GLOBAL irrigation accessories specialist Arag will have a stronger presence in Australia following the announcement of a joint venture with its Australian distributor at the 2014 EIMA International trade fair in Bologna, Italy.
Australian distributor Kym Eldredge, founder of KEE Technologies, and Paul Fischer travelled from their home base at Clare, South Australia, to shake hands on the deal with the parent company on home soil.
The arrangement will see the hi-tech range of agricultural electronic products sold under the banner of Arag Australia P/L, a move that will give the company the capacity to supply all orders for dispatch within 48 hours.
It will also remove the need for anyone in Australia to purchase from Italian sources.
“It’s going to expand our market and give us the capacity to supply to all farm equipment manufacturers,” Mr Eldredge said. “We will be conducting an aggressive marketing campaign.”
Arag is an Italian company which has been developing, manufacturing and marketing sprayer products and components for more than 35 years, developing a range of over 3000 articles that include control units, flowmeters, line and irrigation filters, nozzle holders and plastic and ceramic nozzles.
According to Mr Eldredge, most sprayers around the world now incorporate Arag components.
“Arag manufactures virtually every part on a sprayer, excluding the boom and tank,” he said.
“For years they have commanded a reputation of quality and performance.”
The flagship product gaining rapid acceptance in the Australian market is the Seletron sprayer, which individually controls every nozzle on broadacre sprayers, allowing for the customisation of application rates, droplet size and pressure.
Described as the most advanced chemical delivery system on the market today, Seletron allows operators to divide the boom into as many sections as there are nozzles.
It minimises overlap and reduces running costs as well as impact on the environment, especially in buffer zones.
Can-Bus cable connections talk to the on-board computer, receiving the opening and closing commands, and giving out information about valve status.
Just one cable is used for power and command transmission to up to 104 actuators.
It was one of the products on display at Arag’s comprehensive display at EIMA, showcased to thousands of visitors from all over Europe over six days.
“The scale is much bigger than anything we have in Australia,” Mr Eldredge said.
“I’d describe it as awe-inspiring, and the fact that it was all indoors was an eye-opener too.”