Swedish Innovation Power at Agritechnica

Nine companies and organisations are jointly showcasing Swedish innovation power at the global Agritechnica fair on 8-14 November. Elmia is one of them. However, the fair is just as much about picking up on trends and new technology for continued innovation.

The joint initiative goes under the name Swedish Innovation Power. The message is that Sweden is a highly fertile breeding-ground for green innovations, one that has created many export successes over the years.

ED Biogas, Smartplanes, Gothia Redskap and SSAB are participating in the Swedish pavilion, and each of the four companies is a fine example of how Swedish innovations are created in different kinds of networks.

ED Biogas has developed a biogas reactor for small-scale energy production in agriculture, for example. The reactor extracts more energy in less time and at a lower cost than existing technology. The company is now entering the international market with the Swedish co-operation model.

“We’re exhibiting at Agritechnica to find business partners and licensees in other countries,” says Ove Nyman, COB of ED Biogas.

International market

Smartplanes develops unmanned aerial systems which use different kinds of sensors to monitor large areas, while Gothia Redskap manufactures the Cameleon machine system for efficient cultivation without chemicals. The system has been developed, quite literally, in the field alongside customers and Hushållningssällskapet – Swedish Rural Economy and Agricultural Societies, an advisory body in Swedish agriculture. The result is a ground-breaking modular system for sowing, fertilisation and weed management.

“Thanks to the Swedish pavilion we’ll reach the international market quicker. Our goal is to find dealers outside of Sweden,” says Lars Askling, owner of Gothia Redskap.

The fourth company is steel manufacturer SSAB, which with its world-leading know-how in high-strength steel and construction can realise good ideas and turn them into innovations.

Research and meeting-places

The research side is represented by JTI – the Swedish Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering, and Linköping University. JTI conducts research in areas such as fossil-free agriculture in a future warmer, damper climate, and Linköping University runs the Grönovation (Green innovation) project with the aim of understanding and improving innovative processes.

The pavilion also includes three meeting-places for Swedish agriculture.

“For us it’s mainly about business intelligence. We’re here in Hanover to identify trends and new technology in fields such as IT, GPS and sensor technology,” says Helene Oscarsson, co-ordinator at Vreta Kluster, a development arena for innovations in the green sector.

The other two meeting-places are Torpa Gård and Elmia. Torpa Gård organises mini fairs and offers opportunities for product demonstrations and tests. Elmia is Sweden’s leading fair organiser in the green industries.

“As an important meeting-place for Swedish agriculture it’s natural for us to help industry’s innovation power to find markets outside of Sweden,” comments Maria Lindsäth, Business Sector Manager of Elmia’s agricultural fairs.

For further information about Elmia’s agricultural fairs, please contact Maria Lindsäth, Business Sector Manager, on +46 (0)36-15 22 28, maria.lindsath@elmia.se

Read more here:

Sweden Innovation Power folder: http://bit.ly/1P4VeLn

Agritechnica: www.agritechnica.com/en

Elmia Agriculture: www.elmia.se/en/elmia-agriculture-livestock