Agricultural transportation experts Metaltech

own manufacturing. Wisconsin has portrayed itself as a highly reliable and flexible subcontractor able to provide both production of parts and assembly of sub-assemblies and final products for garden machinery and grounds maintenance. “Global companies make use of sub-contracting options to obtain the best possible quality of manufactured parts, a competitive price and the use of the latest technology. Rolls-Royce is the name that comes first to mind,” says Ing. Olmr.

From its own production the company offers machines and equipment in line with the needs of modern society, emphasising automatic controls, comfortable and safe handling, quiet and money-saving operations, as well as environmentally friendly design. “Machines with electric and hybrid motors are gaining in popularity, and this is the direction that our own development efforts are taking”, says Mr Olmr.

The success of any company is underpinned by its important relationship with its sub-contractors. In this context the owner mentions Kubota (supplier of motors) as well as Hydro Gear, Kawasaki and Kohler. “But we must not forget all the other companies with whom we have worked for years, and who are indispensable for our work,” he adds.

Innovations in gardening equipment

What is a typical product from Wisconsin? Current number one in grounds maintenance tractors is the W3800 PIRANA. This robust tractor with a diesel 4-stroke three-valve Kubota engine with a power rating of 20.2 HP is designed for all-day operation in the most demanding of conditions. Thanks to a range of auxiliary equipment the machine can be used all year round, and is also available in a petrol version powered by a Kawasaki engine. The model was launched as recently as the end of last year and during the current season has become the best selling Wisconsin machine not only in the Czech Republic, but abroad as well.

An innovation in the range is the ALMAS industrial sweeper. This is intended for the cleaning of paths, pavements, loading and parking bays, as well as floors in industrial and warehousing premises. It is a low-maintenance and durable assistant, saving time and ensuring rapid and efficient removal of waste, leaves and snow without great effort.

Other innovations for 2014 are the W2989 Junior diesel mower with a 13 HP Kubota motor, currently winning over the domestic market and the Buffalo mulching machine fitted with a 10 horsepower Kohler motor, manual starting and hydrostatic drive, which management has high hopes for, particularly if a new law on road and path maintenance is adopted.

The Core Strength

www.kawasaki-engines.eu

A look into the future

The major sums that the company has recently invested in development are beginning to bear fruit. Wisconsin machines and equipment have made their mark in the demanding markets of Western Europe such as Germany, Austria, Spain and Britain, and demand is also rising in those countries where the firm is yet to have a commercial presence, such as Saudi Arabia and the countries of the former Soviet Union.

Currently the company is actively engaged in preparing new projects, the outcomes from which are to be launched during the 2015 season. Preparations are also in hand for an increase in production volume, in order to meet the enormous interest generated by the new products. “We definitely have the capacity to meet this rising demand, we are capable of increasing turnover by 40 per cent and for the future we are assuming an increase in staff numbers,” says Mr Olmr. “In the long run we want to reduce our dependence on key customers so that no individual customer exceeds 15 per cent of our output. But we want to achieve this not through restrictions on deliveries, but rather through an increase in turnover,” he stresses in conclusion. Everything points to that goal being met. n

GEARBOXES

Curtis Machine Company designs and manufactures gears and gearboxes for industrial, automotive, and agricultural applications. Additionally, we supply precision machined parts to our customers.

Curtis Machine Company, Inc. was founded in 1946 and is the largest designer and manufacturer of right angle bevel gearboxes in our torque range in North America. Parallel shaft speed reducers are also designed and manufactured. In-house, we cut straight bevel, spiral bevel, spur and helical gears in common ratios of 1:1, 1.35:1, 1.5:1, 2:1 and 3:1. Custom and higher ratios of bevel, spur and helical gears are also designed and manufactured. Curtis Machine has a proprietary process to produce our “Whisper Quiet Gear” technology. “Whisper Gears” are our unique, very quiet, spiral bevel gears designed and manufactured to deliver strength and quality. Curtis gearboxes also feature a unique design called “straddle mounted bearings” which gives more horsepower capacity per unit as well as better lubrication, symmetry and compactness. Horsepower capacities range from fractional to over 360 in our standard line. We make over 5,000 different assemblies. Curtis is an ISO 9001:2008 quality certified company.

