Case IH Austoft sugarcane harvester celebrates 75 years of leading the field
The Austoft Series has 75 years of history
leading the world in sugarcane harvesting technology, promoting excellent cane quality and ultra-clean samples.
It has also earnt a solid reputation for its advanced solutions, performance and high levels of customer satisfaction which have been proven the world over.
This year marks a significant milestone in the Austoft® sugarcane harvester’s history. Celebrating the 75th anniversary of Austoft signifies a proud moment for Case IH.
Since it was first manufactured in the early 1940s by the Toft brothers in south-east Queensland, Australia, the machine evolved into the high-tech, sleek-looking machine of today, while retaining the innovative edge that heralded the arrival of the machine 75 years ago.
The company that was formed after the initial success of the Tofts’ first commercially-viable sugarcane harvester went on to great things
By the 1970s, Toft Bros. was one of the major manufacturers of cane harvesters in the world and Bundaberg, Queensland, was considered a global centre for the development and manufacture of the machines. But changing market forces a decade later saw Toft Bros. move through a number of foreign owners before the company was re-claimed by Australian interest in 1986 and re-branded Austoft.
In 1996 Case IH came on board when it acquired Austoft. The following year, the machines transitioned to the iconic red livery of the Case IH brand.
The Bundaberg Austoft plant was closed in 2004 and operations moved to Piracicaba in Brazil due to the rapid mass-scale mechanisation of the Brazilian sugar industry. Despite this, the name remained the same and the Austoft we know today is still working hard across the globe from India and China to Sudan, Papua New Guinea and throughout South America.
Emre Karazli, CNH Industrial Business Director, Agriculture, South East Asia & Japan, said: “With 75 years of expertise in the field of mechanised sugarcane harvesting, the Austoft is such an iconic piece of machinery and we’re proud to have it in our stable of products. Its enviable reputation has brought success to many sugarcane farmers across South East Asia”.
“Last year we launched the latest Austoft into the market, the Austoft 8010 Series, with 28 new features and improvements that came out of more than 18,000 hours of field-testing.”
Emre Karazli explained that Case IH pioneered the introduction of hydraulic systems on harvesters and continue to invest in simplifying and upgrading the efficiency of these systems. Case IH is committed to significant investment in product research and development related to its sugarcane offering, in line with the investment and commitment made by sugarcane producers.
“This anniversary is a chance for us to thank our customers and dealers throughout the sugar-growing regions across South East Asia. They have also contributed to inspire the ongoing quest for improvements and upgrades that will power the Austoft in the coming years,” he said.
Case IH is a key partner for the South East Asian sugarcane millers and growers
The Austoft family of machines is used by the top millers and growers of Thailand, Myanmar, Vietnam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Taiwan and the Philippines, which are the seven-major sugarcane producing countries in South East Asia, with Thailand, the Philippines and Indonesia in the global top ten for sugarcane production.
The latest generation of Austoft harvesters offer South East Asian growers access to features including satellite-guided steering, live machine telemetry and auto floating crop dividers; all designed to reduce operator fatigue and increase productivity.
2019 is also the year that Case IH will launch the new Austoft 4000 Series harvester into South East Asia. Designed for smaller farms and lower yields, the new 4000 Series machines are powered by a 6.7 litre FPT engine and will increase the adoption sugarcane harvester mechanisation in South East Asia.
With over 400 Austoft sugarcane harvesters hard at work in South East Asia since the launch of the 8000 Series in 2009, Case IH is excited to celebrate its continued innovations with farmers in the region, and all over the world.