Published by Farmers Guide, April 2008.

AVR sells harvesters direct to end users in Belgium and usually has
second-hand machines available at its factory at Roeselare.

AVR looks to the UK for sales growth

It may be one of the world's largest potato harvester manufacturers, but AVR is still relatively unknown in the UK. That, however, is about to change, as Farmers Guide discovered on a visit to the company's Belgian headquarters.

THE figures certainly show that AVR is a major player in the potato machinery industry. In 2007 it built and sold 142 harvesters, with 24% of them going into the Belgian market, 20% to the French market, 19% to the Netherlands and 13% to Russia. The company even sold 2% of it's output to Australia, but the UK remained firmly in the Rest-of-the-world category, that took 10% of output and also included countries like Argentina, South Africa and China.
This year harvester production is expected to hit 160 machines and AVR hopes to sell a few of them into the UK - one of the few major potato-growing countries that it has yet to crack. To help achieve this, the company has appointed a UK Sales Manager, Tom Lootens, who has set up a sales, parts and service facility at G&J Peck's Spalding depot.
"Pecks was one of the original four UK dealers under our previous UK sales arrangements," Mr Lootens told Farmers Guide, "and we hope the new joint venture with the company will boost sales throughout its area.
"The co-operation with Pecks is aimed at giving us better market coverage in the UK. It will provide a focus for UK sales and a spare parts source that is central to our reorganised sales strategy."
Pecks has appointed Kevin Butler as Sales Manager responsible for the AVR brand, and both Tom and Kevin will be based at the new AVR UK sales office at Spalding.
Mr Lootens also hopes to energise AVR's other existing dealers, which include RGS Forfar, Kelso Harvesters and Peacock & Binnington, as well as recruiting new representation.
"We have been working in a small way in the UK for five years now and it's now time to put more effort into the market," he said. "We want to be in all the important potato areas here and will be looking to appoint new dealers in the West Midlands and the South-west.
"Demo machines are not common in Belgium, but we have recognised the need to change our strategy and have put a demo fleet in place for the UK market. There will be a selection of our cultivators and harvesters available for dealers to let customers try during 2008."
AVR has a reputation for taking notice of customer comments on the Continent and the same approach will be taken here.
"We are fully prepared to adapt machines to market conditions if we have to," Mr Lootens said. "We have a small market share here at the moment, but by working with customers there is definitely potential to grow it.
"We sell 5% of our harvester's in Grimme's home country of Germany, and compete effectively with that company in all other markets, so why not in the UK as well."

Proven products
The flagship of the AVR range is the Puma four-row self-propelled harvester that accounted for 11 of the company's 16 self-propelled sales in 2007. Fitted with a 428hp Iveco diesel engine, the machine features an 8t bunker and can unload on-the go. A low-cost machine compared to competitors' models, it is capable of outputs 130t/hr and is considered a cost-effective purchase for units of 250ha or more achieving yields from 60-80t/ha.
The Mistral is a two-row harvester with a 6t bunker that can also unload on the go, while the Quadra is a two-row elevator harvester - essentially AVR's Esprit trailed machine with a cab and engine. Fitted with a 249hp Deutz diesel and - like all AVR self-propelled harvesters - a Claas-built cab, there are already seven Quadras working in the UK.
In its trailed format, the two-row Esprit harvester can be adjusted for either an in-line or offset working position.
Although there is one Mistral bunker harvesters in the UK, Mr Lootens said that growers here were still not convinced about the bunker concept for potatoes.
"Trials show that there is no more damage to potatoes harvested using a bunker machine," he said. "I'm confident there is a place bunker harvesters in the UK market and I feel the two-row, offset Spirit 8200, with its 8t bunker, could sell well.
"If we can make a demonstration machine available this year, growers will be able to see for themselves what a bunker harvester is capable of."
AVR's harvesters are built to order and on a modular basis that allows a wide choice of components and features to be specified by the customer.
The Esprit, for example, has 35 options on the price list - from pintle belts, axial rollers and cross rollers to star modules and picking tables - that can double the price of the machine.
The Rumptstad cultivator range, which now carries the AVR name, has proved a strong performer for the company with 230 cultivators and 30 ridgers sold in 2007.
Products include the GE-Force hook tine cultivator, which is available in both 3.0m and 3.8m working widths.
Developed for high-powered tractors, options include drive to both sides of the rotor, automatic steering to ensure ridges are positioned to reduce green tubers, and automatic ridging control, that hydraulically alters the pressure on the ridger to achieve the best ridges in different conditions.
The Multivator is a multi-purpose cultivator for seedbed preparation. It can mounted on the tractor's front- or rear-linkage and is available with a wide range of options in either 3.0m or 3.8m versions.
A particularly exciting use of the AVR Multivator is in combination with a Hassia (another former Netagco company) Planter and a ridging cap. Called the Compact III, this combination allows one man to carry out planting and ridging in none pass on ploughed land.
AVR's new three-in-one Combimachine is a multi-purpose unit that can be used as the Speedridger, to ridge on lighter soils; as the Eco-ridger for effective weed control on the ridge flanks; and as the Weeder to provide weed control in crops other than potatoes. All three machines are built on the same frame using interchangeable parts.

