Smooth transition for Lely under AGCO

Lely Australia's forage division will be attending this year's Elmore Machinery Field Days event (October 3-5) with AGCO Corporation staff, in what will be Lely's first public outing under AGCO ownership since the latter acquired the former earlier this year.

In the interim, Lely Australia will be attending the upcoming AgQuip (August 22-24) and Henty Field Days (September 19-21) in its own right, where it will be displaying its RP 160 V, RP 160 V Classic and MasterCUT 13 variable-chamber balers, plus rakes, mowers, tedders, mixer wagons and multi-discs.

According to Lely Australia Managing Director, Mark Smyth, a seamless acquisition has paved the way for an easy transition for the Lely team, while the business is a good fit for AGCO as it expands the global corporation's hay product range.

"For farmers, the acquisition means the excellent distribution through the dealership network across Australia continues as it has done for 44 years,’" he said.

"It also means we are part of a much larger global company, but nothing changes from a staffing point of view."

The forage division will be run as a separate business unit from its base in Rochester, Victoria, while the transition won't have any effect on machine or parts supply.

The firm will be reflecting its new ownership for the first time Elmore, Mr Smyth said.

"It will be the Lely Australia site rebadged as AGCO and there will be both brands on display," he said.

"We will continue to test and validate forage machines under Australian conditions.

"It is too early to say if we will be expanding the range but we expect to have more products in the market place."