Our dominant market share position has been earned by supplying only the highest quality assemblies to the best known “original equipment manufacturers” and distributors of auto, military, farm and industrial equipment.

Our factory houses very sophisticated, exacting and effi cient production machine tools. Our engineering test laboratory is the fi nest in our industry. It is used for quality control, research and development of transmissions and integral parts for our customers’ special requirements.

Curtis Machine has graduate engineers on staff who are experts in the design of mechanical transmission units while minimizing cost. Our in-house sales managers are also especially well qualified to work with customers and their staff regarding the specific application needs that various market segments present.

Should you desire additional information about Curtis Machine Company or our products, please send your inquiry to us via email or at one of the above listed numbers. You may also view our web site at: www.curtismachine.com. Our web site features our catalog with horsepower/torque charts, drawings with both metric and imperial measurements and a listing of our standard gears and SAE fl anges. We are a small business, woman-owned company.

We look forward to working with you and remember “MAKE IT A CURTIS”

P.O. Box 700, 4209 Jayhawk Drive, Dodge City, KS 67801 USA Phone: 620-227-7164 • Fax: 620-227-2971 Email: curtis@curtismachine.com • www.curtismachine.com

AGRICULTURAL TRANSPORTATION EXPERTS

Metaltech, a company from Miroslawiec, is a leading Polish manufacturer in the field of agricultural machinery. Various kinds of trailers and equipment for harvesting, preserving, and feeding are its flagship products.

Metaltech was founded in 1992, by three partners. Soon, the fourth one was co-opted. These four partners have run the company ever since.

Metaltech began its activity on the basis of the local State Centre of Agricultural Machines in Miroslawiec, which went bankrupt due to the falling agricultural market in the early 1990s. “Fortunately, in 1992 the market situation improved and the market itself kept expanding utill 2012. When we started in 1992, we employed 70 people. A few years later, Metaltech employed 120 people”, says Mr. Ireneusz Ciepielewski, Metaltech’s director general.

In 1997 Metaltech established cooperation with a German company, which was looking for a reliable partner that would manufacture agricultural trailers for them. The partnership turned out to be mutually beneficial: the German company gained a solid trailer manufacturer and Metaltech entered the demanding German market with its modern trailers. In 2000 the company launched its products onto the domestic market. The offer included hook lift, platform, and flatbed trailers, from 6 to 20 tonnes of load capacity. Significant trading began however in 2004 when SAPARD (Special Accession Programme for Agriculture and Rural Development) was introduced. This programme was established by the Council of the European Union to help the countries of Central and Eastern Europe deal with the problems of structural adjustment in their agricultural sectors and rural areas. “SAPARD stimulated demand for agricultural transport. Farmers often decided to purchase our products, which admittedly where more expensive had much higher quality, and thereby reliability. Earlier, the need of our domestic market oscillated between 20-30 trailers units per year but when SAPARD program came into force our annual sales increased up to 1,000 units in 2012”, says Mr. Ciepielewski.

Active in Poland and Europe

Nowadays, the company’s annual revenue is estimated at around € 17.5 million, and 1,300 trailer units. These statistics make Metaltech one of the leading agricultural trailer manufacturer in Poland, with second or third position in the market. The company employs 300 people. Current share of export in total sales revenue amounts to 30 per cent, compared to the sales figures from 2000s (70 per cent). “A smaller share of export in our on-going turnover does not mean that export has decreased. It is because the level of our domestic sales has significantly increased”, explains Mr. Ciepielewski. Germany, Denmark, Belgium, and the Netherlands are foremost foreign commercial outlets for the company.