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Irish mixer wagon manufacturer Keenan is cutting jobs in a bid to weather the post-Covid economic storm.
Up to 50 jobs look likely to be axed at Irish mixer wagon manufacturer Keenan, who have weathered the post-Covid storm with some difficulties that saw production and profitability compromised.
Based at Borris in County Carlow, the business, owned by global nutrition company Alltech since 2016, currently employs around 115 people.
According to the owners, major hikes in steel prices, component supply chain issues and a lack of available labour have all contributed to their difficulties. Alltech, based in Kentucky US, says it is fully behind the brand and working towards finding solutions for their problems.
A spokesperson said, “Like many other companies in the industry, Keenan has faced difficult headwinds over the past two to three years.
“We still believe in the potential we saw at Keenan when we purchased the business in 2016, yet we now realise that we did not integrate it deeply enough in the Alltech family. As a result, Keenan has struggled to stay resilient during these recent challenges.”
Alltech has also revealed that it is investigating the possibility of outsourcing its manufacturing functions to other companies, with Turkey being mentioned in other news articles, although Alltech has stated that Keenan will remain an Irish company and continue to operate from its current site.
The spokesperson commented: “Looking to complement our expertise, we are looking at manufacturing partnerships, as we believe this might enable us to meet our customer expectations for quality, on-time delivery and operational support in a currently challenging manufacturing environment.
“At this point, these conversations are only exploratory, and we have no intention of developing a Keenan manufacturing facility on any other location.”
As Dairy News goes to press, we understand that several staff members have received letters notifying them of a risk of redundancy, so they are now in a period of consultation before any final decisions are made.
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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