Products and services backed by almost half a century of experience

A Kent-based machinery manufacturer and supplier which has been supporting the top fruit, soft fruit, hop and viticulture industries for almost 50 years continues to invest in additional staff and new franchises to meet growing demands for its services. David Williams visited NP Seymour Ltd, to nd out why the business has been so successful

The company started trading in 1974, when Nick and Barbara Seymour established a mobile agricultural engineering business. Within three years, part-time engineers were helping meet customer demand, and a permanent workshop site, near Goudhurst was established. Business growth continued and, in 1992, the Seymours relocated a few miles to Avon Works, which remains the company’s base today.

Since Nick and Barbara started trading, their activities have been dedicated to serving the needs of fruit farmers, hop growers, packhouse managers and vineyard owners. Their daughter, Claire Seymour, runs the new and used equipment side of the business as director, employing a team of 15 people, while Nick still runs the service department and engineering side of the business.

“Until a few years ago, our customers were mainly fruit and hop growers, but now half of our business centres around the viticulture industry,” explained Claire. “Most customers are local – across South and South-East England – but we offer a nationwide service and have customers in all the main fruit growing areas, including concentrations in Cambridgeshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and parts of Scotland.”

Pictured (l-r) are members of the NP Seymour team: Luke Williams, Sam Barnes, Nick Seymour, Barbara Seymour, Claire Seymour, Steve Bowles, Victoria Rose, Ashley Manwaring, Justin Bass, Greg Surowiec, Mark Maynard, Matt Turrell, Darren Thomas and Ash Baldry. The dog is called Cookie.

The business has a strong reputation for manufacturing and supplying machines which o er practical solutions for fruit, vine and hop growers, including many designed or sourced for a particular situation. “I believe that much of the company’s success is due to it being regarded as a one-stop shop which supplies everything needed to grow fruit, vines and hops,” continued Claire. “From the start, if machines weren’t available then my father would source or design something which provides a solution, and our experienced engineers operate from well-equipped workshops and continue o ering that same level of service today.”

A new sales manager recently joined the team. Ash Baldry has considerable experience of the Fendt tractors from when he was employed by a dealer previously. Under the guidance of Nick and Claire, he is quickly gaining an understanding of the specialist machinery used by fruit growers and vineyards. He will work with sales specialist, Sam Barnes who has worked within the fruit and vineyard industries for many years and runs his own contracting business – specialising in vineyard planting, establishment and maintenance. Many of the machines he uses are imported or manufactured by NP Seymour, so he has considerable hands-on experience.

NP Seymour took on the Fendt specialist tractor franchise for the area in 1982, having been impressed by the brand’s engineering and build quality. In 1992, sales of Berthoud sprayers and Perfect Van Wamel mowers and pulverisers were added.

When products weren’t readily available or didn’t o er the performance needed, Nick started designing and building bespoke solutions for his customers. An air-assisted table-top strawberry sprayer was an early example, which he designed after being approached by a customer needing something capable of operating in narrow-width alleys between the crops.

NP Seymour remains a main dealer for Fendt 200 Vario-series narrow tractors. Large stocks of new and used tractors as well as parts are maintained, ensuring prompt customer delivery. Additional franchises include Berthoud, Carrarospray, Clemens, Braun, BMV, Breviglieri, Metos, Technoagri, Aweta, Aporo, Metos, Pellenc, Boreco, Bullion Machinery, and AgroFrost. The company also supplies Felco hand tools and is the UK’s exclusive importer and distributor of the PowerBlade electronic secateurs made by Felco.

“We make sure that we pick the right brands and then stick with them,” continued Claire. “Some franchises have been held since the 1980’s and the brands we represent are carefully selected for the bene ts they o er to our customers. It’s all about getting the spec right, and then providing support, and we have a team of four on-site engineers plus an apprentice engineer, and two fabricators who all know the products inside out.”

“I believe that customers like dealing with NP Seymour because they know they will be advised well by the team and have access to a great range of products from highly respected franchises,” concluded marketing assistant, Victoria Rose. “You can’t replicate 50 years of knowledge and experience catering for the needs of this specialist industry.”

The Fendt 200-series specialist tractor line-up includes ve models from 79–114hp, although the agship 211 Vario has up to 124hp available with boost – although NP Seymour hasn't had the need to supply one of these though as yet. All models have Fendt’s Vario stepless CVT transmission, and there are three variants. Narrowest V – vineyard tractors have an overall width from only 1.24m, the F – fruit tractors are from 1.32m, and wider P models are from 1.59m. There are three speci cation levels – Power is the base version but still o ers a generous level of equipment compared to competitor brands. Two Pro variants come with upgraded hydraulic controls, and the premium version also comes with a dedicated joystick to operate the hydraulics and a 12in touch-terminal. The Pro + top speci cation includes the 12in terminal with FendtOne functionality. Pro + tractors come GPS guidanceready, and the hydraulic joystick is included.

“Fendt tractors were the rst in this market segment with quiet, comfortable cabs that had built-in operator protection for spraying,” said Claire. “From the Fendt range – we only sell and service these specialist narrow 200 Vario-series models, so our workshop team has gained unrivalled experience during the past 45 years looking after them.”

Demand for frost protection systems is growing, and Claire explained that most units sold now are for vineyard use, as owners are aware of the risks posed by late frosts in terms of possible loss of the whole crop and a year’s wine production. Fruit orchard owners also invest – to optimise conditions for fruit set. AgroFrost models stocked include the FrostGuard which protects up to 1ha, and the larger, trailed FrostBuster which protects 8–10ha of crops.

