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| | Adcon agreed not just to make a new low power radio, but also to begin development of a capacitance sensor. The latter development was shelved when Agrilink decided to take the task on themselves. | | Adcon agreed not just to make a new low power radio, but also to begin development of a capacitance sensor. The latter development was shelved when Agrilink decided to take the task on themselves. |
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| − | ===The C-Probe Corporation===
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| − | Developing new products is not cheap. To take on the task, Robinson needed funding and he was introduced to Adelaide's emerging Venture Capital sector. Using market growth predictions developed during his time at Sentek, Robinson convinced a group of local investors to provide him the money to develop his own sensor - the C-Probe, with which he could compete against Sentek.
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| − | The C-Probe Corporation was created by the directors of Agrilink, to create an impression of independence between the company as the local telemetry provider and the new soil moisture sensor. According to SOWACS, a web site established to promote soil water sensors, the C-Probe was "manufactured in Australia under license from the C-Probe Corporation of California" <ref>[http://www.sowacs.com/archives/99-04/msg00016.html SOWACS web site]</ref>. The two companies shared common directors and Agrilink Holdings was awarded the master distribution rights for the sensors.
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| − | Responsibility for developing the new sensor was passed to ADD, an Adelaide based electronics company specialising in electronic promotional signs and displays. The brief for ADD was to create a sensor which was compatible with Adcon's radio equipment and used the same form factor (and hence installation tools) as the Sentek probe.
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| − | In 1999, the company relocated to 7/69 Burbridge Rd, Hilton, South Australia. Soon after, Adcon delivered their new radio, the A720 addIT, but delays in the development process meant that the new soil moisture probe was not quite ready. As a stop gap measure, early customers were given Watermark soil moisture tension sensors, connected to Adcon's Watermark interface module. By the second quarter of 1999 the C-Probe was finally ready for market. Staff were trained up on installing the probes, using techniques and tools which borrowed heavily on those developed by Sentek.
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| − | Sentek had developed a business model based on selling hardware to its dealers who in turn backed the hardware up with consultancy on irrigation management. The inability of the capacitance sensors to accurately record soil moisture levels meant that interpretation of the data was beyond the average farmer. The consultant would analyse trends and inflections in the data and set full and refill points. In the first year the consultant would get rid of gross errors and in the second start managing irrigation to the new full and refill points. Robinson needed an experienced agronomist to provide this scheduling advice to his customers and called on the services of Peter Moller.
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| − | The company could service customers in South Australia on its own, but to service those further afield, the company needed distributors. Agrilink Water Management became the first, switching allegiances away from Sentek. Serve-Ag in Victoria and Tasmania followed soon after as well as Sunraysia Environmental in Mildura and Cropsol Consulting Services in Griffith. A linkage was also opened up with Agrotop in South Africa.
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| − | By late 1999 the company had grown to 12 staff and plans were put in to place to quickly grow further.
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| | ===GolfLinx=== | | ===GolfLinx=== |
| | To coincide with its refocusing on the turf market, Agrilink opened a new branch called GolfLinx. Although not registered as a separate company, a Board of Management was formed to run GolfLinx. To build credibility with the golf sector, former profession Bruce Devlin was appointed to the board <ref>[http://www.worldgolf.com/newswire/browse/12632-GolfLinx-seals-crucial-U-S--distribution-agreement-with-Horizon World Golf Magazine 2008]</ref>. Equipment was installed on 6 high profile courses to give the company reference sites. Back in Australia a GolfLinx division was created to target Australian courses. | | To coincide with its refocusing on the turf market, Agrilink opened a new branch called GolfLinx. Although not registered as a separate company, a Board of Management was formed to run GolfLinx. To build credibility with the golf sector, former profession Bruce Devlin was appointed to the board <ref>[http://www.worldgolf.com/newswire/browse/12632-GolfLinx-seals-crucial-U-S--distribution-agreement-with-Horizon World Golf Magazine 2008]</ref>. Equipment was installed on 6 high profile courses to give the company reference sites. Back in Australia a GolfLinx division was created to target Australian courses. |