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Pottinger says it has substantial order books, after a difficult 16-month period brought about by the pandemic.
Despite Covid, the need for the world to eat has kept farmers busy, meaning that they continue to buy new kit and machinery – so manufacturers are also busy.
As an example, Austrian company Pöttinger is signaling that it will have its best year ever, expecting to end its 2020/21 financial year with a €395m turnover (NZ$673m). This is a significant increase on the €366m of 2019/2020 and beats the previous best ever figure of €382m in 2018/2019.
Speaking at a virtual press launch of the new Jumbo 7000 series forage wagons, spokesman Gregor Dietachmayr, confirmed Pöttinger is very busy, with substantial order books, after a difficult 16-month period brought about by the pandemic.
“We had to be careful, even reducing our manufacturing output slightly to reduce the risk of creating too-high machine inventories, should the demand have shrunk,” said Dietachmayr. “We were surprised to find the demand for new machines actually increased.”
While the domestic market of Austria accounts for 10% of sales, exports of the remaining 90% sees Germany and France as the largest markets at 19% and 15% respectively. The product mix is built around grassland machinery at 46% of volume, tillage gear at 16%, balers and loader wagons at 15%, with drills making up 9% of the total.
During the year, the company opened its 17th sales subsidiary in Poland; a strategy started in France in 1999 that was followed by Switzerland (2003), Italy (2004), Canada (2005), Ukraine (2007), Australia, Slovakia and USA (2008), Russia (2010), the UK, Belgium and Ireland (2012) and Scandinavia and China (2016).
Massey Ferguson has announced a strategic supply partnership with International Tractors Limited (ITL), a manufacturer of low-horsepower and compact tractors, with recognised brands such as Sonalika and Sollis, to expand its portfolio with a new tractor range.
With the biannual Italian EIMA machinery Expo less than a month away, Case IH has taken out a Technical Evolution award for the Advanced Vehicle Suspension system available on its Optum 360–440 series tractors.
The Advanced Vehicle Suspension system, available on Optum 360, 390, and 440 models, responds to changing conditions, automatically adjusting how the suspension reacts to absorbs shocks and controlling vehicle movement.
In operation, sensors monitor the vibrations transmitted from the tractor chassis to the operator cabin, allowing the system to adjust suspension damping in real time. The control system incorporates key priorities, such as comfort at lower speeds and stability as speed increases, while also reacting to factors such as lower tyre pressures, where the tyres absorb more of the initial shock.
Case IH said as suspension requirements change throughout the working day, as tractors move between the paddock and road transport, the system manages suspension response in the background as tasks, speeds and conditions change, leaving the operator without the need to make manual adjustments.
Richard Hollins, Optum series tractors global product manager, said: “Pioneering technology must earn its place in the working day. Farmers and contractors will judge an investment by what it delivers, including manageable ownership costs, dependable up-time and the versatility to tackle different jobs. With AVS, we are putting intelligent control to work for comfort and stability, without giving the operator another setting to manage.”
Organised by FederUnacoma, the Italian Agricultural Machinery Manufacturers Federation, the contest has been part of EIMA since 1986, with the Technical Evolution distinction awarded to products that introduce original improvements to solutions already manufactured or patented.
www.caseih.com
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