Väderstad kicks off US expansion with big win at the Big Iron Farm Show

Väderstad kicks off US expansion with big win at the Big Iron Farm Show

Väderstad AB, one of the world's leading companies in tillage, seeding and planting, made a big splash introducing themselves at the 41st annual Big Iron Farm Show in Fargo, North Dakota – taking home the top prize for Best in Show Outdoor Display.

 

In May of this year, Väderstad AB acquired 100 percent of the AGCO-AMITY JV LLC (AAJV), forming Vaderstad Inc., the newest addition to the Väderstad global group of companies. Based out of Wahpeton, North Dakota, Vaderstad Inc. has begun fully integrating the Concord, Wil-Rich and Wishek product lines it manufactures into the diverse seeding, tillage and planting product lines offered by Väderstad.

With 900+ exhibit booths, training sessions, and over 70,000 visitors from across the country, the Big Iron Farm Show is the largest farm show in the upper Midwest, On hand for this important milestone, marking the official launch of Vaderstad Inc. in the United States, were key Sales and Marketing staff from both the US and Canada and top-level members from Vaderstad headquarters in Sweden.

 I can't tell you how happy I am to be here. This is a great milestone for us, the first big exhibition in North America after the Väderstad Inc. acquisition! It is fantastic to see equipment and co-workers here from both the US, Canada and Sweden. The North American S&M team from both sides of the border have done a great job preparing the show, and they are ready to prove to the US farmers we are their best choice for outstanding emergence, says Mr. Henrik Gilstring, deputy CEO at Väderstad.

The large booth spanning two rows of exhibits proudly displayed product lines from Väderstad and the recently acquired Concord, Wil-Rich, and Wishek brands. Products on display included the Seed Hawk 84' precision air drill and 980-bushel air cart, a leader in precision seeding manufactured in Western Canada. The Tempo L 16 Central Seed Fill Planter, high-speed Concord Precision Shank Drill, Narrow Transport Disc Drill NT30, and the 10k Planter Bar rounded out the seeding and planting offerings on display. On the tillage side, the Wil-Rich QX2 field cultivator and 357 Inline Ripper were on display, along with various static displays from other popular product lines from Vaderstad and the newly acquired brands.

Integrating the heritage and strong reputation of the Wil-Rich, Wishek and Concord brands into the Väderstad Group allows Väderstad to gain access to distribution outlets in the United States, an opportunity to join the proud manufacturing industry in the US as well as benefit from the knowledge and dedication of the 120 employees, 325,000 sq. ft. manufacturing facility, parts warehouse, and research and development facility in Wahpeton, ND.

Jason Strobbe has been appointed the Managing Director for Vaderstad Inc, while also holding the position as VP Sales & Marketing North America.

– It was a very surreal moment at the Big Iron Show in Fargo, North Dakota as we all stood for the American National Anthem for the opening of the 41st annual show. This is officially Vaderstad's first farm show in the USA and it is exciting to see the equipment we proudly manufacture in the United States along with product lines and sales support from all of our factories across the globe in one place. These are exciting times as we embark on our journey to become the world's leading partner for outstanding emergence, says Jason Strobbe, Managing Director, Vaderstad Inc.

Each year, the Big Iron Farm Show Committee critiques and evaluates the Exhibit Booths. With over 900+ exhibit booths, it is quite an honour to be chosen as the Top Booth of the Big Iron Farm Show. Vaderstad Inc. is incredibly honoured to have taken home the top prize this year for Best in Show Outdoor Display.

– It was an amazing week down in North Dakota getting to spend more time with our new American colleagues. Several of our Canadian and Swedish team made it down to work the show and tour the factory. We are extremely proud to be able to say we manufacture in the United States, along with our manufacturing facilities in Canada and Sweden. We look forward to an exciting future of becoming the best choice for outstanding emergence for growers in the United States as well as all over the world, says Melissa MacLean, Marketing Manager Canada.

What makes an organization last over 50 years? Väderstad’s colourful history dates back to the early 60s and has ever since been characterized by an entrepreneurial spirit, the creation of ingenious farm machinery and a strong drive to rationalize farming methods. Rune Stark liked to build things that lasted and he commonly used the expression "make it last" to his co-workers. To this day the company is still practising Rune Stark's strong quality orientation together with a high customer orientation when developing new machines.

It is very inspiring that the cousins in the third generation are so involved in the company. My father said to me when I became a shareholder: "We have started to roll the snowball, now it is up to you to keep it rolling". The "snowball" is now larger than when I started, but still, we have only scratched the surface of our potential and there is still much to be done, says Crister Stark, Chairman of the Board.

To ensure long-term ownership, the nine cousins Stark and Gilstring, are shareholders together Crister, Christina, Andreas and Bo Stark, children of the founder. This means that the Vaderstad group now has 13 shareholders.

 

 

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