“Our own product development team had built a technical prototype of the Flow Analyzer. To commercialize it, we needed help from outside the company. Huld had already been our partner in the conception and production of our first Handheld measuring device. Therefore, Huld was a natural choice for this project as well. Our cooperation has been smooth and easy.” – Antti Leinonen, COO, GrainSense.
GrainSense is a Finnish growth company that develops innovative measuring solutions for the monitoring of grain quality. The mission of GrainSense is to grow into the global market with its solutions based on optical measurement technology.
GrainSense’s latest product, Flow Analyzer, analyzes the quality of grain from the flowing grain during the harvesting, drying, and storage processes. This intelligent measuring device can be installed, for example, directly into a combine harvester or a grain dryer.
Data from the measuring device is stored in the GrainSense Cloud service, from which the results can be tracked in real time. This allows the farmer to make informed decisions to improve the quality of the crop and the profitability of the operation. Expertise in product design and mechanical design was sought from Huld.
The project began by mapping the development areas of the prototype device and by getting to know the device’s future operating environments and technical requirements. An important criterion for GrainSense’s business planning was the easy and cost-effective manufacturing of the product, even in small batches.
“Jarkko Heikkinen, Huld’s mechanical designer in the project, owns a farm himself. So, in addition to other expertise, we were also able to obtain specialized agricultural knowledge, which was utilized, for example, in practical tests. This contributed significantly to product development.” – Antti Leinonen, COO, GrainSense.
Part of the process of developing and producing the product was its design. The product had to fit seamlessly into the current product family and uphold the impression of a valuable measuring device.
The design and engineering phases were carried out in close cooperation with GrainSense. Through Huld’s extensive manufacturing network, the necessary models and mechanical prototypes were quickly deployed.
The first deliveries of the Flow Analyzer will begin in the summer of 2022. GrainSense expects significant volume growth by 2023.
“With the help of Huld’s expertise, a functional product was developed from our prototype in a cost-effective and straightforward manner. We could even say that everything worked like a charm right away. We are very pleased!” – Antti Leinonen, COO, GrainSense.