Training courses

It is the intention of the FTMTA to offer two training courses for personnel of member firms at the FTMTA Farm Machinery Industry Training Centre near Naas in April.

The parts profit management course, which has run successfully on a number of occasions in previous years, most recently in late 2014, will run again on three single days spread over a number of weeks. The aim of the course is to develop a “best in class” parts department that is positioned to deliver the maximum value within the overall business.

The best practice service department course has not run in a number of years and will take place on two single days over a couple of weeks. The objective of this training course is to define, demonstrate and explain the roles and systems within the service department in line with best industry practices.

Both courses, developed and delivered by Jim Clohessy, are designed with a focus on the practical business needs of the farm machinery sector. Details will be sent to FTMTA member firms in due course. Members can pre-register their interest in these courses by contacting FTMTA on 045-409309 or email membership@ftmta.ie

Grass & Muck 2016

Following the recent, highly successful, FTMTA Farm Machinery Show 2015, the association has received a number of enquiries from prospective exhibitors about the next FTMTA event. The next public event held by the association will be FTMTA Grass & Muck 2016, the date of which has been confirmed as Thursday 12 May 2016.

The event will return to the Gurteen College site, near Birr, where the excellent facilities and central location of the college have proven to be a successful venue for this event, with 9,500 visitors attending in 2014.

The usual format of ongoing demonstrations throughout the day in the grass, reseeding, silage pit, slurry spreading and farmyard manure spreading areas will be continued, as well as a large area of trade stands.

FTMTA Grass & Muck is a biennial event run on alternate years to the FTMTA Farm Machinery Show at Punchestown. Both events are run in accordance with the ethos of “organised by the trade for the farmer and contractor”.

Details will be issued to prospective exhibitors later in the year. Any firm interested in exhibiting for the first time can register their interest in advance by contacting the FTMTA office on 045-409309 or at admin@ftmta.ie .