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Founder wouldn't recognise AVR today

AVR takes its name from the company's founder and his hometown, Alfons Vansteenkiste, of Roeselare. He set up as a blacksmith back in 1849 to serve the agricultural community, but it wasn't until 102 years later that his ancestors built the company's first one-row potato harvester. In 1968 AVR went on to produce its first two- and three-row harvesters.
Five years later the firm was sold to the company's then Head of Engineering, Norbert Nollet, who had developed the two-row machine. Mr Nollet - who still visits the factory almost daily - then sold the company (but not the buildings) to Netagco Holdings in 1998.
Netagco ran out of cash in 2003 and the Nollet family bought the firm back, along with the Rumptstad cultivator division that had been moved to Roeselare in 2002.
Today the company is owned jointly by Krist Nollet, the firms Service Director, and the family of Inge Top-Nollet, who is Managing Director of AVR's separate tool importing and distribution division.
The AVR management team is completed by Managing Director Johan Vansteelant, who joined the company from New Holland, and Sales Director Stefan Top.
The AVR factory currently has a full-time staff of between 67-70 people and employs between 20-30 casual staff depending on the time of year.
"The factory is busiest in May and June as we work to finish as many machines as possible before the three-week holiday shutdown in July," Tom Lootens told Farmers Guide. "Although we have developed export markets to help maintain production levels throughout the year, the bulk of our sales are still going into Europe and they all need to be delivered in time for the potato harvest."
Based in the South-east of Belgium, close to the border with France, AVR finds itself competing with several major manufacturing plants for staff.
"New Holland's Zedelgem combine plant and Agco's Beauvais tractor plant, as well as the Bombardier train building facility, are all within commuting distance," Mr Lootens said. "Where possible, we like to employ staff with an agricultural background because they understand the machines and how they work.
"They also seem to enjoy their work more, and many are hobby farmers as well so they keep in touch with the practical side of the industry."
AVR has grown substantially in the five years since it was taken back into private ownership. Sales of about £6 million in 2003 have increased three-fold to almost £18 million in 2007. Much of the growth has come from export sales, which as well as helping spread production throughout the year is removing the uncertainty that potato prices have on sales.
With demand for its products currently outstripping supply, the company is also continually expanding its facilities and is about to put up a new building to house a dedicated production line for self-propelled machines - a move that will also allow increased production of trailed harvesters.
Like most machinery manufacturers these days, AVR's Roeselare factory is primarily an assembly facility, with parts being delivered by suppliers on a just-in-time basis. This even extends to the frames of both the trailed and self-propelled harvesters, which are welded and then painted by a local, family-owned company and delivered direct to the start of the production line when they are required.
A recent development for the company has been the decision to begin assembly on a small scale in Russia.
"We developed an uncomplicated, purely mechanical two-row trailed harvester for the Eastern European market," Mr Lootens said. "Rather than build them in Belgium, it was decided to send complete kits to Russia and to train our local dealers there to build them up. We expect to sell about 40 harvesters produced this way in 2008."

Demo machines from the whole AVR cultivator range will be available this year. Contact AVR UK's Tom Lootens on 07747 406926, Kevin Butler on 01775 712310 or your local AVR dealer for details.

Trailed harvesters go through several hours of testing
at the end of the production line.