Tag: crop sprayers

Celebrating 20 Years of the Air-Ride!

23rd December 2022

Househam’s Air-Ride is celebrating its 20th anniversary, after initial production began back in March 2002.

Since the late 1980s, Househam has been designing and manufacturing machines to help farmers profit from precision-sprayed, healthier crops. Over this period, the trust in our cutting-edge British-engineered sprayers has rewarded farmers and their employees many times over. We understand the challenges farmers, land managers, estate managers, contractors and workers face in growing yields with growing input costs. Every year we’ve developed and improved our machines based on feedback from you, our customers and 2023 will be no exception.

Shipped worldwide, the Air-Ride is Househam Sprayers’ best-selling product, which shows just how far the machine has come in the last 20 years. Owners still see the Air-Ride, and its big brother the Harrier, as the solution to reducing costs and waste as well as improving sustainable farming methods, with the added benefit of downloadable data for precise farming. The advanced technology has kept pace with the demands and challenges of modern farming, with each upgrade benefitting farmers and their workers.

The latest model offers a range of features including ground clearance up to 1.7m and track width up to 3.7m which significantly reduces the chance of crop damage, while the under 7m turning circle ensures exceptional manoeuvrability. Most recently the cab has been upgraded to a state-of-the-art X10 cab from Claas that brings in new levels of refinement and operator comfort.

Every machine is tailor made to suit your land, crop regime and climate so that you and your team can deal with everything nature has to throw at you! Options include the Househam Intelligent Transmission System (HITS), NavGuide Auto Section Control, Spray Pilot Auto Steer, Househam Boom Levelling, Individual Nozzle Control (INC), Automatic Nozzle Select (ANS) and turn compensation. There is also a choice of tank sizes (from 3,000l up to 6,000l) and boom widths (from 24m up to 36m).

Whatever your requirement, the 2023 technology in the Air-Ride will equip your farm for the future. As a Househam customer, you will also have over 20 years of knowledge and experience at your fingertips and the added peace of mind that our expert team are only a phone call away.

Pre-owned Air-Ride sprayers like this one are also available to buy. Each pre-owned machine goes through a comprehensive service and inspection and also comes with a pre-owned approved warranty.

To find out more about our machines call 01400 276030 for sales and demos or email info@househamsprayers.com to request a brochure.

Introducing University of Nottingham Student Sam Howden

27th October 2022

At Househam we are committed to investing in young talent and helping people to develop the skills and experience they need for a career in engineering, HR or marketing, for example. As part of this commitment, we regularly offer work experience placements and recruit apprentices, many of whom gain a full-time job with us at the end of their course.

Every year we also offer an industry work placement to a university or college student who usually spends 12 months with us as part of their course. In the past we’ve welcomed students from Harper Adams University, the University of Lincoln and Sheffield Hallam University.

This year, third-year student Sam Howden has joined the Househam team from the University of Nottingham where he is studying mechanical engineering. The 20-year-old who hails from Horncastle, Lincolnshire, will be spending the next year working in different departments so he can get a good insight into the company and the machines that we manufacture at our headquarters in Woodhall Spa.

Talking about his experience so far, Sam said: “Although I’ve only been here for six weeks, I feel like I’ve learnt so much already and can’t wait to start getting my hands dirty in the workshop as I’ve always enjoyed taking things apart and finding out how they work.

“At the moment I’m working in the engineering department making improvements or changes to parts that need modifying in some way. I’ve been able to put the theory I’ve learnt at university into practice and hopefully the new skills I’m learning will help me in my future career.

“Ultimately, I want to work in design engineering and I’m sure this kind of practical hands-on experience will prove to be invaluable. I’m also enjoying the routine and structure of coming into work every day – it’s a completely different environment to university!”

Sam has certainly made a positive contribution to the business so far and we’re looking forward to showing him around the other departments and introducing him to the rest of the team.

Keep up the good work Sam!

Investing in Young People and their Careers

3rd October 2022

Here at Househam Sprayers, we make a targeted effort to train and nurture young manufacturing and engineering talent right from the get-go.

By offering work experience, industry placements and apprenticeships to students and young people, we provide a valuable insight into our industry while training everyone to our highest standards so that they can be the best that they can be. Often, those who undertake placements or apprenticeships with us are offered full-time, permanent jobs; our friendly team of expert engineers and designers are always happy to have another team member join so that they can continue to offer the best services and solutions to our customers!  

Earlier this month we said a fond farewell to Will Nuttell, our industry placement student from the University of Leeds. Will is studying Mechanical Engineering and knew that a placement at Househam would help draw on real world applications using his academic and theoretic knowledge to give him the industry experience he needs to hit the ground running in a future engineering role. We spoke to Will to find out all about his time with the team: 

How did you find out about the placement at Househam? 

