, Go-to-Market Manager, Gator Utility Vehicles.

Signature Edition Gator Utility Vehicles will arrive at John Deere dealerships beginning in April 2022. Those interested in the XUV835R and XUV865R Signature Edition Vehicles can contact their local John Deere dealer to learn more or place an order. For more information about John Deere and the full line of Gator UV products, visit the John Deere website.

The post John Deere Provides Premium Features with New, Automotive Inspired Signature Edition Gator™ Utility Vehicles appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

These solutions are engineered to provide high load capacities with high output torques, quiet operation, and long service life. NORD’s modular design also makes these products versatile and highly configurable, meeting your exact requirements to achieve optimal system efficiency. Learn about all of NORD’s grain industry solutions first-hand from our experts at GEAPS Exchange 2021 in Columbus, Ohio from August 6th – 9th at Booth 1309. As the annual conference of the Grain Elevator and Processing Society (GEAPS), the Exchange is the premier event for grain handling and processing and allows an opportunity to learn from and network with other industry professionals.

NORD will be showcasing these specialized products at this year’s show:

MAXXDRIVE & MAXXDRIVE XT Industrial Gear Units: MAXXDRIVE Industrial Gear Units are used wherever high torques are required. These units have high power density and torque, rugged UNICASE housings, and offer high axial and radial load capacities.

This makes MAXXDRIVE the ideal solution for the grain industry as it can easily withstand the harsh conditions of conveyor belt use. MAXXDRIVE units are also built for long service life, offer several mounting positions, and cater to the needs of various installation requirements. With their high performance and flexibility, they are perfect for use in heavy-duty applications, such as bucket elevators, agitators, conveyor belt drives, mixers, mills, drums, or crushers.

Also available with our MAXXDRIVE units is the Grain Endurance Package. This package combines several additional protective measures that further ensure a long life for the units. Features include a drying agent filter, oil inspection glass, oil sample point, quick fit filter trolley connection, and oil drain cock.

Key Advantages:

• High output torque up to 2,495,900 lb-in
• 11 case sizes
• Available as parallel shaft, helical bevel, or right-angle units
• All bearings and sealing surfaces are machined in a single process; no separating joints in the housing
• Reduced spare parts costs and downtime

Screw Conveyor Package – The NORD Screw Conveyor Package (SCP) is designed with the grain industry in mind and offers a compact, cost-effective alternative to traditional screw conveyor drives. Closely stepped speed reduction ratios combined with a directly coupled gear motor or NEMA C-face input design eliminate the need for top motor mounts, pulleys, belts, or guards. This minimizes parts inventory and eliminates belted input systems for easier system maintenance, increased reliability, and superior drive performance.

Key Advantages:

• Long service life and low maintenance
• Parallel and right-angle gear units
• No belts or external rotating components
• High efficiency

Electric Motors

NORD electric motors are highly efficient, extremely robust, and can be combined with gear units to provide maximum application flexibility and performance. These motors operate reliably over many years with very high efficiency of up to 95%, reducing operating costs and environmental impact. NORD produces all motors in-house according to stringent standards and can quickly deliver them worldwide.

In certain applications, standard motors cannot be used because the ambient conditions are too harsh, extremely heavy loads must be moved, or there is an explosion hazard. For these cases, NORD also provides explosion-protected motors with a power range from 0.16 to 40 HP. These explosion-protected versions are available as options for use in dust and gas atmospheres and are certified according to ATEX, IECEx, and HazLoc.

Key Advantages:

• High power with lower energy consumption
• Asynchronous, synchronous, and explosion-proof motors available (dust/gas)
• Identical motor dimensions allow for change from one efficiency class to the next without having to make mechanical modifications

The post NORD’s Grain Industry Solutions on Display at GEAPS Exchange 2021 appeared first on North America FarmQuip Magazine.

In the first quarter of 2021, Varta was able to increase group revenue by 2.9% to € 204.3 million compared to the same period of the previous year. The adjusted EBITDA rose by almost 16% to € 59.9 million.

