Thursday, 23 April 2020 11:42

Tractor manufacturer defies COVID-19 bump

Written by Staff Reporters

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Case IH's New Zealand operation is working as an essential business through the COVID-19 pandemic.

Farm machinery merchandiser Case IH says it has kept the wheels rolling on farms – despite formidable logistical challenges during the lockdown.

CKNZ general manager, Tim Fanning, said its Case IH operation in New Zealand had good stock levels to cover short-medium term requirements, despite significant supply chain disruption globally.

The company was working on the basis that it was collectively an essential business due to meeting the requirements under the Primary Industry category. The Tractor and Machinery Association of New Zealand (TAMA) had also taken this position.

Fanning said the Case IH dealer network was operating at reduced capacity, but had approval from the Ministry for Primary Industries to provide essential services, strictly for “the purposes of keeping a farmer’s or grower’s machinery running for food production or animal welfare, or to protect a farmer’s ability to perform any other task deemed to be essential by the NZ Government”.

The company’s focus had shifted to supporting existing equipment working in the field and on critical parts supply to minimise any machine downtime, Fanning said.

Case IH had the largest holding of spare parts in the country with its Palmerston-based national depot (shared with sister brand New Holland). However, air freight on urgent parts from overseas was obvious issue across the industry.

Fanning said depreciation of the Kiwi dollar would have an impact on the cost of importing tractors and equipment. However, his company had secured strong forward cover contracts. These would effectively insulate against price increase for the balance of year, he said.

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Case IH Wins EIMA Award for Optum Suspension System

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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