SaMASZ is one of a huge hoard of manufacturers represented today (May 17) at Grass & Muck.
Headed up by Timmy O’Brien, Egmont Agri (close to Mallow, Co. Cork) is the main agent in Ireland for SaMASZ. It also imports Metal Fach machinery.
Brand Awareness
The SaMASZ brand-name is becoming increasingly familiar – not just in Cork but elsewhere around the country.
The manufacturer is, meanwhile, in the process of completing a new factory – at its base in Poland. This video (below) provides a glimpse inside the new plant.
It, says the company, is part of an overall investment stretching to over 90 million Polish Zloty (approximately €21 million). When fully up and running, it will employ 1,400 people.
The new facility also incorporates a new R&D (Research and Development) centre – within the complex.
Where Did SaMASZ Come From?
The SaMASZ story began in 1984, when mechanical engineer Antoni Stolarski opened his own (car repair) business in a rented garage in Bialystok (Poland).
That same year, he built his first potato digger (harvester). He sold 15 of these – taking on two employees in the process.
By 1988, 15 staff were employed at SaMASZ; a new 1.35m-wide drum mower had joined the fledgling product line. Continued growth prompted a move to a new premises.
In the mid-1990s, the company was building more than 1,400 mowers per annum; exports sales to Germany also kicked off.
Disc Mowers
1998 saw the advent of SaMASZ disc mowers; it also saw the advent of a raft of new distribution arrangements – in New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic, Norway, Lithuania, Latvia and Uruguay. Exports accounted for over 60% of total output.
By 2005, following the launch of several new products in the interim, up to 4,000 mowers were being built and sold each year. In that year alone, 68% of the factory’s output went beyond Poland’s borders.
During the past decade, the entity has continued to grow – adding more machines to its line-up in almost every one of the intervening years. It’s a fascinating story.
Source: www.agriland.ie