SaMASZ – a Polish manufacturer making progress in Ireland – is leading a delegation of Irish distributors and customers to Bialystok, Poland to visit their new factory.
       The company, through dealer Timmy O’Brien (near Mallow, County Cork), seeks to raise awareness of its brand and product.
       Readers may already be familiar with these machines, some of which have been in the country for several years.
       Despite this, Timmy is excited about the new plant, which is part of a total investment of more than PLN 90 million (over 20 million euros).
       It currently employs up to 750 people (at its peak), with potential for significant growth in the future.
        SaMASZ is perhaps best known for its lawn mowers – disc and drum machines. But it also produced more and more tedders, rakes, brush cutters, and even snow plows.
        In the huge shipping yard behind the plant, we found a feeder (bucket) feeder (pictured below). It’s actually the result of a partnership with a local manufacturer (and, unlike other machines, it’s built off-site).
       The company also has an agreement with Maschio Gaspardo whereby CaMASZ sells machines under the Maschio Gaspardo brand (and colors) in certain markets.
       In general, SaMASZ claims to be a significant player in the production of Polish agricultural machinery.
        For example, it is said that it is among the top five in the country in terms of production. Other major Polish players are Unia, Pronar, Metal-Fach and Ursus.
       Production is now reported to reach 9,000 machines a year, ranging from simple double drum mowers to contractor butterfly machines.
       The history of SaMASZ began in 1984, when mechanical engineer Antoni Stolarski opened his company in a rented garage in Bialystok (Poland).
        In the same year, he built his first potato digger (harvester). He sold 15 of them, while hiring two employees.
        By 1988, SaMASZ employs 15 people, and a new 1.35 meter wide drum mower joins the nascent product line. Continued growth prompted the company to move to new premises.
       In the mid-1990s, the company was producing more than 1,400 lawn mowers a year, and export sales to Germany also began.
        In 1998, the SaMASZ disc mower was launched and a series of new distribution agreements began – in New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Croatia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Norway, Lithuania, Latvia and Uruguay. Export accounts for more than 60% of the total production.
        By 2005, after launching several new products during this period, up to 4,000 lawn mowers were produced and sold annually. This year alone, 68% of the plant’s products were shipped outside of Poland.
       The company has continued to grow over the past decade, adding new machines to its lineup nearly every year.