increase font size
Some of the team at farming equipment manufacturer Hustler Equipment.
Hawke's Bay farming equipment manufacturer Hustler Equipment has announced the recent acquisition of the production facilities of McLaren Stainless.
The former are specialists in feeding, handling and spraying equipment, while the latter is an engineering business operating for three generations since 1919.
Hustler says the acquisition is the natural result of many years of active business collaboration between the two companies, with McLaren providing it with extensive expertise in subcontracted fabrication, plate processing and machining. “This was a logical step to overcome some of the current supply chain challenges in the industry and to help us keep up with the global demand for Hustler’s innovation,” explains Brent Currie, Hustler Equipment chief executive.
The ex-McLaren building in Hastings will provide an additional 4,000m² of office, fabrication, plate processing and machining space to the current 8,000m² of site works at Hustler’s global headquarters on Omahu Road, Hastings. Currie says this will allow Hustler to overcome the difficulties currently facing many manufacturers in the global supply chain by virtually doubling its domestic production fabrication capacities.
With this acquisition, Hustler aims to continue its rapid domestic and international growth, having retained some key McLaren Stainless staff. Currie says the company is now confidently looking forward to the launch of several new product lines later this year, including feeding and handling equipment.
“Farmers are experiencing many months of delay before getting new feed-out equipment that is crucial for the industry as global demand for dairy and meat products is steadily increasing,” he explains.
“We had reached a point where it became necessary to find a solution to meet the demand of the farmers who keep feeding the world in the current a pandemic. We must do our bit to help them by continuing to provide readily available, innovative equipment and great customer service.”
While Nokia is more likely recognised for mobile devices, a major investment of €70m (NZ$126m) by global farm machinery brand AGCO at its facility in Linnavuori, in Nokia, will see the plant establish a new laboratory for testing combustion engines running on alternative fuels, alongside a range of electric solutions, including hybrids, fuel cells and high-voltage battery technology.
Evan Paxton and his family at Riverview Farms, Dargaville, are one of New Zealand’s leading suppliers of kumara.
There can't be many heavy metal fans who haven’t heard of Basildon, situated about 40km east of London and originally created in 1948 to deal with the population boom after the Second World War.
Think of a RAM 1500 or a Chevrolet Silverado and compare them to a Ranger or a Hilux: One is obviously a truck, and the other is a ute.
With effluent management never far from the thoughts of legislators and farmers becoming increasingly aware of the nutrient values of dairy effluent, innovate ideas for the convenient storage and subsequent discharge are always of interest.
The country’s 4200 commercial fruit and vegetable growers will vote from May 14 on a new HortNZ levy.
Meat processor Alliance Group is asking farmer shareholders to inject more capital in order to remain a 100% co-operative.
A vet is calling for all animals to be vaccinated against a new strain of leptospirosis (lepto) discovered on New Zealand dairy farms in recent years.
Dairy
Rural banker Rabobank is partnering with Food Rescue Kitchen on a new TV series which airs this weekend that aims to shine a light on the real and growing issues of food waste, food poverty and social isolation in New Zealand.
Telco infrastructure provider Chorus says that it believes all Kiwis – particularly those in the rural areas – need access to high-speed, reliable broadband.
