A leading global agriculture company is seeking partners with experience designing, manufacturing, certifying, and supporting compact connected IoT hardware for industrial, field-deployed, or equipment-adjacent applications.

Background

Digital agriculture platforms rely on connected hardware to capture and transfer data from equipment used in field operations. While some data can be accessed through software integrations with existing equipment or third-party platforms, compact connected devices remain an important part of the data acquisition ecosystem when direct hardware-enabled data capture is needed.

Bringing this type of device to market requires coordination across hardware design, embedded electronics, wireless connectivity, device-level firmware, manufacturing, production testing, certification, and post-launch support. Because so many technical and operational workstreams must come together, development cycles can be complex and time-intensive, making it challenging to keep pace with rapid advances in connectivity, embedded systems, and compact IoT hardware.

We are exploring external partnership models that could support future hardware development, manufacturing, certification, and lifecycle support.

What we're looking for

We are seeking partners that can support compact IoT hardware design, manufacturing, and device-level embedded firmware maintenance for connected industrial or field-deployed devices. The current production volume is approximately 20,000 units per year, so the ideal partner should be able to support specialized, moderate-volume connected hardware programs while providing the technical depth needed for global certification, production, and ongoing device support.

We are particularly interested in partners that can take accountability for a meaningful portion of the device lifecycle rather than supporting only one isolated component. Respondents are encouraged to indicate which steps below their organization can own or support.

Topics of interest

Early-stage device architecture and hardware design
Embedded electronics design and component selection
Compact connected device prototyping and validation
Wireless connectivity integration, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular, or related technologies
Hardware and firmware integration
Device-level embedded firmware maintenance and ongoing firmware support
Cybersecurity collaboration for connected device programs
Design for manufacturing and production readiness
Manufacturing, assembly, and production testing
Quality control, reliability testing, and lifecycle support for connected hardware
International device certifications required for import and distribution across multiple markets
Global market access strategy and coordination with external certification or test labs
Post-launch hardware support, root-cause analysis, warranty workflows, or RMA support

Required qualifications

Ability to support compact IoT hardware design and manufacturing
Capability to maintain or support device-level embedded firmware in collaboration with the customer’s internal technical teams
Experience handling or coordinating international device certifications required for import and distribution across multiple markets

Nice-to-have

We're open to experts who have experience with:

Agricultural equipment, off-highway machinery, fleet telematics, industrial IoT, construction equipment, mining equipment, or other rugged device applications
Ruggedization for vibration, shock, dust, moisture, temperature variation, or other field conditions
Vehicle or machine data interfaces, such as CAN, J1939, ISOBUS, or related protocols
Secure firmware update processes, OTA update support, or cybersecurity collaboration for connected devices

Expert location

Accepting applications from experts based in all countries

What we can offer you

Compensation

Budget is available and will be determined based on the scope and structure of the proposed engagement and areas that the partner could support (e.g hardware development, manufacturing, certification, and lifecycle support).

Networking

Partners will have opportunities to engage with our teams across digital agriculture, hardware engineering, software/firmware, cybersecurity, product, operations, procurement, and regional market teams. Partners may also gain visibility with internal stakeholders involved in connected agriculture, data acquisition, and field-deployed digital solutions.

Market Access

Successful partners may have the opportunity to establish a commercial relationship with us and support connected hardware programs within our digital agriculture ecosystem. Depending on performance, strategic fit, and scalability, collaboration could potentially expand across additional geographies, device programs, or related digital agriculture initiatives.

Tools and Technologies

We may provide access to relevant technical requirements, device architecture inputs, connectivity requirements, firmware/data-flow expectations, cybersecurity guidelines, and integration considerations needed to evaluate fit and support collaboration. Access will be considered on a case-by-case basis under appropriate confidentiality arrangements.

Facilities and Services

Selected partners may have opportunities to collaborate with our teams to evaluate proposed capabilities in relevant development, testing, or field-use contexts. This may include support for technical discussions, workflow reviews, prototype or pilot evaluation, production-readiness planning, and coordination with internal teams or external certification/testing resources where appropriate.

Expertise

Selected partners may collaborate with our experts in digital agriculture, connected hardware, embedded systems, firmware, cybersecurity, field operations, and global product deployment. We can provide technical guidance, feedback on device and integration requirements, and practical insight into agricultural operating environments, customer needs, and international market considerations.

Data

Data may be shared to support evaluation, development, validation, or troubleshooting of proposed solutions. This could include non-sensitive or anonymized information related to device use cases, operating environments, connectivity needs, performance expectations, firmware/data requirements, or historical support challenges, subject to confidentiality, security, and data-sharing constraints.

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Apply by Sep 4

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Eligible partners

StartupsSuppliersService providers (CROs/CMOs)

Seeking partners focused on

Agricultural EngineeringClassical MechanicsElectricalMachine LearningMetrologyInternet of Things