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OPENS IN SEPARATE WINDOW

The Beaujolais region of South-East France is probably best known for its wine production, but there’s another world-wide export from the area that’s just as well known in farming circles.

Berthoud has been making spraying equipment in the area since 1895. The company, based at Belleville-sur-Saône, about 30 miles north of Lyon, started by making equipment for wine growers, including some of the first knapsack sprayers, but during the past 114 years the range has grown to include mounted, trailed and self-propelled agricultural sprayers as well. The company is market leader for sprayers in France where it has 25% of the market overall, rising to a 30% share in the vineyard/orchard sector. Whole two-thirds of production stays in France, the rest is exported across the world. Top markets for the brand include: Belarus, Belgium, Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Republic of Ireland, Russia, Spain, the UK and Ukraine, although sales are also regularly made to North and South America, and New Zealand and Australia. In all, Berthoud has sales networks in 50 countries around the world. Sales for the 12 months to August this year are expected to hit 62 million euros, which will represent the company’s best-ever result. In fact, turnover has increased by about 50% in the past two years thanks to impressive sales results for the company’s Tenor trailed sprayer.

In 1986 Berthoud became part of the Exel Group, a French-owned industrial giant with 2,700 employees and an annual turnover of more than 456 million euros. There are several sprayer manufacturers in the Exel portfolio including Tecnoma, Matrot, Moreau, Caruelle and Hardi, but they are all allowed to operate independently and there is little crossover in the manufacturing process.

One of the few areas of cooperation is the fact that both Berthoud and Tecnoma share the same chassis for their Raptor and Laser models, but the spraying equipment and controls are unique to each manufacturer. The fact that the machines have not been homogenised has allowed each of the Exel manufacturers to maintain their appeal to customers and means that salesmen have unique features to offer when they are competing for business against other group companies.

The Berthoud factory has a workforce
that peaks at about 250 in the busiest months

Every sprayer is thoroughly tested in the
quality control area before it leaves the factory

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