Lincolnshire crop sprayer manufacturer Chafer Machinery is set to return to production under new ownership, with manufacturing expected to restart early next month.
Farmers Weekly reports that Chafer and its sister company Horstine entered administration in October last year, after which the business and assets were put up for sale. The company has since been acquired by agricultural engineer Peter Chantry, digital technology engineer Rick Scott and sales and marketing specialist James Bilson.
The trio were already in the process of establishing a new business focused on UK-built equipment and systems for precision guidance and location-based services when Chafer became available. Bilson said that Chafer’s reputation for high-specification spraying and application equipment made it “an obvious fit” with their plans.
The business is now trading as Nexus Chafer and, according to Farmers Weekly, operations began this week after the new owners moved into Chafer’s Cow Lane production facility in Upton, near Gainsborough, on Monday 5 January.
The acquisition includes the Chafer and Horstine brand names, intellectual property, production equipment and a significant stock of spare parts, which will be used to support an existing fleet of around 500 machines. Bilson told Farmers Weekly that servicing existing customers is a key priority.
Reports suggest that staff are being recruited for production and other roles, with several former Chafer employees keen to return. Customers with outstanding orders placed before the company’s collapse are being contacted, along with former dealers.
Looking further ahead, Farmers Weekly says the new owners plan to expand beyond sprayers and applicators, developing a new range of digital products focused on smarter crop care, operator safety, guidance and machine control.