IAM – the well-known agricultural machinery distributor in Kilkenny – has recruited a new area sales manager.

Niall Lavery (pictured above) took up the position with the company just last month.

He comes from a farming background and has a “good working knowledge” of machinery. He studied at Harper Adams University and, according to IAM, has extensive experience of operating a wide range of agricultural machinery for contractors locally – as well as in Australia, New Zealand and England.

Most recently, Niall has been working as a dealer salesman.

He explained: “I’m excited to start a new challenge with IAM Agricultural Machinery, having already sold and worked with a number of the products that IAM distributes.

I’m looking forward to supporting our dealer network and growing our market share.

IAM is one of the longest established importers and distributors of agricultural machinery here in Ireland; it has over 60 years’ experience in the industry.

Nowadays, it’s most readily associated with brands such as Bomford (Turner), Strautmann, Hardi, Rabe and Gregoire Besson.

Image source: Shane Casey

In other IAM news, the company recently brought an Irish delegation (pictured below) to Strautmann’s factory in Bad Laer, Germany. The tour was led by Ralf Lange, Strautmann’s export manager.

According to IAM, he presented a “detailed overview” of Strautmann and its products during a factory tour. There, the Irish visitors saw diet feeders, muck spreaders and – of course – silage wagons coming off the lines.

The delegation paid a visit to a German farmer with almost 1,000 dairy cows; he relies on a Strautmann self-propelled tub feeder to feed his sizeable herd.

The itinerary included a trip to a contractor – trading as ‘Scheiper‘ – also in Bad Laer. That operation runs no fewer than five self-propelled forage harvesters, four combines and six silage wagons – as well as a host of other equipment.

This overseas visit followed a Strautmann ‘Dealer Tour’ that was held in February of this year. That tour  involved a special focus on three of IAM’s dealers – namely McCullagh Machinery, Johnston Farm Equipment and Young’s Garage (Portarlington) – in which the latest-generation forage wagons were front and centre.