Opico and Italian machinery manufacturer Maschio Gaspardo have announced that the distribution of Maschio products in the UK has been taken on by Opico.

Opico will initially focus on supplying the Maschio range of power harrows, drills, rotary cultivators and flail mowers to farmers, and intends to set up a dedicated distribution network for Maschio products. Further integrations to the product line-up are expected in the future.

“Maschio Gaspardo is a major player in the agricultural machinery market and has one of the most efficient production facilities I have ever seen,” said Opico’s managing director, James Woolway.

“The Maschio range fits in very well with products that Opico already sells in the UK and completes the company’s line-up of quality machinery for the arable farmer,” said

David Day, Opico’s Maschio product specialist. “Taking on Maschio gives Opico a cracking range of drills with models that fit UK farmers’ requirements very well.”

Francesco Voltan, Maschio’s sales manager for Europe, who brokered the deal with Opico, added: “This move is in line with our growing UK activities and Opico – with its good name in the UK and an excellent distribution network – will give Maschio good market coverage and provide customers with the product and technical support they need.”

Egidio Maschio, president and CEO of Maschio Gaspardo Group, said: “We already have many customers in the UK and it is an important market for us. I am pleased we have made this distribution agreement with a strong company through whom we can expand the Maschio product range in the UK.”

Opico is able to supply drills and flail mowers with immediate effect, and will take on the distribution of the power harrows, rotary cultivators and Maschio spare parts from 1 November.

Maschio Gaspardo Spa, founded in Italy in 1964, is a worldwide leading manufacturer of agricultural machinery, with five production sites and more than 1,000 employees. Today, it has a presence in more than 100 countries and sells around 35,000 agricultural machines a year.