increase font size
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.
The arrival of new F8 and F9 designations for its 8000 and 9000 series forage harvesters, signals a swag of upgrades from John Deere, highlighted by topping the 1000hp mark for the first time.
Waikato-Bay of Plenty farmer Hugh Jackson recently secured this year’s FMG Young Farmer of the Year title in Invercargill.
Ashburton-based Carrfields has signed an agreement with Manitou to take over the distribution and retail rights for Manitou Agricultural Equipment covering the lower North Island and the South Island, effective August 1, 2025.
With June ending and following the most upbeat National Fieldays for several years, tractor dealers are reporting a lift in sales.
Samasz distributor FarmShop has introduced the new XDF Series Front Mowers, said to be refined for local conditions and to improve cutting precision and wear resistance.
Brett Wotton, an Eastern Bay of Plenty kiwifruit grower and harvest contractor, has won the 2025 Kiwifruit Innovation Award for his work to support lifting fruit quality across the industry.
Academic Dr Mike Joy and his employer, Victoria University of Wellington have apologised for his comments suggesting that dairy industry CEOs should be hanged for contributing towards nitrate poisoning of waterways.
Environment Southland's catchment improvement funding is once again available for innovative landowners in need of a boost to get their project going.
The team meeting at the Culverden Hotel was relaxed and open, despite being in the middle of calving when stress levels are at peak levels, especially in bitterly cold and wet conditions like today.
A comment by outspoken academic Dr Mike Joy suggesting that dairy industry leaders should be hanged for nitrate contamination of drinking/groundwater has enraged farmers.
OPINION: The phasing out of copper network from communications is understandable.
OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having…
OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of…