“Varta has further increased its profitability. We are optimistic about the second half of the year. All segments continue to contribute to the growth of our company and were able to further increase the good results. The properties of our new lithium-ion round cells are met with great interest from customers. We are thus opening new and larger areas of business. In the meantime, we have also been able to win our first customer for our V4Drive in the automotive sector. Varta remains successful with its innovation strategy,”

says Herbert Schein, CEO of Varta AG.

In the second half of the year, in particular, Varta expects an increase in revenue and business results thanks to new customer orders in the area of True Wireless Stereo Headsets (TWS).

“In order to emphasize our focus on the successful business with our lithium-ion batteries, we have decided to rename our Microbatteries & Solutions segment to Lithium-Ion Solutions & Micro batteries,”

says Schein.

Armin Hessenberger, Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Varta AG, adds:

“Varta is a thoroughly healthy company. Thanks to our further increased profitability and our low level of debt, we have the opportunity to continue investing heavily in the lithium-ion business and at the same time to pay our shareholders a dividend for the first time. The decision will be made at the general meeting next month.”

Lithium-Ion Solutions & Microbatteries segment grows by 2.7%

Revenue in the Lithium-Ion Solutions & Microbatteries segment rose from € 118.7 million to € 121.9 million in the 2021 financial year. This corresponds to revenue growth of 2.7% compared to the previous year. The development of the rechargeable lithium-ion cells for high-tech consumer products, especially for true wireless premium headphones (TWS), was as expected. The USD / EUR exchange rate development and the adjustment of prices in the non-strategic area of assembly, i.e. the tailoring of the battery arresters for the customer, had a negative effect. New customer projects will have an impact on sales and earnings in the second half of the year.

The Microbatteries and Power Pack Solutions product groups have developed very positively. When it comes to hearing aid batteries, Varta is benefiting from the increased demand for rechargeable lithium-ion cells. The high growth rate continues in the Power Pack Solutions business. The adjusted EBITDA rose from € 40.8 million to € 45.9 million (+12.5%), which corresponds to a disproportionate increase compared to the sales development. The increase in earnings is the result of further increases in productivity and efficiency. This results in an adjusted EBITDA margin of 37.6% in relation to sales, which corresponds to an improvement in the adjusted EBITDA margin of 3.3 percentage points compared to the previous year.

Household Batteries segment continues to develop positively, high demand for energy storage systems

The Household Batteries segment comprises the consumer batteries business and energy storage systems. Sales increased from € 79.7 million to € 82.4 million in the 2021 financial year. This corresponds to a sales growth of 3.4% compared to the previous year. Adjusted EBITDA rose from € 10.9 million to € 13.9 million (+27.5%), which corresponds to a disproportionate increase compared to the sales development.

By focusing on the branded business, the consumer batteries business has significantly improved its profitability compared to the same quarter of the previous year. The business with energy storage systems grew very dynamically in the financial year and doubled compared to the same quarter of the previous year and was thus able to gain additional market shares. The adjusted EBITDA margin is 16.9% in relation to sales, which corresponds to an improvement of 3.2 percentage points compared to the previous year and thus builds on the successful fourth quarter of 2020.

Outlook: new lithium-ion round cells open up new markets, start of the pilot line on schedule

The structural growth of the core markets, strong market position in these core markets as well as the continued high investments in the expansion of production capacities will lead to positive business development in 2021. This outlook is based on the assumption of constant exchange rates.

The company is still very well positioned in view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic and fluctuating infection rates. Production at the company’s own locations has been running without interruptions since the beginning of the pandemic, and there have been no effects on the supply chains.

The positive business development will accelerate in the second half of the year thanks to new customer projects and orders in the CoinPower area. In addition, the development of new lithium-ion round cells will open up further business areas. The construction of the pilot line for the new lithium-ion round cells in the 21700 format at the Ellwangen location is proceeding according to plan. Pilot production will start at the end of the year.

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