A farming show…for truckies too

Story Dave McLeod & Wayne Munro Photos Dave McLeod & Fieldays

FFOR SOME KIWI TRUCK DISTRIBUTORS, IT’S LIKE THAT

old tv commercial from the 1980s for the alcohol-free Clayton’s – “the drink you have when you’re not having a drink.”

Fieldays is kind of like their Clayton’s outing – “the truck show you have when you’re not having a truck show.”

That’s because, of course, Fieldays is – first and foremost – an agricultural/rural/farming extravaganza. The biggest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere in fact, the organisers reckon.

But, nevertheless, five truck makes are represented at the 2021 Mystery Creek agricultural extravaganza – returning to an up-close-and-personal scenario after last year’s COVID-enforced “virtual” show, which was conducted completely online.

And, adding to the taste of trucking for the crowds of cowcockeys, is a handful of other companies active in the transport industry (as well as the rural sector) – among them suppliers like the Porter Group, Teletrac Navman, TRS Tyre & Wheel and TransDiesel….

Above: Almost 133,000 showgoers attend Fieldays over four days

Left: Hino, which skipped the last Transport & Heavy Equipment Expo at Mystery Creek, has a strong presence at Fieldays

And transport operators/suppliers including J. Swap, Fonterra, Waitomo Group, Waste Management and Bowers Bros Concrete – along with another organisation traversing both the trucking and rural sectors, Waka Kotahi New Zealand Transport Agency.

Interestingly, the truck makes here at the June event – reputedly the largest agricultural event of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere – include Japanese brands UD Trucks and Hino…. two of the stayaways from the last Transport & Heavy Equipment Expo, which was far and away NZ’s biggest dedicated truck show.

Some exhibitors’ dissatisfaction with THE Expo’s perceived value for money – and showgoers’ disappointment with the exhibitor turnout – has so far meant there hasn’t been a repeat.

So, why take trucks to an agri show? Isn’t that a scattergun approach – putting your product in front of a huge audience….but still only reaching a tiny percentage of likely buyers for a new UD Quon, an Iveco X-Way, a Hino 700 Series, a Hyundai Mighty or a new, Chinese-built XCMG heavy-duty electric truck?

Well, quite clearly, if its maximum visibility you’re after Fieldays is hard to beat: The Mystery Creek show is huge – pulling in a helluva lot more of the general population than “just” the farming community. So the sheer weight of numbers can add up to good brand visibility….at the very least.

The last “real” (as opposed to virtual) Fieldays attracted almost 130,000 people – a record. And this one does even better: At the end of the four days, show organiser, NZ Fieldays Society, puts the rollup at 132,776.

So, clearly, a huge increase on the “over 7000” the Society – which also organised the THE Expo – estimated turned up during the first two days of the last Mystery Creek truck show.

Fieldays pulls in around 1000 exhibitors, their stands spread across 114 hectares of the site on the outskirts of Hamilton. And with extras to pull in the crowds, such as a tractor pull, fencing

competitions and excavator dig-offs.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was among the throng – saying that during the COVID-19 lockdowns, NZ’s food producers had played “such a critical role” in helping the country survive.

“When the team of five million were predominantly staying at home, it was (our food producers) that were still trying to find ways to operate and…get their products to market. We owe them a huge debt of gratitude,” Ardern said, according to the NZ Herald.

That’s a tangible link between the farming community and the trucking industry right there: That’s exactly the sort of thing they were saying about truckies at the time of the COVID lockdowns.

But it goes much further than that, reckon the transport industry exhibitors and Fieldays chief executive Peter Nation, who points out: “All elements of the supply chain and logistics are also covered at Fieldays, and the trucking and heavy machinery industry is a huge component of this, so we’re glad we can cater towards this market.

“Many of our visitors are involved in not only farming but also related industries like trucking, freight and earthmoving businesses.

“It was great to have a wide range of iconic truck brands on display this year who reach a broad audience through Fieldays.”

For Fieldays co-sponsor Hyundai its major presence (it’s there to greet you pretty much the moment you step inside through Gate One) is all about showcasing the new technology available across its range of cars, SUVs…and trucks.

In the case of its trucks, says Hyundai Motors NZ general manager Andy Sinclair, the tech in them is way ahead of many other truck brands on the NZ market.

Also, he says: “When it comes to our truck side – a lot of customers and potential customers come through, including truck users, fleet owners and owner-drivers.

“We’re new boys on the block so we’re here to improve brand presence and showcase our Mighty range (with an Allison gearbox, which has proven to be an attraction.”

Hyundai is due to launch the medium-duty Pavise by the end of the year too, Sinclair says – the new model, it believes, has the potential to redefine the mid-range truck segment here.

Another exciting piece of Hyundai technology will be here next January – in the form of its Xcient heavy-duty hydrogen fuel cell electric truck. It’s at Fieldays – but only in the form of a promotional billboard.

Sinclair says that although Hyundai is a relative newcomer to the NZ truck market, its presence is growing monthly…and, he says, it’s one of the few NZ-owned truck distributors.

Iveco truck sales consultant Pieter Theron tells a similar story at the Italian brand’s stand, explaining: “We’re here to lift brand perception and promote Iveco.”

Its stand is relatively simple and modest, but showcases a number of 4x4s and the new Iveco Daily large light-commercial van. There’s also a cab/chassis version “for the tradies.”

