LEVNO - INNOVATION AT ITS BEST

Fast paced, dynamic and future-focused are all aspects of an innovative company. Levno in Palmerston North epitomises these characteristics. 

Established five years ago, Levno is set to take the world by storm. This relatively new company is a service provider, enabling farmers to better manage their business, whether they are situated on the farm or remotely.

Shane Parlato, Sales Manager at Levno has been with the company from the beginning. Since then, Levno have moved three times and the number of staff has expanded to 29, plus five based around the country. While they have achieved so much in the past few years, there is more to come. Levno have some exciting plans for the future, extending their services across a wide range of sectors.

Founded by Rural Fuel owners Larry and Jane Ellison, initially Levno catered for rural property owners who were looking for a way to monitor their fuel tank usage, whether it is petrol or diesel. Today Levno is the market leader in New Zealand for fuel tank measuring. Their system can show withdrawals, notify the owner and fuel company when the tank needs to be re-filled and alert the owner to theft, all via an easy to use dashboard accessible on any mobile device.

Later Fonterra went out to the industry to see if any innovative technology partners could develop a solution to help farmers meet the upcoming milk cooling regulations, Levno accepted the challenge.  After two years spent on research and development, Levno launched their product to market. Again Levno have become the market leader in this monitoring service, so much so they have recently become the first business to be approved by Fonterra for milk vat monitoring.

“What puts Levno ahead of our competitors is that we don’t touch the milk. We use Lidar technology, the same as driverless cars, to make it possible,” says Shane.

“This ensures that we do not affect the quality of the milk in any way.”

Levno are continually looking for ways to expand their business. Other products they supply include telemetry data for water flow meters and they are currently working on a product to monitor stock water reticulation. Basically for Levno, no problem is too difficult, as they focus on solutions.

“We see ourselves as a reactive, nimble company as we have the ability to make changes quickly,” says Shane.

“We are adapting all the time.”

One of the elements of Levno’s success is their people. Most employees live in and around Palmerston North and many have a rural background.

“Some were brought up on farms, other have previously worked in agricultural industries or have an interest outside of work. This means we have a better understanding of what our customers are talking about and react to their needs more effectively,” says Shane.

Above: Levno sensors on a fuel tank and milk vat.

Being regionally based means Levno can attract these types of people more readily and they remain loyal.

The team at Levno believe other benefits of being centrally located include excellent access for flights and logistics, more affordable living and wages and ease of getting to work.

What’s more, Levno see Palmerston North and the wider region as the home of innovative agricultural technology for New Zealand.

“There is so much going on here, this region is full of enthusiastic, smart people, we just need to shout about it a bit more,” says Shane.

Levno’s products are also all made within the region which allows them to ensure quality products can be presented to market quickly.

“It’s important to support local businesses and in turn, they support us.”

Levno supplies across the country, which means getting the word out about their fantastic products over a large geographical area.

“Our sales reps are based around the country, we have a good referral network, strong relationships with Farmlands and Farm Source and great relationships with fuel distributors”.

“Because we are promoting our services through these networks, farmers are listening and want to get on board.”

When asked about any words of wisdom he might have for start ups, Shane believes its important to “have a clear plan, know who your competitors are, know who your customers will be and how to approach them, be clear on your return on investment, understand your market and perhaps most importantly, don’t be afraid.”

Levno are continually looking at ways to improve and build their business, they are incredibly innovative and forward thinking and they ensure their product is of the highest quality before taking it to market.

Shane wholeheartedly believes in Levno’s products and services, and that passion is infectious. If you are a farmer looking to better manage your business, and make savings in the long term, then its well worth giving the Levno team a call.

C B NORWOOD - BUILDING ON A LEGACY OF INNOVATION

C B Norwood, based in Palmerston North, are a leading tractor and machinery distribution group with customers all over New Zealand, a total of 420 staff nationwide and 120 within this region.

The company, founded by Charles Norwood, has been around for over 65 years and has a proud legacy with values focused on innovativeness and creativity.

Those values are coming to the fore with C B Norwood’s current research and development programme, hosting prototype machines of global brands in the European off season.

Chief Executive Officer of C B Norwood Tim Myers, explains the reasoning behind these machines coming out to New Zealand.

“The research and development behind each of these global brands is huge as they have the desire to build the best equipment,” he says.

“Testing is intensive and they want to do it year round.”

The companies generally spend two to three months over the summer, testing prototype machines for the upcoming European season or even the season after that. In some cases, a particular machine may come back to the region two years in a row.

