New look Zetor to be here next spring

First of the new-look Zetor tractors manufactured in the new body styling devised by Italian car designers Pininfarina, will launch on the Irish market next spring, though the particular models and the sequence of their arrival here has yet to be determined, according to John O’Brien, sales director for their distributor, McHale Plant Sales of Birdhill and Rathcoole.

First announced at the recent Agritechnica exhibition, a prototype of the new Zetor by Pininfarina was presented to Zetor importers at a recent conference to celebrate 70 years of Zetor held at the company’s headquarters in the Czech Republic that John O’Brien (pictured with the prototype) and colleagues from McHale Plant Sales attended.

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Commenting, O’Brien said: “When Zetor teamed up with leading designers Pininfarina, we were certain that something exciting would emerge. The model shown to us was big, powerful, and oozed eye-appeal”.

“When it arrives here, we expect it will be one of the most stylish tractors on the market – farmers are going to love it, our dealers are going to love it,” O’Brien added.

SDF increases market share

SDF has announced a 15% increase in its global sales (€1,390m) for 2015 compared with 2014, against a 10% drop in sales for the total agricultural machinery market over the same time period, effectively bucking the trend in an otherwise depressed industry. The group’s EBITDA was 9%, equivalent to €125m, compared to €110m in 2014, and its net worth grew by 23% to around €50m, compared to €41m in the previous year.

Investments reached record levels at €103m, with the most significant being €41m for the first production stage of the new Lauingen plant, €33m for new products, plus €43m for acquisition of 95% of the joint venture in China.

“With the 2015 positive figures we have achieved the first results of the 2010-2020 strategic plan implemented in 2010,” explains SDF’s chief executive officer, Lodovico Bussolati.

“The plan also contains extraordinary investment for the renewal and completion of the product range, and to set up production and commercial activities in China and Turkey.”

Schuitemaker and TFM join forces

TFM has announced that they will be the main agents for the Schuitemaker range of forage wagons. The Dutch company established 95 years ago has a long history of manufacturing forage wagons, and have been sold here before.

Commenting on the move, Pat Costello, sales director with TFM, said that the Schuitemaker range will give TFM customers more choice in their silage harvesting options, and that the Schuitemaker is a tried and tested machine all over Europe.

TFM will be the exclusive dealers for all of the Republic of Ireland, and DA Forgie will remain the Schuitemaker dealer for Northern Ireland.