Published by Farmers Guide, February 2008.

The Resident Manager of Kongskilde UK, Steve Atkin,
pictured with the company's Stonebear stone collector.

Another milestone for Kongskilde UK

JANUARY this year marked the 45th anniversary of Danish-owned company Kongskilde's UK subsidiary. Since it was established early in 1963 at Grove Lane, Holt, Norfolk, Kongskilde UK has remained a constant feature on the British agricultural landscape.

According to the company's Resident Manager, Steve Atkin, Kongskilde UK came to be based at Holt more by chance than by design.

"Local farmer Mike Darbyshire went to Denmark and brought back a wooden grain bin made by the company in the early 1960s, and several other farmers were so impressed by the bin that they also placed orders," he told Farmers Guide. "The upshot was that Kongskilde's management saw potential for its products in the UK and, in conjunction with Mr Darbyshire, set up a subsidiary at Holt."

Although the North Norfolk road network probably wouldn't make Holt the first choice for any company coming to the UK today, the town has served Kongskilde well. The company remained at Grove Lane until 1977, when it moved to new, purpose-built premises on Hempstead Road, where it can still be found today.

Changes in the way that machinery is distributed mean that it's no longer important to be situated in the heart of the UK motorway network anyway. Despite the fact that Kongskilde UK now has the biggest product range than at any time in the past 45 years, efficient logistics mean that about 80% or machines sold here are delivered directly to dealers.

Another constant at Kongskilde UK is the company's Triple K cultivator, which uses the renowned S-tines.

"It's the one implement from 1963 that's still on the pricelist today," Mr Atkin said. "Back then we charged £62 and 10 Shillings for the 9ft 6in DC2919 model, although the same machine today will cost you £643."

While there are still things that link Kongskilde UK to its earliest days at Holt, the truth is that the company today is a very different organisation. When it started selling to British farmers, the product range didn't extend much further that grain bins, grain blowers and simple cultivators. In 2008, however, Kongskilde owns some of the world's best known agricultural brands and sells equipment including ploughs, stone collectors, seedbed preparation equipment, power harrows, fertiliser spreaders, planters and seed drills, weed control equipment and stubble cultivators.

It has also moved into industry and manufacturing with its pneumatic conveying systems and waste material collection and handling systems.

"The 1970s and 1980s were boom years for Kongskilde and in the 1990s the company went on the acquisition trail as a shortcut to new product ranges," Mr Atkin said. "In 1997 Finnish company Juko and German-based Karl Becker were added to the group, as well as a Danagri seed drill factory in Poland.

"The following year saw Kongskilde buy Swedish plough manufacturer Överum and seed drill and spreader builder Tive, while at the end of 2000 Howard and Nordsten were also brought into the company."

Based in one of the country's most important sugar beet growing areas, Kongskilde UK also sells harvesting equipment from Thyregod (which is 25% owned by Kongskilde) and Kleiner.

The expansion of the company's product range helped Kongskilde UK to grow its dealer network, and the decision to take on UK distribution of Dal-Bo during 2007 provided another boost to its fortunes.

"It certainly helps when we go out to talk to dealers that we can offer them a range of products from household names," Mr Atkin added. "We have dealers coming to us now and have built up quite a good network across the UK.

"Since the Dal-Bo link-up in particular, we have seen dealers that have not done much with us in the past selling Kongskilde products as well."

With such a large offering, Kongskilde has been working on its brand management to try and maximise sales. While Överum retains its recognised blue paint job, the Kongskilde, Howard and Nordsten brands are all now red, with ground engaging parts painted silver.

"We have well-known brands with years of heritage behind them, so it's important that we continue to use the names that farmers recognise and respect," Mr Atkins said. "Although the range is taking on a uniform look, we'll still be using the names that customers know and trust."

Diverse company

Kongskilde UK has four separate divisions. The Grain division takes care of the company's grain blowers and suction blowers as well as its grain cleaner, while the Industrial division has taken the grain moving technology and adapted it for use with other materials, including waste products.

A recent addition is the animal nutrient business, Vitfoss, which is also part of DLG. As well as milk replacer and salt licks, this part of the company is the UK distributor for Vitacaps, a novel mini-pellet that allows dust-free mixing of minerals and micronutrients in animal feedstuffs.

By far the largest of the four is Kongskilde's Soil division, which accounts for 70% of sales and includes most of the company's major brands. Products under the Kongskilde name include the new Flexi-Drill launched at Agromek in 2007. A multi-purpose disc drill, it is suitable for use after the plough or in min-till conditions and comes as a drill only or in a combi version to apply fertiliser with the seed.

Also new at Agromek last year was the Vibro Flex 7400, a heavy-duty cultivator for stubble cultivation and mulch tillage. The first dedicated min-till cultivator from Kongskilde, it is available in working widths from 2.5-7.0m and in trailed and mounted formats requiring from 80-230hp.