C B Norwood has a willing workforce on hand to test the equipment.

“It is a fantastic opportunity for our staff as we get to participate in the learning and development surrounding this equipment,” says Tim.

The testing will occur on customers’ farms, ensuring the technology is developed to suit local conditions.

The machines will carry out the work normally required on farm, in all capacities. Staff from across the organisation are involved with the testing, from mechanics through to the sales team.

C B Norwood also host open days and public demonstrations while the machines are in the region so customers can see what they are capable of first hand.

A number of the company’s mechanics then head to the Northern hemisphere during our winter months to fine tune their skills and build on their experiences.

“Last winter around 50 of our mechanics spent time at a Combine Harvester factory in Belgium, it is a huge opportunity for them to upskill, and they relish it,” says Tim.

“The role of an agricultural technician has completely changed over the last 10 years with technology advancements.

"Diagnostics is huge and the ceiling is much higher in regards to career pathways. Our technicians are our most important resource and we want to look after those who have a high work ethic, passion and willingness to learn.”

On farm technology is changing at a great rate and Tim Myers believes it all relies on the inter-connectedness between machines, software and the infrastructure that supports it.

“The resulting technology will enable efficiencies that we can only dream of today and we at Norwood believe the machines we bring to market will play an increasing role,” says Tim.

“This is why we are focused on enabling customers to participate in the research and development

Above: Machinery being tested on farm. 

process, so they can be a part of what will be an exciting future.

“It is all moving so fast; our machines are not only brands that claim technological superiority but it’s the support systems that we have in place that is key. We want to be the leader in the industry and see having strong support systems as our competitive advantage.”

As a member of the Accelerate25 Lead Team, Tim sees considerable benefit in the development of the Manawatū-Whanganui Economic Action Plan.

“Accelerate25 is the platform which initiatives can be built or leveraged off, it provides the connections, resources and political capital to enable innovation within the region to be delivered nationally, or even internationally,” he says.

Tim also believes that Accelerate25 encourages collaboration between business and institutions such as Massey.

“Where once we wouldn’t have considered engaging with Massey, now we are, the gap is closing,” he says.

“Accelerate25 is the conversation starter, what value that has, we don’t know at this point, however it could be tremendously valuable.”  

Tim says while the benefits are numerous for C B Norwood to be based in the Manawatū-Whanganui Region, an overwhelming factor is quality of life for staff.

“The paradigm is shifting, people do not want to be working 50 hour weeks then be stuck in traffic for a couple of hours per day,” he says.

“So attracting talent to the region who are looking for a work-life balance is still a valid concern but it’s getting better.”

While there are many benefits, Tim did point out some challenges for the region.

“We need to overcome negative perceptions surrounding living and working in this region, we need to break down stereotypes and that takes committed leadership,” he says.

“We all have an obligation to take on that role.”

That type of leadership can start with innovative thinking and the provision of opportunities for the wider industry to participate and garner knowledge. This is something CB Norwood is great at doing and they certainly encourage famers and interested members of the public to attend their open days.

To find out more about C B Norwood’s Open Days please contact Emmeline Coffin via the C B Norwood main office 06 356 4920.

SNAPCHILL GEARING UP FOR A BUSY YEAR

Tucked away in the industrial area of Foxton, you can find a fledging business which is about to get extremely busy over the next 12 months. Snapchill, an innovative milk chilling company, is gearing up for the Ministry for Primary Industries (MPI) new milk temperature compliance regulations, due to come into effect in June 2018.

These new regulations will mean that many dairy farmers will need to either upgrade or purchase new milk chiller systems in order to comply. Snapchill has just the solution.

Snapchill comprises of General Manager, Dale Stone; Production Manager, Frank Slobbe; and Sales Manager, Trevor Maddox and associated shareholders. Between them, they have years of experience in the refrigeration business, both domestic and industrial. Together, they have come up with a cost effective, chemical free, easy to service system which is also completely portable.

“At Snapchill we use proven products and we build our systems just that little bit better,” says Dale Stone.

The Snapchill unit sits between farmers’ existing pre-chillers and the bulk milk vat and works by creating ice during off-peak times when power is cheaper. While doing this, it recovers heat so that a tank full of hot water can be used for the plant wash. At milking time, milk is chilled before it hits the vat, preventing the vat temperature from rising beyond the 10 degrees Celsius limit that the new regulations require. It’s a relatively new way of doing things, especially as there is no reliance on chemicals. That said, Snapchill feel its time to move on from the "innovative" tag.

