Kubota tests diesel engines
Kubota last month used the UK LAMMA Show to test the water with its new 200hp, four-cylinder 09-series diesel engines.
Hustler Equipment, the Hastings maker of bale feeding, bedding and handling equipment, has bought Robertson Manufacturing.
Robertson, located in Hinds, Canterbury, make silage wagons, the Supercomby feedout machine and precision spreading equipment.
Hustler started manufacturing in 1961, Robertson in 1977. With nearly 100 years between them in designing and making innovative machinery it seems the two companies are a good fit.
Hustler told Rural News that while some branding changes may follow, the Robertson designs and attention to detail will remain and customers will get 'seamless' advice and support.
Meanwhile, on the global scene, cash-rich Japanese giant Kubota is to buy the planter and seed drill manufacturer Great Plains Manufacturing, of Salina, Kansas.
In the US$430 million deal, slated for July, Kubota will acquire all five divisions of Great Plains, said to be the largest family-owned farm equipment maker in the US. It has eight factories in the US and one in UK; staff number 1400.
"This acquisition is part of the long term strategic vision for our expansion, with the aim of providing high quality products and comprehensive solutions for customers," said Masato Yoshikawa, president and chief executive of Kubota Tractor Corporation.
Great Plains and Kubota had common values, he said, "in that we were both founded four decades ago and both companies have a reputation for quality and engineering excellence".
Great Plains founder and chairman Roy Applequist will remain to help guide operations.
"My plan is to play a significant part in helping Great Plains to become a vital part of the Kubota family," he said.
The companies already have a long term relationship: the Great Plains Land Pride brand has been sold alongside Kubota products in the North American market since 2007.
Kubota says the move builds on its commitment to the US and Canadian markets; it recently announced a North American distribution centre in Edgerton, US, for the supply of whole goods and parts to these regions.
A small company which mobilised veterinarians around the country to deal with Mycoplasma bovis was one of the winners in this year's Biosecurity Awards, held at Parliament.
One of the country's top Māori sheep and beef farms is facing a five-year battle to get back to where it was before Cyclone Gabrielle struck just over 14 months ago.
Graham Brown, the executive chef for Deer Industry New Zealand (DINZ), is excited about Korea.
One of the country's leading experts on China has praised the NZ Government for its handling of the recent incident with China over that country's cyber attack on two of our parliamentary institutions in 2021.
The world’s largest wool processing facility, badly damaged by Cyclone Gabrielle over one year ago, has re-opened following a $50 million rebuild and refurbishment project.
Kiwi rugby star Renee Holmes is set for a fruitful year.
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