Perfect, Fischer and Braun mowers are all stocked to ensure there is something to suit all grower requirements.

The Braun Alpha, equipped with Clemens Multiclean heads at both sides will not only mow alleyways of variable widths, the Multiclean heads will work around the base of the vines removing unwanted vegetation and watershoots, saving time on bud rubbing and weeding.

NP Seymour also supplies growers with Fischer mowers including the GL4 which has heads designed to move in between the trunks. These compact mowers are also popular for maintaining ground under table top strawberry beds.

Fischer mowers can be speci ed with an integral hydraulic pack allowing use with smaller tractors, and NP Seymour recommends this option.

At the recent Farm Expo event, the BMV FL 800P Orchard Trimmer was displayed prominently on the Seymour stand. The trimmers have been stocked for many years, but demand has increased recently as growers look for cost-e ective, versatile machinery which can be used all year round. The tractor-mounted, hinged trimmers have hydraulic-driven cutters which can be tted with stainless steel knives for trimming crop canopies, or circular blades for heavier pruning –achieving signi cant time savings compared to pruning by hand.

The Braun Rollhacke mechanical weeder breaks up soil and lifts weeds to the surface using double star working elements. The star wheels are ground driven, and work best at speeds between 4.5–9.0kph. Simple, manual adjustment of working depth, position and disc angle is made without tools, and the working width is 120–180mm. The standard mounting frame allows attachment to most brands of tractor, and NP Seymour can modify and adapt the brackets if necessary.

Technoagri tractor-mounted forklifts and pallet carriers are among the dealer’s best-selling implements. The Super Hydraulic Forklift includes tilt and side-shift functions making it suitable for use on uneven ground, and it can lift loads up to 1,500kg to 1.8m. “These are an ideal solution for moving supplies and produce and sell in large numbers, so we always keep several units in stock,” commented Claire.

OCLL Q-Wector 3 trailed sprayers are available with 1,100-, 1,600- or 2,100-litre capacity tanks. They have a 1,750mm anti-drift tower with the air intake positioned in front. This avoids recirculating the spray mist, and ensures clean air, free of debris, is drawn through the 800mm fan. The sprayers suit orchard applications where trees are a maximum 4m high, and the lowest nozzle is positioned 300mm above the ground. Claire explained that the sprayers are popular for their simple design and excellent build quality, and have been supplied by the dealer for almost 40 years.

Clemens

Clemens under tree and under vine cultivators and weeders are available in a wide variety of sizes and speci cations. The range of options makes it possible to supply exactly what is needed to meet a particular requirement, but the Seymour team’s familiarity with the brand and product options is an essential requirement to ensure customers receive the optimal solution. Claire describes the range as sturdy and well built, and she said it is especially well suited to use in organic enterprises where mechanical cultivators must operate intensively throughout the growing season to maintain e ective weed control.

The Clemens Multiclean is also popular. A rotary mulching brush operates like a vine stem cleaner to remove shoots, and simultaneously removes weeds from the base of the plant, taking them o at ground level without disturbing the soil. With hydraulic drive, it is suitable for mounting on a range of implements including the Braun Alpha mower.

Clemens also manufactures hydraulic frames suitable for mounting attachments such as trimmers and defoliators. Most versions supplied by Seymour trim one side plus the top of the plants, but there are also versions for trimming facing sides of two rows, or straddling rows and cutting both sides and the top simultaneously. The wide range of options makes it possible to achieve a solution meeting the work rates required and budget.

NP Seymour manufactures its own range of machinery and implements under the NPS brand name. During Fruit & Vine’s visit, an NPS Table Top Strawberry sprayer was displayed in the yard. “The rst version was designed and manufactured in 2005 in response to a customer request,” said Claire. “It proved successful, so we started manufacturing the units but as there is no industry standard, each one we make has to be designed for the particular situation.” The sprayer consists of a stainless-steel spray tank mounted on a trailer, and the booms carry an overhead crown nozzle, plus nozzles lower down on both sides to ensure e ective plant coverage.

The NPS Bush Fruit Sprayer uses Micron Turbofan spray heads which rotate at 4,000rpm and produce spray droplets of uniform size to ensure maximum spray e cacy. “These are mainly for applications to blackcurrants,” explained Nick Seymour. “They treat two rows at a time, and we match the hydraulic pump size to the spray motors so that there is no need for ow regulators or diverters. This avoids heat build-up and ensures maximum working e ciency.”

The NPS Bio Applicator was also designed by Nick, in partnership with Bioline Agrosciences. Primarily for treating strawberry crops, it applies bene cial insects which eat the eggs of insect pests. The insects are evenly distributed within a bran mix to ensure even application and placed in the refrigerated hopper.

Keeping them cool reduces their activity and opportunity to separate from the bran mix. Power is from a 12V battery, and the e cient design means that working times of up to a day are possible without having to recharge, while the light weight makes the applicator suitable for towing behind an ATV or UTV, or a specialist tractor.

NP Seymour invented a unique way to deal with thrips on strawberries – this bio applicator combines bran with bene cial pests in a refrigerated unit, before broadcasting the semi-hibernating insects with the bran across the crops, so the insects can consume the thrip eggs

Munckhof is a very recent addition to the list of franchises. “These specialist orchard sprayers increase the options we can offer customers and use an airbag to achieve even distribution of spray droplets,” highlighted Claire. “There are single- and multi-row models – all with Mueller controls, and options include compensation for wind direction and strength based on on-board monitoring. We expect most demand to be from orchard owners in the south of the UK, but there are also shorter versions for vineyards which will have considerable appeal.”