Smart Broch System

During the Christmas season and as the purple garlic sowing  campaign was coming to an end, we had the opportunity to visit a beautiful farm in Herencia (Ciudad Real) called ‘Casas de Vida’. Here, we witnessed the Spanish manufacturer Broch’s new garlic planter in action and explored their innovative Smart Broch system for machine control and management—a truly fascinating solution that we’ll explain in detail below.

Before we continue, we want to extend our gratitude to Antonio, his father, his brother and his sons for the warm hospitality they showed us during the morning we spent with them in their farm.

Regarding the garlic planter, it is a pneumatic machine that we have already covered in previous posts. However,  this version introduces many new features, which we’ll detail here. The most innovative aspect is the Smart Broch system—a machine management platform—which enables to have all the control from a tablet connected wirelessly (via Wi-Fi) to the machine. This allows operators to adjust configurations from the tractor cab and they can make the adjustment needed without stopping sowing, as well as seeing all the information from its multiple sensors ... all this is the Smart Broch system.

As shown in the video, this evolution takes the machine from a mechanical and analog system to a fully hydraulic and digitalized one. But how does this transformation work? Let’s break it down:

1. Hydraulic Transmission System. Replacing the traditional chain and sprocket system, the new hydraulic setup is controlled by three key sensors:
1. Machine speed sensor: Measures sowing speed.
2. Waterwheel speed sensor: Monitors the speed at which garlic is deposited before it’s placed in the soil.
3. Garlic clove sensor: Counts the number of cloves deposited in the ground.
2. GPS Receiver and Processing Software
1. Integrates sensor data and GPS positioning.
2. Wirelessly transmits machine information to a tablet, where specialized management software is installed.

From the tablet in the tractor cab, operators can access the following real-time information, categorized into three main sections:

• Machine Operation Control
• Working speed
• Pneumatic turbine revolutions
• Sowing density per row
• Geolocation and plants per meter
• Vibrator sensors
• Geolocation and Traceability
• Tracks and stores job records in the cloud.
• Alarm and Maintenance Systems
• Alerts to detect irregularities.
• Maintenance
• Predictive maintenance program to anticipate wear and prevent breakdowns.

Smart Broch system is truly impressive, offering real-time insights into the machine’s performance and ensuring the planting is carried out correctly.

One particularly useful example we observed was adjusting the plant density per meter—a critical factor in garlic planting. This adjustment was made seamlessly from the tablet, without stopping the sowing process, altering the working speed, or physically modifying the machine.

In conclusion, Smart Broch system represents a leap forward in agricultural technology, combining precision, efficiency, and user-friendly control to deliver.

Versión en español.

Factory (IV). Broch

Another of our factory visits during the last year 2022 was to Arganda del Rey (Madrid) to the Broch facilities, dedicated to the manufacture of machinery for garlic, potatoes and monographs... specialized in machinery for garlic. This was a very enriching visit where we could see the whole process of design, development and manufacture of the machines, based on close contact with the farmer to respond to all needs. Here is also an introduction to what Broch means for garlic cultivation. 

Broch is a company founded in 1954 with Salvador Broch at the head. Today, the 4th generation has joined the company with Estela Broch. At the same time, garlic cultivation some 30 years ago posed significant challenges in terms of mechanization for planting, harvesting and further processing, harvesting and subsequent processing. Broch was responsible for providing solutions that today allow the farmer to have an almost fully mechanised crop and above all a profitable crop. 

The factory, it is mainly divided into two plants, on the one hand, the machining and production plant and on the other hand the assembly and dispatch plant. The company also has auxiliary warehouses to store spares and prefabricated machine parts that help reduce assembly times. As Jose Antonio Lostal (Marketing and Sales Manager) points out, the company is constantly in the campaign as they export to more than 60 countries and therefore there is always work in the fields and post-harvest in the garlic warehouses.  

We invite you to watch the video where you will understand the whole process in detail and you will also be able to see the work they are working on in the future. 

Broch's range of products includes the following: 

• Garlic Crop Machinery 
• Splitters 
• Planters 
• Harvesters 
• Cleanners 
• Graders 
• Brushers 
• Peelers 
• Potato Machines 
• Cup feed planters 
• Potato diggers 
• Precision mechanical seed drills 
• Mechanical seed drills of precision, ease of use and low maintenance. 

Finally, it was very interesting for us to see the process of design, development and manufacture of garlic machines. Machines that we used in the cultivation of garlic for years, these gadgets have been with us practically all our lives and which have undoubtedly reduced our efforts and helped us to control production costs. Thank you very much for your attention during the visit and for explaining the whole process in detail and without any restriction. 

Versión en español.