“I found out about my placement through George Bell, the employer engagement manager at Boston College, who very kindly assisted me with finding various firms in the local area that were offering placements despite me not having actually studied at Boston College. Househam were the most appealing out of the list I was given so I applied, went for an interview and here I am 18 months later!” 

  

What have you learned during your time with us? 

“Working at Househam Sprayers has given me the opportunity to apply what I learned during the two years prior at the University of Leeds to real world applications. For example, in my second year of university I took a hydraulics and pneumatics module, however due to Covid, no practical sessions were provided to supplement this, as was the case with all my other modules that year.  

“Luckily, while on placement I was given the opportunity to complete projects relevant to the various hydraulics circuits on our machines, giving me valuable experience in the application of these systems onto working equipment. 

“A large part of my role at Househam involved producing drawings to be sent out to fabricators and production staff. This was a valuable skill that I was able to practice because all companies have slightly different ways of standardising their drawings so that whoever uses them can easily understand them. Now I have experienced adopting a new style of drawing, I can say that I’d confidently be able to do so again in the future.  

“Producing these drawings went hand and hand with learning a great deal about the whole machine and how different systems interact, which I hope to transfer into my work for my final years at university along with the rest of my career.” 

  

What have you enjoyed most about working at Househam? 

“I enjoyed the shows that I was given the chance to attend. Over the course of the year, I attended three: CropTec, LAMMA and Cereals. These shows were really enjoyable days out and they allowed me to discover what our competitors were doing differently and whether these differences were something I should be taking into consideration.  

“While at the shows, I was also able to take inspiration from other types of machines and generally learn more about agriculture; as I am not originally from a farming background, it has not been something I have been exposed to in the past. 

“I also enjoyed the fact that Househam is relatively small firm. This gave me the chance to work closely with all the departments and allowed me to experience a broader perspective of how the firm was run.  

“If for example a new part needed testing on a machine, I knew that I could quickly go into production and do so, often with the help of a fitter who would also provide feedback with any criticisms or improvements that could be made to the part.” 

  

How will your placement benefit you in the future? 

“I think my placement will vastly benefit me in the future as I am now confident that I could start work anywhere and be able to hit the ground running. 

“If I hadn’t chosen to complete a placement, I believe starting my career as a graduate with no industry experience would have been very difficult, but now I know what is expected it will take me less time to settle into my career and allow me to focus on producing useful, innovative work.  

“I understand that I still have a long way to come as an engineer, but I’m confident I can use what I have learned over the past year to accelerate my knowledge and practice and really make the most out of my remaining two years at university. 

“Thank you to Househam HQ for having me!” 

 

If you’d like to find out more about kickstarting your career through Househam Sprayers, email info@househamsprayers.com or call 01400 276 000. You can also take a look at our current vacancies here or sign up to our newsletter to get exclusive updates on careers opportunities and more direct to your inbox.  

New Appointment at Househam to Drive Sales in Scotland

17th August 2022

In a drive to expand further into Scotland, we have appointed a new area sales manager based in Dundee.  

Tom Bannon has joined us following many years working in agricultural machinery sales and farming both in the UK and abroad.  

Tom Bannon new area sales manager for ScotlandMost recently he worked for Hamilton Ross Group in Perth and prior to this as a self-propelled crop sprayer operator on a large estate in Scotland, as well as in Australia and New Zealand.  

Explaining why he decided to work for Househam, Tom said he was impressed by the team’s commitment and passion for what they do. 

“The engineers are very enthusiastic and speak highly of the company – they take a lot of pride in their work, and this translates through to the product,” he said.   

“When they put so much effort into building the machines it gives you the confidence to go out and sell them.” 

Having driven many different brands Tom says he has a unique insight into the pros and cons of each brand and what makes Househam so unique.  

“Househam Sprayers offer a very well-equipped base machine, but they can also tailor-make them to meet the customer’s requirements,” said Tom. 

“If you want something in particular, they can design and build it which is great as everyone farms differently.” 

Although we have always sold machines to farmers and contractors in Scotland this is the first time we’ve had a dedicated area sales manager. Our team is also currently in talks with service partners covering the whole of Scotland to provide back-up and carry out any required warranty work.

Managing Director Robert Willey said Tom’s appointment is part of Househam’s ambitious expansion plans. 

“There’s a big market for self-propelled sprayers in Scotland and our machines will fit in very well there,” explained Robert.  

“They are well placed to compete with everything else on the market and having a dedicated team there will not only help us provide an even better service to our existing customers but also forge relationships with new ones. 

“We are always looking for new markets and opportunities to expand as part of our ambitious growth plans and Scotland offers a wealth of opportunities.”