Hardi Australia will become a Centre of Excellence, in a move which will boost the sprayer manufacturer’s product offering and innovation capability
A dramatic change is coming to Hardi Australia’s future manufacturing activities in South Australia, following a recent decision by parent company Exel Industries to support its proposal for a brand new sprayer range.
Up to this point, its manufacturing has been limited mainly to Hardi’s range of trailed sprayers and assembly of French manufactured self-propelled sprayer drive trains.
At a meeting in Paris in July, Exel Industries agreed that over the next five years, Hardi Australia will move toward ground up design, development and manufacture of a specialist range of broadacre self-propelled sprayers in Adelaide.
This step allows Hardi Australia to develop a Centre of Excellence in Adelaide for the design and manufacture of cutting-edge broadacre self-propelled crop protection sprayers, specifically for the Australian market.
Hardi Australia is currently based at a 10 hectare site in the northern Adelaide suburb of Cavan.
Ultimately, this move will mean more people employed by Hardi Australia as it continues to grow.
Engineers, electronic specialists, innovation and importantly, assembly and manufacturing personnel will swell Hardi’s current team of 130 people.
Another key element of the plan is that from 2024, Hardi will become Australian Distributor for Exel-owned brand Apache, manufactured by ET Works in the United States.
This move will provide Hardi with a competitively priced, mechanical drive sprayer with approximately 4,500L capacity.
Apache sprayers are renowned for their simplicity and reliability and have been sold in Australia for a number of years.
Hardi Australia says it is proud of its roots and local impact, aiming to embody the spirit of ‘global made local’ – diligently assembling and manufacturing the majority of its products on-site, supporting local jobs and contributing to the region’s economy.
As the company embarks on a new strategic plan, including relaunching the iconic Rubicon and introducing a new sprayer in 2024, Hardi says it is committed to contributing to the growth of Australian manufacturing and employment opportunities in South Australia.