InterTech is a company based in Zambrów, Poland, specializing in the production of agricultural machinery. The company was founded by Piotr and Anna Jankowski as it was a dream of Piotr to introduce a heavy industry and manufacturing company to Zambrów. Over the course of 16 years, the company has been growing and establishing its position in the agricultural machinery industry, building its own know-how through the introduction of increasingly advanced products to its portfolio. Thanks to their focus on development, InterTech’s products can be found not only in the Polish and European markets but also in, among others, the United States and New Zealand.
Interview with Daniel Grygoruk, Marketing Manager at InterTech.
Easy Engineering: What are the main areas of activity of the company?
Daniel Grygoruk: Our product range comprises cultivation, forage, municipal machinery, front loaders, and loader attachments. We produce machines of increasingly larger sizes; an example of such a large-scale machine is our hydraulic disc harrow with an applicator, reaching a working width of up to 8 meters. However, undoubtedly the most important product line in our portfolio is the Loader line, which consists of front loaders manufactured by us. We are proud to boast one of the largest numbers of available support structures in Europe, exceeding 1600 designs. These structures allow for the mounting of loaders on tractors, and as it is known, each tractor model differs in construction and specification. Our engineering department continually expands the list of available structures for both the newest and older machines. In simple terms – if you’re looking for a loader for your tractor, we most likely already have a structure for it.
E.E: What’s the news about new product/services?
D.G: The newest and most important product in our offer is the IT 1800 GREEN POWER front loader. We name our front loaders in a simple way – the number in the name equals to the lifting capacity of the loader. IT 1800 can lift up to 1800 kilograms while weighing less than IT 1600 loader which lifts up to 1600 kilograms. We were able to achieve that due to changes in the construction which limited the amount of steel used in the production process. The project of our engineers weights 20% less than machines in this lifting category without compromising on durability. The lower weight of the device means that tractor parts wear out slower, the weight of the tractor is lower and the tractor consumes less fuel. IT 1800 GREEN POWER was aimed at ecological solutions and it is the first machine in our offer with design changes aimed at being more eco-friendly. It is worth noting that the machine will be soon offered with additional equipment including system based on sensors and artificial intelligence helping the user operate more precisely than ever.
E.E: What are the ranges of products/services?
D.G: We manufacture machinery for tractors of varying power, ensuring that everyone can find something suitable for their farm. For example, we produce front loaders starting from 400 kilograms of lift capacity and 20 mechanical horsepower, with our latest loader capable of lifting up to 1800 kilograms. Undoubtedly, the wide range of sizes of our machines can be observed among products from the Blue line, which includes cultivation machinery. For instance, the narrowest version of our heavy-duty harrow is 3.2 meters wide, while the widest spans up to 9 meters. Our production capabilities enable us to offer even larger and more robust machines, but since there is currently no market demand for such products, we do not include them in our portfolio.
E.E: What is the state of the market where you are currently active?
D.G: Other companies claim that the market is poor condition. Our company policy is to control costs, thereby making decisions aimed at developing the company without the need for sudden price increases resulting from overinvestment. As a result, our customers and dealers often comment that we produce high-quality machinery with an excellent value proposition. Despite the market’s weak condition, our products continue to sell well, and we are currently experiencing sales growth both domestically and internationally. We believe that the market conditions will improve in the near future, benefiting both farmers and us as manufacturers.
E.E: What can you tell us about market trends?
D.G: We are witnessing a growing interest in applicators due to their ability to significantly enhance crop cultivation. An applicator combined with a disc harrow enables the direct application of fertilizers into the soil and covering of the spread material with soil, resulting in as much as 95% of nitrogen remaining in the soil. This is also a step towards ecological solutions in agriculture because farmers can achieve the desired effect using a smaller amount of material, resulting in cost savings. Ecological agriculture encompasses not only a set of principles outlined by the European Union but also a different approach to designing machinery focused on reducing operational costs and minimizing resource utilization while achieving similar outcomes as older, less efficient solutions. One might say that despite the polarizing views on ecological agriculture, it is also a trend among machinery manufacturers, and one that will undoubtedly become increasingly popular in the coming years, even months.
E.E: What are the most innovative products/services marketed?
D.G: In my opinion, the most innovative products are the previously mentioned IT 1800 GREEN POWER front loader and applicator. These machines are designed for ecological agriculture, emphasizing resource efficiency, which allows for accomplishing the same tasks at a lower cost than before. Particularly in times when the market is weaker, farmers will seek savings and will not only limit investments but also reduce operational costs by using such machinery.
E.E: What estimations do you have for the beginning of 2024?
D.G: The beginning of the year was undoubtedly tumultuous, as evidenced by the events in the domestic market. We witnessed widespread protests by farmers who opposed the agricultural policies of Poland and the European Union. Despite the challenging situation in our market, our dealers actively trade in machinery, and interest in our products is evident at industry events. We believe that these disturbances will pass, and agriculture has its golden days ahead.