Kratos Defense, Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative Partner to Deploy Self-Driving Trucks to Address Workforce Challenges and Improve the Supply Chain
19 May 2022 - 10:00PM
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: KTOS), a
leading National Security Solutions provider, announced today that
it has teamed with the Minn-Dak Farmers Cooperative (MDFC) to
launch self-driving trucks, easing the truck driver shortage burden
using Kratos Autonomous Systems to ensure integrity of the
agriculture supply chain as a critical national security concern.
Kratos Unmanned Systems’ core competency is
affordable, disruptive, unmanned systems-related technology and
products for aerial drones, surface vessels, ground-based vehicles,
and related command, control, autonomy, and artificial
intelligence.
The collaboration between Kratos and MDFC, one
of America’s largest sugarbeet shareholder/grower cooperatives, was
fostered by Grand Farm, a non-profit group focused on facilitating
agriculture technology innovation headquartered in North Dakota and
combines Kratos’ innovative unmanned system technologies, with
Minn-Dak’s agriculture and transportation expertise. The
retrofitted solution adapts “Leader/Follower” truck platooning for
hauling harvested sugarbeets between piling stations and the
granulated sugar processing plant in Wahpeton, North Dakota.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/61a93c9f-9c56-41bc-a8b1-96df7f26c5c2
Maynard Factor, VP of Business
Development for the Kratos Unmanned Systems Division,
said, “We are excited to collaborate with Minn-Dak to deploy
driverless trucks within their sugarbeet harvest operations. Kratos
develops and fields transformative, affordable systems, platforms,
and products for national security, and ensuring the agriculture
supply chain using driverless technology directly aligns with our
core company objectives. Our focus here is on the niche, short-haul
trucking routes where Kratos’ technology is available today that
can solve driver shortage issues impacting agriculture hauling
capacity and, therefore, the supply chain. Sugarbeet growers have
been early adopters of emerging agriculture technologies,
implementing now-commonplace innovations such as transitioning from
rail to trucks and using GPS-guided farm equipment. We see
driverless technology as a similar innovation for enhancing
critical farm-related operations. Additionally, as the world
advances and unmanned vehicle systems continue to solve a multitude
of workforce, cost, and safety challenges, we are committed to
being a significant solution provider across the spectrum of this
large and growing market area.”
Self-driving truck deployments can augment the
existing workforce as a tool for either increasing haul capacity to
keep up with growing demand or maintaining existing haul capacity
when qualified drivers are unavailable. Significant effort, cost,
and planning is required to ensure haul capacity meets national
harvest quotas. Over 50,000 trucks a day can be deployed during
peak sugarbeet harvesting season, and the Kratos Leader/Follower
platoon is an enabling technology that the agriculture industry can
now use for optimizing allocation of available labor to bolster the
supply chain.
Mike Metzger, Minn-Dak Farmers Co-Op VP
of Agriculture, said, “Minn-Dak is beyond excited to be
partnering with Kratos Defense as we both take the next step
towards implementing Kratos’ Leader/Follower technology. Our
Cooperative’s goal is to take this technology to the next level by
incorporating it into our commercial truck fleet that brings the
sugarbeets from receiving stations to our factory for processing.
It’s no secret that there is a gross shortage of commercially
licensed truck drivers, especially in rural areas like ours. The
deployment of driverless vehicle technology will undoubtedly help
alleviate these labor shortages and improve the overall safety and
efficiency of our fleet.”
Retrofitting driverless technology is an ideal
solution for organizations like Minn-Dak that already have an
existing fleet and logistics operations. It enables them to use
their harvest trucks without having to invest in brand new
“purpose-built” robotic vehicles. Additionally, the Kratos
Leader/Follower platoon offers several advantages to logistics
managers who can now pair available truck drivers with driverless
trucks to enhance hauling productivity. The paired trucks offer
greater efficiency and fuel savings while reducing recruitment
costs and overall stress on the drivers, recruiters, and farmers by
solving the driver shortage challenge. Additionally, the
integration of the technology into the agriculture supply chain
offers strategic workforce development opportunities.
About Kratos Defense & Security
SolutionsKratos Defense & Security Solutions,
Inc. (NASDAQ:KTOS) develops and fields transformative,
affordable technology, platforms and systems for United States
National Security related customers, allies and commercial
enterprises. Kratos is changing the way breakthrough technology for
these industries are rapidly brought to market through proven
commercial and venture capital backed approaches, including
proactive research and streamlined development processes. At
Kratos, affordability is a technology, and we specialize in
unmanned systems, satellite communications, cyber security/warfare,
microwave electronics, missile defense, hypersonic systems,
training, combat systems and next generation turbo jet and turbo
fan engine development. For more information, please
visit www.KratosDefense.com.
About Minn-Dak Farmers
CooperativeMinn-Dak Farmers Cooperative (MDFC or Minn-Dak)
was the nation’s first farmer-owned sugarbeet cooperative and is
headquartered in Wahpeton, a city in the southeast corner of North
Dakota, in the heart of the Red River Valley. The Cooperative is
owned by approximately 500 Shareholders/Growers who collectively
grow just over 100,000 acres of sugarbeets and is part of the
domestic sweetener industry. Minn-Dak has proudly been in business
since 1972 and processes its sugarbeets into sugar as well as
products the likes of molasses and beet pulp pellets (used in
animal feed). Minn-Dak's products are then marketed through agents
worldwide. Major customers include industrial users, including
confectioners, breakfast-cereal manufacturers, and bakeries. For
more information, please visit www.mdf.coop.
Notice Regarding Forward-Looking
StatementsCertain statements in this press release may
constitute “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These
forward-looking statements are made on the basis of the current
beliefs, expectations and assumptions of the management of Kratos
and are subject to significant risks and uncertainty. Investors are
cautioned not to place undue reliance on any such forward-looking
statements. All such forward-looking statements speak only as of
the date they are made, and Kratos undertakes no obligation to
update or revise these statements, whether as a result of new
information, future events or otherwise. Although Kratos believes
that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements
are reasonable, these statements involve many risks and
uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially
from what may be expressed or implied in these forward-looking
statements. For a further discussion of risks and uncertainties
that could cause actual results to differ from those expressed in
these forward-looking statements, as well as risks relating to the
business of Kratos in general, see the risk disclosures in the
Annual Report on Form 10-K of Kratos for the year ended December
26, 2021, and in subsequent reports on Forms 10-Q and 8-K and other
filings made with the SEC by Kratos.
Press Contact:Yolanda White858-812-7302
Direct
Investor
Information:877-934-4687investor@kratosdefense.com
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