A remarkable collaboration between the passionate designer Marcus Schering and the metal construction company HEIKO Metallbau from Bückeburg has resulted in a pioneering crushing roller for agriculture. The 39-year-old Schering, who is known for his outstanding talent in the field of special machine construction, initially developed the special roller for a farmer friend and attracted the attention of a French company.
The crushing roller project is one of many in the field of special machine construction at HEIKO Metallbau. Marcus Schering, an experienced design engineer, took up the challenge when a farmer friend from the region was looking for such a machine. Imports from the USA, France or Switzerland would have been expensive, as such agricultural equipment is not yet widely available in Germany. Schering sketched out an initial design within two hours and realised the idea with the support of his employer, HEIKO Metallbau.
In just under four weeks and with numerous hours of labour, Schering created the first ready-to-use crushing roller. The positive response from his friend motivated him to build another machine. This time he received the order from a French company, whose machine was delivered to Italy.
The special feature of the crushing roller is that it crushes the grown catch crop on the field, causing the plants to lie on the ground like a carpet and slowly rot. At the same time, the roller enables the farmer to spread the new seed in a single pass without breaking up the soil and causing moisture loss. The even soil cover inhibits weed growth and the use of weedkillers can be reduced.
The unusual connection to his client in France came about when Schering sent photos of his crushing roller to the company that manufactured his friend’s no-till drill. Although the interest was initially denied, the company promised to forward all enquiries for pinch rollers to Schering. This eventually led to the current order from Italy. The fully equipped roller is worth around 25,000 euros and was planned in four weeks and manufactured in a further 14 days.
Marcus Schering is hoping for further orders for pinch rollers in the future, which will then be manufactured by HEIKO Metallbau. HEIKO Metallbau is proud to be part of this innovative project.
