Norwood steps up training for the new generation of farm technology

It seems fitting that part of the Palmerston North site that was home to Norwood when it first began distributing Harry Ferguson’s now-famous tractors now houses the company’s national training centre for staff working on the next generation of agricultural machinery.

The new centre in Tremaine Avenue was opened and blessed by Rangitane kaumatua Wiremu Te Awe Awe on May 14.

The farm machinery giant, which these days has more than 450 staff operating out of 26 locations around the country, has a proud history. Sir Walter Norwood, the son of motor industry pioneer and former Wellington Mayor Sir Charles Norwood, was a distributor of Morris cars in New Zealand. He happened to be in England visiting William Morris in the late 1940s at the time Harry Ferguson’s first tractor was released. Sir Walter recognised the potential for our farming sector immediately and gained the New Zealand distributorship.

The first Ferguson tractors had to be stored at the Palmerston North showgrounds and assembled in a rented building for a couple of years until the Norwood family purchased and developed the

Avenue

Just one of the proud sagas in the Norwood story is that the company supplied the Ferguson TEA tractors that Sir Edmund Hillary used in his crossAntarctica trek to the South Pole.

There’s still a 1940s 24-horsepower Ferguson on display in the new Norwood training centre but it is rudimentary in comparison to the 127-horsepower New Holland T6050 typically found on an average-sized farm today, and like a toy against the towering $800,000 combine harvester also parked up in the centre for training purposes.

Craig Kelland, Norwood’s Professional Lead After Sales, says the company has always had a comprehensive training programme but until now never a purpose-built training facility.

The new centre is right next door to Norwood’s national support office and will be home to a specialist technical support team, key facilitators and a dedicated training co-ordinator.

‘‘With the development of the product range – both in agricultural and construction – the technology of machines is at an extremely site in Tremaine

said.

‘‘Considering the investment that our customers make, we need to be in a position where our staff can offer that back-up to ensure it’s fit for purpose when it leaves here, and continues to deliver peak performance out in the field.’’

Norwood staff visited some of high level,’’

Kelland

their largest suppliers to look at how they deliver modern training.

‘‘We came back and designed this centre around the best of what we saw overseas. It sets us up to be in a position to make [suppliers’] training and information modules transferable now to New Zealand.’’

Kelland said Norwood has developed

an intake program which will see 24 new apprentices starting this year. It’s also likely that for specialized equipment, farmers using the gear will also get chances to come to the centre to take advantage of the training so they can get the best out of new features and technology.

Now - Technical Support Specialist Ryan Burney shows off an 8-row precision maize planter, controlled from an iPad, to staff and visitors at the Norwood national training centre open day. The Swedish machine can be programmed to sow precise amounts of seed per hectare, adjusting for the varying speed of the tractor towing it. Thanks to GPS and memory storage, it can even sow in between the planting lines of the previous year.

As well as machinery demonstrations and a chance to try out the various simulators at the new training centre, staff also competed in a fun tractor pull that may become an annual challenge event.

Then - Blackboard and pointer – a Norwood training session from decades ago.