German manufacturer Fendt has officially launched its tractors in Africa for the first time. The launch took place at the NAMPO Harvest Day in Bothaville, South Africa, last month. Four tractors from the Fendt brand were showcased for the South African market.
“We are delighted to launch our machines at South Africa’s biggest trade fair for agriculture and farming technology. With this market launch, professional South African farmers can now manage their businesses with efficient and powerful Fendt machines,” said Gary Collar, AGCO Senior Vice President and General Manager, Asia-Pacific and Africa (APA).
Going into South Africa with our sales partner, BHBW Holdings (Pty) Ltd, with Fendt is another important step for us to expand to markets outside of Europe. It’s also an integral part of AGCO’s global growth strategy.
BHBW Holdings (Pty) Ltd is a joint move between the South African firm, Barloworld, and German company, BayWa AG. The partnership will build on Barloworld’s existing agricultural equipment and logistics technology business and entails approximately 400 employees, 10 sites and a network of 40 sales partners in southern Africa, according to Fendt.
The four tractors which were exhibited at the show included: a Fendt 200 Vario Series model (70-110hp); a Fendt 700 Vario Series unit (150-246hp); a Fendt 900 Vario Series tractor (275-396hp); and a gargantuan Fendt 1000 Vario Series model (up to 517hp) – the largest ‘standard’, non-articulated tractor in the world (according to Fendt).
“We are expanding our product strategy towards worldwide needs for professional farming under the toughest conditions. South Africa is fully integrated into this strategy and an important contributor to our growing ambition,” said Vice President and Fendt Brand Director Peter-Josef Paffen.
We developed the Fendt 2020 strategy. It stands for a strong worldwide growth for the Fendt brand and it’s intended to grow the production volume at the German tractor plant from this year of approximately 15,000 tractors to 20,000 in the year 2020.
South Africa has in the region of 40,000 commercial farms, which account for approximately 12% of the country’s GDP combined.