Another recent introduction is the Kongskilde front-mounted Terra Disc. Used in conjunction with the company's rear-mounted Delta cultivator, the combination can be used in widths from 3-6m working width for work in stubble or for seedbed preparation.

The Terra X disc harrow remains a popular choice and is currently available in working widths from 3-12m. The largest machine boasts 96 discs and needs between 300-500hp to pull it depending on conditions.

Specialist equipment carrying the Kongskilde name includes the Wing Jet pneumatic boom fertiliser spreader, which is available in working widths from 12-24m and a hopper capacity of 4,000 litres, or 6,000 litres with hopper extensions. The Stonebear stone collector, meanwhile, will lift stones from 2.8-30.0cm across a working width of 4.0 or 5.2m.

Under the Howard name, Kongskilde sells the Rotavator range of power cultivators which are available for all sizes of tractor from compact orchard models with 80cm working width to 6m models for today's 250-320hp power units.

The HK range of Howard Power Harrows is almost as broad, ranging from 1-6m, with larger models available fitted with a Nordsten pneumatic drill.

Also carrying the Nordsten name are the NS1100 and NS2100 wheel-driven mechanical seed drills with 2.5-4.5m working widths and the NS3100 range specifically designed for use in combination with power harrows.

The choice of ploughs from Överum includes the latest fully mounted Xcelsior and Vari Flex models, and the semi-mounted CVL, DVL, CXL and DXL machines. From two furrows to 10 furrows, Överum has something to offer with a vast choice of optional features and accessories.

Kongskilde UK is now the official distributor of Dal-Bo equipment in the UK and offers the complete range including the Maxiroll, with working widths from 5.3-9.5m; the three-part Compact Classic rolls (4.3-6.3m); and Compact five-section roller at 12.3m working width which still folds to 3m for transport.

Less well known in the UK are Dal-Bo's Cultima semi-mounted cultivator (6.5-9.0m working widths) and the Triplex Plus heavy-duty stubble cultivator (3.0-4.7m), while the company also manufactures a Greenline Maxiroll for grassland that can be supplied with a weed harrow, molehill board, crackerboard and pneumatic seed box.

"We have something to offer most farmers," Mr Atkin said. "We have products for the 10,000-acre men as well as the 100-acre men.

"You only read about the biggest farms in magazines, but small and medium-sized units are still in the majority and we try and promote machines that will suit them at demonstrations and shows."

Small beginnings for Danish machinery giant

KONGSKILDE is a relative newcomer where agricultural machinery manufacturers are concerned, dating back to only 1949 - although the acquisitions of the past 10 years give the company a far longer pedigree.

The company was started in the Danish town of Kongskilde by Mogens Petersen and Hans Tyndeskov, who were both disgruntled with the engineering company they had worked for. Mr Petersen, an engineer, was annoyed that the company would not build the grain blower he had developed, while Mr Tyndeskov, a bookkeeper, had not been given his job back at the firm - as had been promised - when he returned after being called up to serve in the Danish Army.

Established with money raised by the founders' families, the company soon found its feet and made a success of the grain blower that Mr Petersen had developed. About 200 were sold in the company's first year, with double that produced in year two. The company still sells about 6,000 grain blowers annually.

The next step in the Kongskilde's development came in the early 1950s when Mr Petersen heard from a former student friend that a new law was to be introduced whereby tractors could only be used in barns if they were fitted with approved spark arresters on their exhausts.

The unit that the company developed was one of the first to be approved by the Danish Justice Department and more than 10,000 were sold in just 18 months.

The profits from the spark arrester allowed Kongskilde to expand, develop new products and move into new export markets, like the UK, where the company established its subsidiary just 14 years after it began.

Mogens Petersen retired from Kongskilde on his 60th birthday in 1979, while Hans Tyndeskov retired from day-to-day management two years later, although he retained a seat on the board.

The past 20 years have seen the company change ownership several times through sales, mergers and de-mergers, although the British subsidiary, Kongskilde UK, has always survived.

The most recent change came in February 2007 when Kongskilde was acquired by Danish co-op DLG, which had been a shareholder in the company for a number of years.

"There are 29,000 farmer members in DLG and it's nice to have their backing at Kongskilde," the company's UK Resident Manager, Steve Atkin, told Farmers Guide. "We're the only machinery company in DLG's portfolio, but we know it has invested in us for the long-term and know from experience that everything DLG gets involved in gets bigger and better."

As Kongskilde UK starts its 46th year, Mr Atkins finds himself in charge of a company with an enviable range of products and an increasing number of employees.

"Staff numbers peaked at 30 during the 1970s, but we now have 22 people and are still growing," he said.