CNH Industrial has strengthened its ability to provide accuracy in its satellite guidance systems with the purchase of Hemisphere GNSS, a company that was part of the UniStrong Science and Technology Co. Ltd., of Beijing.
UniStrong was founded in 1994 to develop Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for all sectors of industry and commerce and is now a parent company for many smaller businesses, including Hemisphere GNSS.
In-house expertise
In the race to adopt digital technology, tractor manufacturers are keen to present their suites of software as being seamlessly integrated into the machine’s operating systems and hardware.
This is often the case, but as electronics become more sophisticated there is the developing sentiment among manufacturers that third-party solutions became less focused upon their particular requirements.
There are two ways out of this bind, one is to grow the expertise within the company, the other is to buy it in through the purchase of existing companies that already have the necessary digital capabilities.
CNH Industrial has been pursuing this latter path, most notably with the purchase of Raven Industries, and now it has found another hub of expertise in the shape of Hemisphere GNSS.
Hemisphere GNSS – navigation specialist
The core capabilities of this latest acquisition are described as the production of integrated circuit chips and circuit boards for navigational equipment, as well as radio frequency signal processing, navigation algorithms and satellite-based correction designs.
The company has been particularly active in the agricultural and construction industries, both of which are also served by CNH, so the acquisition, for $175 million, would appear to make perfect sense for both parties.
Hemisphere GNSS will continue to operate as a standalone business via operations in the US, Canada and Australia where it already provides satellite navigation systems, working with all the major arrays to the two industries.