Hydraulics & Pneumatics November/December 2022

LAMMA REVIEW Over 700 manufacturers, dealers and distributors will fill 11 halls at the NEC, showcasing the latest machinery and kit and many other products and services available to farmers and producers across the arable, horticulture and livestock sectors. Visitors will see a return of familiar features such as the Farm Safety Zone, the ability to earn CPD points and a wide range of seminars on contemporary topics in agriculture. The Future Farming Trail – formerly known as the Farming 4.0 Trail – will also highlight exhibitors and products at the show with the potential to revolutionise the industry. Once again, LAMMA has partnered with the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) for the 2023 Young Engineer Award, showcasing young engineers whose work helps increase sustainability and profitability of UK farms. “We look forward to welcoming the farming community back to LAMMA once again,” says Nichola Bell, head of events for Agriconnect, which organises the event. “The Young Engineer Award gives us the opportunity to identify promising young talent in the sector and, in doing so, we aim to provide them with opportunities to further their careers.” Public vote Entries to the Award closed on 18 November and the organiser encourages anyone interested to take part in the public vote at www.lammashow.com to find the winner. “Our panel of judges will go through the entries and create a shortlist for the vote,” says Bell. “The winner will then be determined by a combination of judges’ scores and the results of the public vote and will be announced at the show.” Last year’s winner was Stephen Davies from Llanymynech in Powys, Wales, who returns to LAMMA as an exhibitor in 2023 with his DTEC 200 feeding and mixing bucket. Since winning the award, Davies has been continuing to develop the feed bucket alongside other engineering projects. He says: “I split my time between working on machinery repairs – anything from gear box rebuilds to fabrication work – and developing the bucket.” Developments to the DTEC 200 have included moving the gearbox to the outside. “It is still fully protected but moving its position has freed up space inside to increase capacity,” Davies explains. “Also, the position of the hydraulic cylinders has been improved along with the size of the paddles on the mixing rotor, although I’m still perfecting the angle of the paddles. I have also added a short discharge chute on the left-hand side which means the telehandler or tractor doesn’t have to drive so close to the feed trough.” Another addition is the option of 12 knives on the rotor. “Adding the knives helps to speed up the mixing time, which changes considerably between silage types,” says Davies. The right path Winning the 2022 Young Engineer Award gave him confidence and led to enquiries about the product. “It showed me I was on the right path and made the right decision to launch my own business and continue working on the DTEC 200.” Exhibiting at LAMMA will be another major step for Davies’ business. “It is really important for me to be there to show people the updates and get a wider picture of what farmers think of the DTEC 200,” he says. “There is always a big pool of farmers from across the country at LAMMA, and it will be great to hear what they think and hopefully set up some future demonstrations. “It is important to keep in front of your customers, and LAMMA is one of the very best shows to do that. I’m a bit nervous but it feels quite an achievement, and as a British manufacturer it is important to be there.” www.lammashow.com LAMMA Show serves up cutting edge technology and machinery in January 2023 With sustainability, production efficiency and food security firmly at the top of the agricultural agenda, The LAMMA Show on 10 and 11 January 2023 will provide a welcome opportunity for farmers and business owners to explore the latest tools and strategies. 34 HYDRAULICS & PNEUMATICS November/December 2022 www.hpmag.co.uk