CU LTIVATION AND TECHNOLOGY ‘There are no boundaries for us where growth is concerned’ After two relatively fast takeovers in quick succession namely Underhaug (planting machinery) in April 2013 and Climax (storage machinery) in January 2013, AVR, who manufactures lifters and rotary cultivators in Roeselare, Belgium, almost instantly became a full liner in the world of important machinery for the cultivation of potatoes. All of a sudden, manufacturer Grimme from the German town of Damme was no longer the only full liner in North-West Europe. With these impressive takeovers, AVR had been just a bit faster than competitor and colleague lifting machinery manufacturer Dewulf, which followed AVR’s example after all with the incorporation of Miedema in 2015. These takeovers, however, were not the end of AVR’s big investments. Last year, AVR had a large, modern assembly hall built for lifters, which produced the first machines for the production line last spring. All in all, a good reason for a conversation with Director Stefan Top to find out what his investment drive had yielded so far and if he had already started thinking of new strategic expansion plans. Those Underhaug and Climax takeovers, have they brought what you’d expected? ‘I’m really happy that we decided to remodel our company into a real full liner in potato mechanisation all those years ago. Looking at our customers, the agricultural mechanisation companies, I noticed a growing need for more of the same. And I also believe in strongly-specialised companies that are much more able to provide a good service by representing one brand name than companies that represent many brand names. The importance of this has increased for manufacturers, dealers and end users. We’re increasingly equipping our machinery with more and more advanced technology. And this requires a great deal of knowledge. It’s not that easy to keep up with more than one brand in one supply programme. Another important reason for the takeovers is that we can now build machinery throughout the year, which enables us to balance the activities in the factories much better.’ ‘We want agricultural mechanisation companies to choose one brand, also after takeovers. And that’s only logical, I think’, Stefan Top says resolutely. Does the full-line supply already work in practice for the dealers and the end users? ‘A potato grower or contractor doesn’t think, “I already have a brand x lifter, so I’ll now also buy a brand x planter”. More important are things like service, trade-in value, or a total Potato World 2017 • number 2 5 Pagina 4
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