Case IH Focuses on New Connections with Customers  

Precision agriculture has been a focus for Sean McColley throughout his career in the agriculture industry and he’s looking forward to bringing that experience to his new role.

Sean was appointed the Advanced Farming Systems (AFS) Product Manager for Case IH Australia/New Zealand in January and admits it’s been a challenging time to learn the ropes as COVID-19 restrictions have curbed travel and made meetings and contact with customers, colleagues and dealers more difficult.

Based in Toowoomba, Queensland, Sean has some immediate priorities including raising awareness among customers of AFS Connect, a connectivity solution that integrates proven elements of Case IH Advanced Farming Systems technology to link farm, fleet and data, and now allows Case IH owners to make better-informed decisions based on both real-time and historic data generated by their machines. He said:

“When I saw the role advertised, one of the things that excited me about it was the chance to work so closely with this new AFS Connect technology. I was so keen to be involved with the transition to this new technology and the machines at the centre of it, and the game-changing benefits AFS Connect offers our customers.” 

Sean grew up in Moree on a cotton farm, before spending nine months in Tennesee in the US attending the ACSA International Cotton Institute, honing his skills as a cotton classer and marketer. On his return to Australia in 1997 he joined Weil Brothers in Moree, and then relocated to Toowoomba a few years later to establish a base for the company.

Working in precision agriculture with a Toowoomba-based machinery dealership followed and then Sean spent nine years travelling the globe with Precision Cotton Technologies, marketing a water management system in a variety of different markets around the world.

Preparing to spread the word on AFS Connect, Sean says it’s exciting to see where precision agriculture is heading, particularly given how far it’s come in a relatively short time. Sean said:

“I’ve certainly seen it evolve over time, from when auto steer first came out to now when we’re doing a lot more with machine data so customers can make better, more timely, cost-saving decisions.” 

 

“Technology like AFS is just part of farming these days and is certainly driven by what the customer wants and needs, which manufacturers like Case IH are listening to and investing in.”

Sean’s looking forward to engaging with customers on Case IH’s suite of AFS products, emphasising the importance of raising awareness of new products like AFS Connect, but also existing technologies that farmers have at their fingertips. He said:

“It’s about ensuring customers know what they already have within their machinery and encouraging them to use it to its potential. It’s too big an investment not to be utilising the technology you already have access to.”

 

“The message is it’s easy to use, it’s designed to be farmer-friendly and it’s aimed at streamlining and guiding decision-making that maximises efficiency, productivity and profits.”