Leader in spraying, EXEL Industries is developing innovative solutions to address the climate emergency. As a partner to farmers and an AgTech specialist, the Group is committed to agro-ecology by developing precision farming, through an autonomous R&D unit dedicated to the Group's brands: EXXACT Robotics.

A more committed agriculture

Due to the growing world population, the development of an agriculture committed to an ecological transition has become urgent. While the world's population is estimated at 10 billion people in 2050, cereal production will have to increase from 2.7 to 3.5 billion tons per year, in just 30 years, without a significant increase in cultivated land.

To face the environmental, economic and human challenges and to meet the innovation needs of its brands, EXEL Industries, in collaboration with researchers, is deploying a strategy of disruptive innovation to establish its position as an AgTech expert. In 2019, the Group created EXXACT Robotics, a shared research center entirely dedicated to innovation. Its goal? To develop precision farming solutions.

The creation of EXXACT Robotics

In 2019, EXEL Industries opened EXXACT Robotics, an R&D unit composed of experts in robotics, artificial intelligence and agronomy. The research center provides farmers with reliable precision spraying technology. The autonomous and sustainable agricultural solutions proposed by EXXACT Robotics facilitate the agroecological transition. To this end, precision farming is adapted to both plant protection products and fertilization.

The team continues to grow by recruiting profiles with advanced skills in Deep Learning and robotics. The challenge is to design solutions to reduce the use of phytopharmaceutical products and develop new practices around precision farming.

With the creation of EXXACT Robotics and its commitment to agro-ecology, the EXEL Industries group is keeping its promise to farmers to guarantee "the right dose, at the right time, in the right place".

Precision farming by EXXACT Robotics

The innovations developed by EXXACT Robotics, such as the 3S Spot Spray Sensor® technology, aim to optimize the precision of product application and limit input doses by 30% to 80%. The farmer's product purchase costs and environmental impacts are drastically reduced, and crop yields are potentially improved. This new approach to spraying, which is more targeted and more respectful of crop needs, is now a key factor in limiting the risk of resistance.
In collaboration with the IMS in Bordeaux, EXXACT Robotics is developing indicators to evaluate the performance of its precision farming solutions. The center has also joined forces with Wageningen University in the Netherlands to work on neural networks and their integration into AgTech applications.

Finally, the relationship between farmers and consumers is also at the heart of EXXACT Robotics' strategy. According to the Ministry of Agriculture, "71% of French consumers want to contribute to the purchase of regional products and play a role in the economic and social development of farms." By collecting a lot of data, EXXACT Robotics' solutions reinforce the traceability of product applications to the consumer.

3S Spot Spray Sensor® technology: the agriculture of tomorrow

The 3S Spot Spray Sensor® technology, developed by EXXACT Robotics, is an ultra-localized treatment solution using embedded sensors. It works with artificial intelligence (AI) and Deep Learning and helps farmers to detect bio-pests or pests.

The high-precision bi-spectral cameras provide images that are analyzed in real time by the 3S Spot Spray Sensor® technology. This information is transmitted to the sprayer to deliver the right dose to the right place. Used on zero soil or on field crops, its speed can reach 25 km/h, day or night. As a core element of AgTech, the 3S Spot Spray Sensor® solution is intended to integrate all the EXEL Industries group's sprayer brands.

With AI and Deep Learning, the brands of the EXEL Industries group will be able to facilitate the daily life of farmers by offering them greater control over their spraying. Thanks to this regulation, less input will be used, while allowing the optimization of crop yields.

With the precision farming developed by the Exxact Robotics R&D unit, the EXEL Industries group is continuing to transform its agricultural spraying activity to help achieve the goals of the European Union's Farm to Fork plan, which aims to reduce the quantities of plant protection products by 50% and fertilizers by 20% by 2030.

Partnerships for innovation

EXEL Industries is a sponsor of the Alliance Harvest at Agro Paris Tech. This chair aims to conduct work on digital data used in the agricultural sector. EXEL Industries also supports doctoral student programs with the universities of Bordeaux and UniLaSalle.

Finally, EXEL Industries has committed to investing 3 million of euros in the Agrinnovation fund managed by Démeter. Agrinnovation wants to invest in start-ups in the agri-food sector and benefits from a deal flow of more than 400 files per year. This investment allows EXEL Industries to remain in contact with innovations in the sector.