EC Pratt & Co Ltd has been catering for the needs of farmers and gardeners alike in the midlands and beyond for over 40 years. Managing director Edwin Pratt explains more.
A leading supplier of farm and garden machinery and equipment, milking machines and spare parts, EC Pratt & Co Ltd was founded in 1975 on the Cork Road, Abbeyleix by husband-and-wife Sam and Cherry Pratt, who had run a successful grocery and hardware shop at Main Street, Abbeyleix for 12 years prior to that (their Spar shop was the Co. Laois town’s first supermarket).
Their son Edwin joined the family business in 1979 and led the expansion of the Cork Road premises in 1984. The following year, the Pratt’s established a garden machinery division, which grew quickly to become a key element of the business.
In September 2001, EC Pratt & Co Ltd took on the DeLaval milking machine range. The dealership has proven to be such a success that it now accounts for about two-thirds of the company’s overall business.
EC Pratt & Co Ltd has become a third generation company since Edwin’s son Robert got involved. Sam is still involved in the business today, but sadly Cherry passed away in 2007. There are 11 people employed, with five of those making up the dairy support team.
The Pratt’s could never have envisaged how successful the DeLaval agency would become when it effectively replaced their Zetor tractor dealership 15 years ago. Their support team is on call 24/7, 365 days a year for their customers, while also providing routine servicing and maintenance for their customers’ milking parlours. The team can also install traditional, automated and voluntary milking systems.
“We provide sales, installation and 24-hour servicing of milking machines,” Edwin explains. “We’ve been exceptionally busy since the EU milk quotas were lifted last April. With the TAMS II farm building grants coming down the line, we have had many farmers pricing milking equipment and lots of other equipment besides. For example, we sold a huge amount of cubicles from Teemore Engineering and cattle mats in 2015.”
EC Pratt & Co Ltd is proud to be DeLaval’s representative in Laois and surrounding counties. Every day, millions of dairy animals are milked, fed and maintained by DeLaval solutions in more than 100 countries worldwide. DeLaval has more than 130 years of experience in the dairy business, supporting dairy farmers in managing their farms their way.
The brand’s Sustainable Dairy Farming initiative is contributing to the production of more quality food, for more people, with less impact on the environment. DeLaval’s Smart Farming strategy aims at influencing and shaping the future of dairy farming. The goal is to accelerate the transition from milking management to global farm profitability management by harnessing emerging decision tools, innovation and automation technologies for better quality milk and profits.
Recently, EC Pratt & Co Ltd sold its first DeLaval VMS (Voluntary Milking System) robot milking system. The machine’s hydraulic-powered robotic arm provides extended reliability and reduces service requirements when compared to pneumatic systems. The DeLaval VMS hydraulic arm is fast, quiet, robust and gentle. Its repetitive procedures are consistent too, just as the cows like it.
“Hopefully, it will be the first of many we sell,” Edwin says. “Some farmers are opting for robotic milking machines because they have become tired of the manual side of milking. Others see it as the way forward. One robot can milk 2,500 litres a day on a grass based system. While robotic milking machines don’t suit everyone, every dairy farmer should at least consider them. We sell the full range of DeLaval conventional milking machines, so we have something for everyone.”
The family-run business is also an agent for several of the leading farm machinery and equipment brands, including Abbey Machinery, Krone, Amazone fertiliser spreaders, Quicke and Trima loaders, Zuidberg tractor linkage systems, Nugent Engineering, TJ McKenna farm machinery, Alfco Engineering, Yes sprayers, Jourdain cattle tubular steel, Crowley storage silos / bins and the aforementioned Teemore Engineering.
A huge range of lawn and garden equipment , including lawnmowers, hedge trimmers, bush cutters and rotavators, are also sold and available to rent at very competitive rates. EC Pratt & Co Ltd includes the recommended safety equipment with each rental and can even arrange delivery and collection of larger items upon request. Sharpening services for chainsaw chains, baler knives, silage wagon knives, sheep shears, lawnmower blades and drill bits are also provided.
EC Pratt & Co Ltd has a wealth of experience in the manufacture and repair of hydraulic hosing. From quarter-inch to one inch, it can meet all your hydraulic hose requirements.
In addition, a broad range of workshop services are offered to customers, including the maintenance and repair of almost every make of agricultural machinery, garden equipment, chainsaws and compressors. A service van and mechanic is also available for call-out.
Edwin sees great potential in his company’s web shop, which went live last March. There are up to 2,000 items available to buy on www.ecpratt.ie Be sure to log in for great prices and offers!
EC Pratt & Co Ltd’s office hours are Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm (closed from 1 to 2pm) and 10am to 1pm on Saturdays. The friendly counter staff will be only too happy to assist you with whatever query you have.
Over the past four decades, the business motto “we service what we sell” has been adhered to by the highly-regarded Co. Laois company. So you can be certain when purchasing from EC Pratt, they have the knowledge and expertise to maintain all your equipment throughout its lifetime, whether for garden, farm or milking parlour.
EC Pratt & Co Ltd
Cork Road,
Abbeyleix,
Co. Laois,
R32TW82.
Telephone: 057 8731132
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.ecpratt.ie
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 4 No 2, February 2016
