Potato Review

www.potatoreview.com POTATO REVIEW SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2021 45 INDUSTRY UPDATES AVR has developed a new online machine con gurator calledMy AVR. e online tool allows you to con gure all machines in the AVR range completely yourself, including all available options, as well as the harvesters’ web pitches. AVR Sales &Marketing Director Stefaan Dierickx said: “ is con gurator is based on the tool that our dealers have been using for a few years now in their personal dealer zone to make quotations. Once the con guration is completed, the dealer receives a PDF with an overview and basic price of the standard machine, and with explanations, photos and prices of the selected options.” Agricast, whichmanufactures replacement-wearing parts for agricultural machines, has launched a newwebsite o ering greater e-commerce functionality, information onmore than 950 wearing parts and foreign language translation. Agricast’s Managing Director WilliamRobinson said: “Over the last couple of years, we have seen tra c to our website grow dramatically, we’ve enjoyed an increase in enquiries from the site and from our digital marketing activity as a whole.” Visitors to www.agricast.net will not be able to make online purchases straight away, but they will be able to add wearing parts to a shopping basket and request a tailored quote for the products they want to buy. Full e-commerce functionality will be trialled with selected users after they’ve created a new online account. e newwebsite will be tailored to English-speaking countries, Romania, Bulgaria and the Czech Republic. Established in 1987, Cambridge-based Agricast is a roll ring specialist and also supplies a wide range of press rings, disc blades, and subsoiler parts. e company also o ers bespoke alterations and fabrication services. BAYER has announced the European launch of its global Carbon Initiative, in which ve farmers from the UK and more than 20 from across Europe will work with Bayer to investigate how to decarbonise the food value chain. e initiative brings together farmers and food value chain players to explore future reward structures for farmers implementing new carbon reduction practices and thus contributing to the Green Deal objectives of the European Commission. e new European Carbon Programme recognises the pivotal role growers, and their land, can play in helping to create lasting, positive environmental impacts and is an integral part of Bayer’s sustainability commitments speci cally aimed at reducing eld greenhouse gas (GHG) emission by 30% in 2030. To support these operations, Bayer will develop a digital tool which will allow farmers to claim rewards based on accurate and veri ed data. New online machine configurator Carbon Initiative launched Greater e-commerce functionality for parts manufacturer CAWOOD, the UK’s largest independent provider of analytical laboratory testing services for the land-based industries, has acquired agrochemical and household pesticide testing and development centre i2L Research Ltd, including its divisions in Spain, the US and the Czech Republic. i2L will sit in Cawood’s Science business unit, alongside Mambo- Tox, the Southampton-based terrestrial ecotoxicology research facility. Both businesses operate to GLP standards, with Mambo- Tox testing for toxicity of plant protection products and biocides, whilst i2L Research tests for e cacy. e addition of i2L Research’s ve locations in Cardi , Newcastle, the Czech Republic, Spain, and Baltimore, USA, will open up larger European and American markets, allowing customers worldwide to source the vast majority of their contract research requirements from Cawood. Chief Executive O cer of i2L Research, Dr Peter McEwen, said he was looking forward to working with the Cawood team to drive the company forward. “Our business has grown quickly in recent years, and the backing of Cawood puts us in a strong position to continue that growth. Both companies are aligned in terms of our vision for the future and our culture and values. is, along with our complementary services, made Cawood an obvious partner for us,” he said. Cawood Group CEO, Simon Parrington, said: “i2L Research has an excellent reputation and I am sure our customers will bene t from the additional capability this acquisition brings to the Group.’ is is the second acquisition of 2021 for the Cawood Group, following the recent purchase of e Environmental Laboratory Ltd from Sigma-HSE Ltd. e group was formed in 2006 and has grown rapidly. Cawood acquires i2L Research Ltd