Remember Kidd Farm
Machinery?
Well, it’s been resurrected. Blue-liveried toppers and straw
choppers will shortly be reappearing at dealerships across the
country.
The Devizes-based company – which was well-known for its
livestock orientated kit –
has had a complicated history, first being bought out by Taarup in
the mid-1980s.
Shortly afterwards
Taarup was
acquired by
Kverneland and
consequently Kidd Farm
Machinery was absorbed into the Norwegian giant’s fold.
In 2002 a management buy-out took place which saw a firm called
Kidd Farm Machinery
established to oversee the manufacturing and marketing of ex-Kidd
machinery at the Devizes base.
The outfit continued to churn out feeder/mixer-wagons under
licence to
Kverneland but
the venture wasn’t as successful as had been hoped.
The plant was sold to automotive specialist
Omitec which makes, among
other things, vehicle diagnostic systems including
Crypton tuning
kits.
Earlier this year Omitec
realised it was sitting on a business with a great deal of
potential and took the decision to resurrect the
Kidd Farm
Machinery brand, starting gently at first with toppers and
straw choppers.
Export demand is reported to be strong and next year will see
the company introduce a number of further developments to
compliment the existing product range.