“While to the industry we might be considered an innovative company, we like to think that we are at the tried and proven stage,” says Frank Slobbe.

“Our first units have been out on farms for the last three to four years and they are all doing well.”

It’s an exciting time for the Snapchill team, as years of hard work are about to come to fruition. At the Central Districts Field Days in March, they received a huge amount of interest in their system as farmers race to ensure compliance within the next 12 months. Fonterra have estimated that 8,500 farms will need pre-chilling equipment to comply with regulations. About five or six companies around the country can supply and only three have similar technology to Snapchill.

Snapchill have a range of 11 models on offer, or they can custom build to order. Recently they built a unit for a robotic milking system on a farm in Bunneythorpe. The unit “talks to” the robot, interfacing with it easily.

Snapchill have also been selected as one of four companies as a registered supplier of Fonterra. This means farmers can use a Farm Source card to receive discounts and rewards points.

“It’s a big tick if Fonterra like our product and certainly adds credibility, we are pretty thrilled about that,” says Dale.

Above: Snapchill's units post manufacturing in storage and on site. 

Snapchill distribute all over New Zealand and have just opened themselves up to the Australian market, with three units sold recently. Currently they ship the full system to Australia, however the long term goal is for the whole unit to be made over there.

The team relish having their business based in Foxton. Dale travels from Palmerston North each day but the lower cost in rent for larger facilities, and being located on State Highway One, means basing the business there is a no brainer.

What’s more they currently source components from around 15 businesses throughout the Manawatū. So they support local companies and in turn local companies support Snapchill.

“There are some fantastic businesses to work with around this region, we have built up relationships over a number of years and it feels good to back the guys just down the road,” says Dale.

Those relationships also mean Snapchill have a pool of labour nearby they can call on when things get busy.

“There are quite a few semi-retired guys we can call on for a couple of days per week, plus there is interest from young people who can learn a lot from the older guys while on the job together,” says Dale.

For Frank the biggest challenge that comes from basing their business in Foxton is not being tempted to go fishing on a good day.

“We are just down the road from some great fishing spots, and while I would like to get out there every day, I know it’s not possible,” says Frank.

What about plans for the future? Over the next few years Snapchill are aiming for a 10 per cent share of the market as they know its something they can achieve with the resources they have available to them.

The team also want to look at using their technology in other fields such as commercial chillers and air-conditioning applications for commercial buildings.

Frank is hoping to fit a spot of fishing in here and there too…

To discuss your milk chilling options give Dale and the team a call on 0508 762 724.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITY FOR YOUNG FARMERS 

The Primary Sector group, tasked with implementing actions outlined in the Manawatū-Whanganui Economic Action Plan, have been incredibly busy over the past few months.

The Primary Sector is incredibly important as Manawatu-Whanganui is such a strong pastoral region with 18% of New Zealand's class 1 soils and 14% of New Zealand's class 2 soils. On-going success requires the application of sustainable land management practices, sharing of resources and building of knowledge to increase expertise. Skills and Talent has been identified as an enabler under the Manawatū-Whanganui Economic Action Plan, with training programmes suited to sheep and beef farming listed as a priority. Due to this focus, a suite of projects are coming together, involving individuals and groups from across the Region.

One particular scheme is about to kick off in the Ruapehu District. The Next Generation Farmers Extension project caters for young farmers and farm managers aged from around 20-40 years old. Initiated by the Ruapehu Ag A25 Action Group, the project aims to support farmers’ professional development and skill progression. It is intended that a first discussion group will be held in June.

“We are focusing on the younger generation as that’s where the change is going to take place,” says Dick Lancaster, facilitator for the Ruapehu Ag A25 Action Group.

Above: sheep and beef farming in the Manawatu-Whanganui Region. 

“They are the ones to lead the change and we want to support them in any way we can.”

June’s meeting will be facilitated by Totally Ag farm consultant Rob Macnab and will be a chance for theyoung farmers to get together, explore learning styles and needs, and establish topics for regular discussions.

Rob Macnab will then put together a programme catering to the needs of the group.

“This project absolutely needs to be farmer driven and farmer focused, that is the best way to get buy in,” says Dick Lancaster.

If you are a young farmer in the Ruapehu District, and you are interested in being a member of this group, then contact Rob Macnab on 027 320 3185 or email rob@total-ag.com.