Don't change a whole lot!

It's okay to change the structure at Samson - but not the machines, says the owner of the machine station.

"As long as they don't start changing the machines too much, it's okay that the structure has changed with the creation of Samson Agrolize. It's a balance between making things functional and a bit fancy at the same time. The base machines are running really well. So the challenges must lie in the development work".

So says Poul Erik Clausen, owner of Nr. Vium Maskinstation just south of Videbæk in West Jutland. He currently has three light green slurry trucks and a manure spreader running from the factory in Viborg. The latest addition to the machine house is a new Samson PGII 31 slurry tanker, which has replaced a PGII 27.

"We had problems with the weight distribution on the 27. They are solved with the PGII 31 trailer, which puts more weight on the tractor and is therefore much easier to drive. It now seems that Samson has solved the weight issue in the upcoming PG 27 model that we had the opportunity to test. It runs really well, and when it goes into production, one of the new ones will also go to Nr. Vium," explains Poul Erik Clausen.

At Nr. Vium Maskinstation keeps a slurry tanker for a maximum of three years. Then replace it with a new one.

Many cubic meters

"We run a lot of cubic meters through our trucks. Over three years, in the region of 300,000 cubic meters. We have three trolleys and one is rotated every year. Not because they can't do more. But we sell them on while the resale price is still top notch. We have customers who have bought some of our used Samson machines and years later they are still running impressively well," says Poul Erik Clausen.

It is a deliberate strategy to frequently replace the machinery in Nr. Vium.

"We do it with all machines. I believe it is better to depreciate than to maintain. That's why we continuously replace all machinery," explains Poul Erik Clausen.

"In my experience, Samson has generally been very good at adapting to the market. This is of course one of the main reasons why we have so much Samson gear. We've had other brands in the past, but it works well with Samson. Samson Agrolize comes up with sensible solutions, and in practice we never have breakdowns on the machines. So, for us, there really isn't much else besides Samson," says the machine shop owner.

Start from scratch

Poul Erik Clausen started Nr. Vium Maskinstation from scratch in 2003. He used to work at a machine shop in the area that closed down. After that, he gambled that a new one would probably be needed. And laid the foundation for Nr. Vium Maskinstation.

Today, it's mainly agricultural work for the contractor's machines and half a dozen permanent employees, who are supplemented by additional crews during the season.

"We operate in a fairly large area from Herning in the east to Ringkøbing in the west, Aulum in the north and Skjern in the south. Anything agricultural is on the menu, and the vast majority of jobs are for cattle farming. Almost half of them are care agreements where we do everything related to arable farming for the farmer. In total, we have care agreements for around 1,500 hectares, and the number is growing," says Poul Erik Clausen.