Chafer and Horstine rescued from administration

British crop sprayer manufacturer Chafer Machinery is being revived by new owners who hope to get production under way again early next month.

Chafer and sister company Horstine were placed in the hands of administrators in October last year, with the business and assets then put up for sale.

See also: Sprayer manufacturer Chafer in financial difficulties

The new owners – agricultural engineer Peter Chantry, digital technology engineer Rick Scott, and sales and marketing specialist James Bilson – were in the throes of setting up a new business to manufacture UK-built equipment and systems for precision guidance and other location services when Chafer was put up for sale.

“With Chafer’s long-held reputation for high specification, quality spraying and application products, it was an obvious fit with our plans for Nexus,” said Mr Bilson.

“The new business is now officially Nexus Chafer Ltd and we moved into Chafer’s Cow Lane base and production facility in Upton near Gainsborough on Monday (5 January) to get things under way.”

The Chafer acquisition includes all rights to the brand names, intellectual property, production equipment and a large stock of spares now available to service a population of some 500 sprayers and other products.

“Servicing existing Chafer and Horstine users with parts and other support is a key priority,” said Mr Bilson.

Staff for production and other key roles are being recruited, with a number of former Chafer Machinery employees said to be keen to join the new business, and customers who placed orders for new kit before Chafer closed down last October are being approached, along with former dealers.

Longer term, the new owners plan to complement the sprayers and applicators with a “new line-up of digital products for smarter crop care, operator safety, guidance and machine control”.