Mastek is the proud winner of the 2025 Machine of the Year award, a competition held annually by the National Ploughing Championships.

The product that swung it for Mastek at this year's Ploughing is the Combi Pump - a slurry pump and compressor combined in one unit.

It is a self-contained machine offering easier handling, reduced maintenance, and total control from the rear of the tractor.

According to the company, the pump's standout feature is the patent-pending manual clutch system, which allows one power take-off (PTO) shaft to drive both pump and compressor.

Operators simply stop the PTO after pumping and switch the clutch to engage the compressor, a design which Mastek claims has never been achieved before.

The Chior Pump has an operating speed of 2,600rpm and can handle up to 12% solids with a mechanical seal system lubricated by oil.

The wet end of the pump and the gearbox are separate items, allowing any failure of the pump seal to be instantly noticeable by the operator with no contamination of the gear oil being possible.

The compressor has an output of 300 cubic feet per minute (CFM) at 10 bar, a safety one-way valve, and compatibility with Mastek/Chior, Bauer, or Doda pumps while the whole machine carries a retail price of €28,500.

The company notes that this award recognises not just this particular machine but also the work that has gone into developing slurry delivery systems over the years.

It was in 2018 that Mastek launched its Front PTO Compressor, which proved popular with farmers and contractors .

However, many contractors did not have front PTOs, others needed the front linkage for reels, and some found the compressor difficult to manoeuvre in tight yards.

These challenges inspired the company to design a pump and compressor combined in one compact unit, resulting the Combi Pump.