The Lely brand has been at the forefront of the manufacture of grassland machinery for over 65 years now as this Dutch headquartered company has grown from humble beginnings into the market leader that it is today.
Established in 1948 by brothers Cornelis and Arij van der Lely this innovative business has refused to rest on its laurels by revolutionising the farming industry on a continuous basis. Over the years, the company has grown by being to the forefront in innovation and designing new products to add to its ever increasing portfolio.
As well as its new manufacturing facility and headquarters in Maassluis, The Netherlands, the company and has a number of subsidiaries all around the world including Ireland.
Customer sales support and Marketing Manager is Tomás Cooney and he spoke to Irish Trucker about the products that they provide to the Irish market. Lely Ireland and Lely UK now come under the Lely Atlantic umbrella. “We supply a complete range of Grassland machinery including mowers, tedders, rakes, balers and silage wagons through a network of dealers throughout Ireland North and South. Our Sales and Service team support our dealer network and customer base and we provide the farming community with a service second to none,” said Tomás.
Lely Ireland is not just a leading supplier of Grassland machinery. The face of dairy farming in the 21st century is being changed by Lely who sees the future in automating dairy farms in an animal friendly way.
“Our range of Dairy equipment including the Lely Astronaut A4 robotic milking system is without doubt the number one choice for dairy farmers. With the long and demanding hours that milking requires the Lely Astronaut A4 robotic milking system frees up invaluable time for dairy farmers allowing them concentrate on other farm duties,” he noted.
“Last year was a big year for us in Ireland. We held a live milking exhibition at the National Ploughing championships in Ratheniska in conjunction with the NPA where people could see at first hand the Lely Astronaut A4 robotic milking system in action. Although robotic milking is still very new to Ireland, Lely introduced their first robotic milking machine in 1992 and 22 years later have over 16,000 machines working worldwide, milking over a million cows every day.”
Every event from birth until the day the cow leaves the farm is stored on the T4C (time for cows) management program which is then presented clearly to the farmer on a dashboard. It enables him to supply an individual cow with all her needs for optimal health, milk production and well-being.
The company’s agricultural offering includes the Lely range of grassland machinery; Lely Splendimo mowers, Lely Lotus tedders, Lely Hibiscus rakes, Lely Welger balers, Lely Attis bale wrappers, Lely Tigo loader wagons and Lely Storm trailed harvesters as well as Goweil bale wrappers and handling equipment.
“Farmers and contractors will have the ideal opportunity to see our complete Grassland range in action at the upcoming Grass and Muck event being held at Gurteen College in Tipperary on May 14th.
“We are committed to offering our customers the very latest innovations in machinery and the new Lely Tigo PR range of loader wagons is our latest product. One of the main features of the machine is the hydraulically adjustable bulkhead which allows the space above the drawbar to be utilised by creating an additional 6 cubic metres in extra capacity,” revealed Tomás.
“This has resulted in a shorter (1 meter) and hence more manoeuvrable wagon than comparable machines of the same capacity. In addition it allows the crop compaction pressure to be adjusted ensuring the nutritional value and structure of the crop is maintained. This system also cleverly distributes the weight more efficiently during transport, allowing the wagon to handle better on the road.”
Also on display for the first time in Gurteen will be the new Lely Hibiscus 715 Central Delivery rake. This rake has the same compact chassis as the 745 CD Vario model, resulting in a narrow transport width, which helps when negotiating narrow roads and lanes.
The Hibiscus 715 CD features a mechanical working width adjustment. The frame can quickly be set in three different positions, for working widths of 6.75 m, 6.90 m and 7.05 m, resulting in a perfect amount of material in the swaths. It can be adjusted by hand, without tools, when the rake is in the transport position. Swath shape can also be adjusted for loader wagons and balers by means of the cam track adjustment.
By adding the Hibiscus 715 CD model to the product range, Lely now boasts an impressive and comprehensive range of rakes, which surpass the demands of farmers and contractors who recognise the importance of reliable and efficient raking.
“We strive to ensure that farming is sustainable, profitable and enjoyable for the future,” concluded Tomás.
Lely Ireland Ltd.
Kilboggin,
Nurney,
Co. Kildare
Tel: +353 45 526170
Fax: +353 45 526649
Email: [email protected]
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 2 No 1, May 2014
