TTMI has expanded its offering with a range of self-propelled sprayers from Househam
Ever-growing dealer TTMI has become the Australian importer for Househam self-propelled sprayers in its latest of several moves aimed at expansion.
TTMI’s core business is being the Case IH tractor dealer for both Victoria’s Gippsland region and Tasmania, while the privately-owned company also sells a range of machines for other franchises.
Dealer principal Jason Henry says the decision to partner with UK sprayer manufacturer Househam was a “common sense” one, due to many potential clients being in areas TTMI already services.
“The major areas are market gardens and vegetable growing areas for self-propelled sprayers so most of the areas are within Victoria and Tasmania, but we are looking at putting dealers on throughout the rest of Australia to cover the whole country,” he says.
“Our first machine will be arriving mid-year and we’ve got some other machines that are sold and on the way as well.
“Our clients need them and it’s something we can’t access through the Case IH franchise.
“It’s a specific market garden machine, therefore it made sense to take it on and help customers with their tractors and sprayers.”
Househam’s range consists of four models – Spirit, Air-Ride, Harrier and Predator – which can all be custom built to the individual requirements of growers.
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The Air-Ride is one of four Househam sprayer models now available through TTMI
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The Spirit’s low weight and ease of use make it a popular sprayer, while its 3,000L capacity and its precision nozzle control systems help maximise productivity.
The Air-Ride meanwhile is designed to optimise crop care and deliver outstanding return on investment. It is lightweight and equipped with an array of advanced features as standard. The adaptability of the design allows the farmer to customise the machine to meet the demands of crops and terrain.
The Harrier is a high output sprayer that places performance, efficiency and comfort at the heart of its design and is built to meet the needs of professional operators.
Househam’s Predator sets the new standard for advanced spraying technology, delivering outstanding stability and manoeuvrability with a massive capacity.
It has been a busy period for TTMI after recently opening its fifth branch, located in north west Tasmania, having only opened its fourth branch last year in the Victorian town of Leongatha.
“This is going to support our brands in Tasmania where we have construction equipment as well and just give us a better spread of being able to service our customers over the whole of Tasmania,” Henry says.
“It’s a small island but there are a lot of roads in Tasmania and a lot of travel, so this will help us get to our customers when they need us.
“Leongatha has also been really encouraging. We’ve been well supported by the community and it’s been working really well. There was a Case dealer eight or nine years ago that closed up, but the fact we’re back in the region and getting good support is great.”
Another recent move has been TTMI becoming a dealer for Taiwanese quad bike manufacturer TGB, which makes ATVs that comply with recent Australian safety standard changes.
Later this year, the TGB range available through TTMI will expand to also include side-by-sides.
“We now cover everything from a lawnmower and quad bike through to a high horsepower tractors and air seeders, spreaders, mixer wagons – everything our customers need,” Henry says.
While Case IH tractors are the showpiece of TTMI’s range, Henry says the company’s philosophy is to “look after our regions” – specifically Tasmania and Gippsland – with the aim of servicing all customer needs from their nearest TTMI branch.
“We’re going on 80 staff now across five locations and sell, service and supply parts to farm machinery,” he says.
“We have about 18 apprentices in the group and put on a new one in every location each year.
“These apprentices go to Wagga Wagga TAFE, which is a Case IH-run academy, and is giving them a taste of the product from day one of their apprenticeship.”
In Henry’s view, the growth being enjoyed by TTMI is allowing the company to gain a stronger foothold in its regions and be better placed to always serve its customers.
“We’re always in expansion mode and we’ve always got opportunity in front of us, but at the moment we want to consolidate what we’ve got,” he says.
“I think the expansion is helping us with the business and the way we’re growing, because we’ve now got economies of scale in regions so we can support branch by branch with other staff at times.
“We might have mechanics working at another branch if we’re lacking support at one time, or we can share support staff throughout the regions, so it makes it a bit easier with the demands of today’s business.”
TTMI’s branches are located in the Victorian towns of Trafalgar, Maffra and Leongatha, plus north west Tasmania and Longford.