Pride of place though is an 8x4 X-Way heavy-duty tractor unit, in Daily Freight livery and ready to go to work.

There’s a similar approach too on the UD Trucks stand, where salesman Graeme McCulloch makes the point that Fieldays offers a much broader range of visitors than farmers only – and says that they do, for instance, include a fair number of earthmoving contractors.

ETrucks gives this Chinese-built XCMG electric truck, with a swap battery, its world-first public showing

The World’s Leading On-Road Load Handling Equipment

PROUDLY NZ

OWNED & OPERATED

“We’re here to show off our range of products, but also to get sales and leads.” He goes on to say that UD’s Euro 6 Quon is “a solid truck” that is grabbing a lot of attention.

A new bright red NZ Couriers eight-litre Quon CD 25 360 6x2 is the standout of its Fieldays presence – a truck that UD says is big on safety, and with a six-cylinder in-line engine that delivers 263kW/360 horsepower at 2200rpm and 1428Nm of peak torque at 1200rpm. An eco mode in its AMT is perfect for fuel saving – and the truck is a great package, it says, for metro or intercity applications.

Hino’s general manager Darren Salt says that a lot of its customers come to Fieldays and for that reason it’s good to be here. It is, he adds, “a great place for brand promotion too.

“It’s not just farmers (attending): We do really well out of tippers and sold several tippers here last time.”

The Hino site shows off a variety of trucks from its medium-duty 500 Series and heavy-duty 700 Series ranges, including a new FY with a Euro 6 13-litre.

NZ company ETrucks uses Fieldays to give a heavy-duty Chinese-built battery electric truck what it reckons is its worldwide public launch.

The ETrucks E700 6x4 tractor unit – built by Chinese giant truckmaker XCMG – offers metro applications viable range by way of its swappable battery.

ETrucks director Ross Linton says that the E700’s large 281kWh battery can be replaced in just five minutes, using a gantry crane at an operator’s depot. The battery can be fully recharged in two hours.

A fully-charged battery will power the truck for 110 kilometres, with a loaded trailer and running at up to 90km/h.

ETrucks is targeting metro container cartage and similar work and says he has had interest from truck fleet owners on the stand.

Given its wide range of Volvo construction equipment, TransDiesel attracts plenty of customer interest on its stand, marketing manager Mark Warr says.

“We’ve got products like our loaders and EWR160E wheeled excavator to see and also some of our smaller Yanmar compactor range. We’ve got a demo area for hands-on interaction too.”

After recently becoming agents for the brand, TransDiesel also has Shell Lubricants on display and it adds a careers area with the aim of getting students interested in the industry.

Says Warr: “We want to get people educated on our range, generate industry awareness…and of course sell from our stand and get leads.”

Clockwise, from top left: Iveco aims to lift its brand perception..... Fieldays co-sponsor Hyundai shows off everything from cars to trucks.... TruckClaws reckons its cleats will even get a truck unstuck....the crowds roll up....the Porter Group stand aims to showcase its history - and its possible future

The Porter Group, on the other hand, has a completely different approach on its large stand.

National sales manager Scott Turner explains that for it, Fieldays is about building relationships: “We have seen over the years a wider range of people (attending), including civil and forestry. And with no Expos running this is the best place for customers.

“We’re not filled with new gear to sell. Our approach is about taking visitors on a journey – from inception to now. Showcasing our 75-year history and (taking) a sort of look 75 years into the future.”

Reflecting Porter’s wide range of makes represented and businesses, Porter’s impressive stand ranges from one of its Eagle Spares Kenworth racetrucks, to the latest in Bomag compactors and Hyundai FX and HX excavators.

Teletrac Navman uses Fieldays to demonstrate its new artificial intelligence-enabled TN360 software platform, along with its electronic RUC management system.

It says that its asset management, remote worker safety and electronic road user charges management system are all fleet and location-based technologies that improve operations in the agricultural industry – as they do for trucking.

The stand features case studies on agricultural businesses that have used the Teletrac Navman system to manage operations, compliance, health and safety, customer communications, administration and more.

The AI-powered TN360 delivers telematics functionalities in real time, using a scalable cloud ecosystem that connects data

Clockwise, from top left: TransDiesel’s stand includes a careers area to encourage new recruits to join the industry....UD Trucks’ Graeme McCulloch says its stand is visited by a much broader range of visitors than farmers only....Fieldays includes fun stuff like the tractor pull

from sensors, cameras, mobile and third-party applications and translates raw signals into context. It thus provides businesses with “simplified, smart, predictive and actionable insights.”

TRS Tyre and Wheels adds some fun to its stand – showgoers invited to test their strength….alongside a display showing off the likes of its Trelleborg Pneutrac hybrid tyres. They combine, the maker says, the advantages of a radial agriculture tyre and a track for “unbeatable” traction.

TruckClaws is an eyecatcher: It’s an “all-season emergency tyre traction aid, designed specifically to get your 4WD, ute, light commercial, truck, SUV, farm vehicle or RV unstuck and on your way in minutes – without calling for assistance.”

TruckClaws (which are re-usable) feature a traction cleat (made of high-quality metal) that attaches to a drive tyre by way of a reinforced strap and heavy-duty ratchet. They will, says their marketer, help provide traction in sand, mud, snow or ice – “fast and safely.”

So there it is: Fieldays – the farming show….for truckies too! T&D