AEF Plugfest: Interoperability in Action to Improve Farming Operations Worldwide

The Agriculture Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF)’s largest-ever Plugfest was buzzing with excitement as new connections and combinations were made in support of improving agriculture equipment interoperability to simplify farming operations worldwide.

Held in Bologna, Italy, Sept.16 – 20, the fall Plugfest broke records, with more than 360 engineers and representatives from more than 90 leading agriculture equipment manufacturers coming together to test the compatibility of their ISOBUS products, working alongside their competitors for the betterment of the agriculture industry.  The three-day Plugfest event was the largest interoperability interaction across brands, with more than 3,000 tests performed by manufacturers of tractors, implements, and displays.

“At this year’s Plugfest in Bologna, more than 360 people joined to test ISOBUS equipment,” said Norbert Schlingmann, AEF general manager. “Participants include the whole range of engineers, from software architects to cloud security experts to autonomy and high-speed experts, who came together to not only connect their machines, but to share ideas for improving the agriculture industry and creating the connectivity that farmers have come to expect.” 

AEF is a global non-profit organization founded to improve cross-manufacturer compatibility in agricultural equipment. The organization hosts biannual Plugfest events each year, one in Europe and the other in North America, to give manufacturers the opportunity to test the compatibility of tractors with implements.   

Each Plugfest is organized to give implement manufacturers the opportunity to connect with tractor manufacturers through a system of rotating tables. Every 30 minutes, implement representatives rotate to a different tractor manufacturer to test compatibility and adjust as needed. 

“The whole idea about Plugfest is that in three days, participants can test compatibility with multiple manufacturers all in one location,” said Andrew Olliver, AEF chairman and digital product manager for CNH. “Representatives from tractor manufacturers work directly with the representatives of the implements to test the interoperability of their electronics systems.” 

At this event, representatives from 64 implement manufacturers participated, including those that manufacture the following: 

AEF was founded in 2008 and includes participation from eight agriculture equipment manufacturers, three associations, and over 300 general members that work together to improve cross-manufacturer compatibility of electronic and electric components in agricultural equipment. AEF’s ISOBUS database establishes and maintains the compatibility of agriculture equipment across brands and products, giving farmers more choices for equipment purchases as they look to expand or make new connections with their current fleet.  Prior to purchasing new equipment, farmers can check the AEF ISOBUS database to see if and how compatible the new equipment will be with their current equipment. 

“It’s important for Kubota to be here at the European Plugfest, because we believe in the interoperability of our systems,” said Peter van der Vlugt, managing director - Innovation Center Europe for Kubota Holdings Europe.  “Any implements that we produce are not only sold with Kubota tractors, but they are also sold in Europe with other brand tractors so farmers can determine what kind of machinery they operate.” 

“It is very important to join forces as a total industry to work on interoperability, and Plugfest is a means to test your interoperability to other manufacturers.  So, it is key that other manufacturers should come so we can grow Plugfest to an event for the whole industry,” continued van der Vlugt. 

AEM is a proud founding member of AEF and serves as the organization’s secretary, representing North America and helping ensure interoperability of equipment around the world. Back in 2007, AEM recognized the need for a dedicated organization to lead agriculture equipment interoperability and helped support the establishment of AEF. 

“AEM’s focus with AEF is to represent the needs of North American agriculture, which includes looking out for the needs of manufacturers and farmers alike,” said Austin Gellings, AEM’s director of agriculture services and AEF secretary. “And Plugfest serves as the ideal opportunity for engineers representing machines of multiple colors to work together across competitive lines in support of the broader industry.”  

“I grew up on my family’s farm, and there is a shift happening in North America where we are seeing more farmers look to own more brands of equipment and having mixed fleets, which is why interoperability is so important. Farmers want more options and equipment availability to do what they need to do and purchase tools based on what is best for their farm,” continued Gellings. 

AEF encourages AEM members and agriculture equipment manufacturers to get involved in AEF and participate in Plugfest events.   

“For AGCO it is very important to be involved in AEF because AGCO is a multi-brand company and we need to be interoperable inside AGCO as well, and it is in our nature to connect with companies and bring everyone together in support of our customers who would like mixed fleets,” said Adrian Hackfort, AGCO director, product management onboard electronics & fuse. “Interoperability is important for every participant in the agricultural landscape, and it is important to join AEF and the Plugfest to learn from each other, participate in working groups, be part of guidelines and new standards that help shape the future of our industry.” 

Check out a video recap of the AEF Plugfest below, or watch it here: