Capital Equipment News July 2019

AGRICULTURE NEWS

Bobcat digs in with major savings

Known for its reliable, versatile and rugged skid-steer loaders, Bobcat Equipment South Africa is making inroads in the tractor loader backhoe (TLB) segment in agricultural applications. The service intervals on the Bobcat B730 TLB have been extended from every 250 to 500 hours, in addition to a substantial discount on parts and labour. This forms part of a concerted effort to entrench the Bobcat brand in the agricultural sector, according to Arina Van Der Westhuizen, Bobcat national aftermarket manager. “The agricultural sector has had to contend with ongoing drought conditions and other constraints, which is why Bobcat decided to alleviate the load a bit by extending the service intervals officially, which represents a significant saving for our agricultural customers in particular.” In addition, Bobcat Equipment South Africa is offering a 10% discount on its labour rates, and a 20% discount on parts if customers opt for a 2 000-hour service plan. This offers an extremely attractive package deal on the B730, especially as the Bobcat brand is renowned for its durability and flexibility. “The warranty is still intact, as the decision to extend the service intervals In a multi-faceted joint venture, Japan’s leading tractor manufacturer, Kubota, will jointly develop and manufacture utility tractors with Escorts of India. The two companies will both sell the range in India, while Kubota will export to selected export markets globally, including South Africa. Escorts Group is one of India’s largest agricultural, construction and railway equipment companies, producing 21- 80 horsepower tractors, engines and gensets. Kubota will own 60% of the joint venture (JV), which is said to have an initial capacity of 50 000 units. The JV will enable both partners to optimise their current and future capabilities in the segment globally. The JV will aim to take a leading position in the domestic Indian market, as well as in the export markets in the medium to long term. Masatoshi Kimata, president and representative director of Kubota Corp, describes Escorts Group’s farming equipment division as “a strong technology legacy and diversified portfolio” in agricultural tractors and equipment. “We are excited to announce our

The Bobcat B730 TLB excels in digging, trenching, breaking and materials handling.

was taken by the OEM itself. Of course, it is still up to our customers if they wish to service their machines every 250 hours,” says Van Der Westhuizen. “This is a good example of how proactive Bobcat is in responding to both its customers’ needs, and the requirements of the broader market.” Van Der Westhuizen adds that Bobcat anticipates a huge response to the special offer. “None of our competitors are offering anything similar, in addition to the fact that the Bobcat B730 represents the latest developments in

TLB technology.” Bobcat Equipment South Africa service manager Christo Broodryk describes the B730 as a truly versatile ‘back-to-basics’ machine. From digging to trenching, breaking, or even materials-handling, the TLB can get the job done. “The Bobcat B730 delivers the power that our customers need for the most demanding applications, while reducing operating costs. It features a high-quality filtration system for longer life, while the single-side service components take the effort out of any main- tenance or daily checks,” says Broodryk. b

Kubota-Escorts JV good news for the utility tractor market

The JV will aim to take a leading position in the domestic Indian market, as well as in the export markets in the medium to long term.

partnership with Escorts Group. Escorts has a strong technology legacy and diversified portfolio in agriculture equipment solutions market, while Kubota boasts proven global technology prowess. Together we will cater for India and other growing global economies which require high-end technology and new age tractors for the growing demand for highly- mechanised farming,” says Kimata. Nikil Nanda, chairman and MD of Escorts,

says the company is evolving to become a global organisation through strategic technology and manufacturing collabora- tions. “Our global JV with Kubota is aimed at technology-led collaborative growth in our domestic and export markets. With our inherent strengths, distribution and engineering benchmarks, together we will access global opportunity markets and move towards global leadership in utility tractors,” says Nanda. b

CAPITAL EQUIPMENT NEWS JULY 2019 40