Yamaha acquires NZ’s Robotics Plus, boosting agricultural automation
New Zealand-based company Robotics Plus, a specialist in agricultural automation, has announced an agreement for it to be acquired by Yamaha Motor to form Yamaha Agriculture.
Manufactured in northern Poland, Samasz is present in around 50 markets worldwide, but although it offers an extensive range of grassland products, including rakes and tedders, it’s probably best known for its high performing mowers.
Samasz is exclusively distributed in New Zealand by Kaiwaka-based FarmShop. Their relationship with the manufacturer began in late 2019 with a wholesale division that supplies an expanding regional dealer list.
Well known for design, durability and outstanding performance, the latter is evidenced by a Guinness World Record for the largest area of grass mowed using a triple, butterfly combination disc mower, knocking over 96ha in just eight hours.
Samasz began trading in 1984, always following a customer-first philosophy that in turn is backed by a two-year warranty that shows confidence in their product and keeps them ahead of the pack.
Meanwhile, with an eye to the future, constant testing, ongoing upgrades and an extensive product development programme mean the machines evolve to meet changing conditions and customer feedback.
The extensive mower range includes drum and disc formats, with belt or direct dive, plus front, rear and combination configurations to cover all types of crop, conditions and enterprises.
The company notes that its PerfectCut cutter- bars are over-dimensioned, wide, and incorporate 25mm-thick drive gears. This is said to offer superior contour following, particularly over uneven ground such as pivot irrigator ruts. The mowers also feature Quick-Change modules on the cutter-bar, changed quickly with minimal downtime, alongside being geared up, meaning that the main driveline components run at a slower speed to guarantee a longer working life. The blade design features a 13.8mm overlap, thereby eliminating striping, and can spin 360 degrees to generate a self-cleaning effect and a quick-change system to minimise service downtime.
Among the regular exhibitors at last month’s South Island Agricultural Field Days, the one that arguably takes the most intensive preparation every time is the PGG Wrightson Seeds site.
Two high producing Canterbury dairy farmers are moving to blended stockfeed supplements fed in-shed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to boost protein levels, which they can’t achieve through pasture under the region’s nitrogen limit of 190kg/ha.
Buoyed by strong forecasts for milk prices and a renewed demand for dairy assets, the South Island rural real estate market has begun the year with positive momentum, according to Colliers.
The six young cattle breeders participating in the inaugural Holstein Friesian NZ young breeder development programme have completed their first event of the year.
New Zealand feed producers are being encouraged to boost staff training to maintain efficiency and product quality.
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