Farming Monthly National April 2016 | Page 46

| Fencing Lambing time is busy enough without fencing to worry about We know that thousands of farmers across the UK are in the middle of their busiest part of the year: lambing time. Yet why does leading fencing manufacturer, Sheffieldbased ArcelorMittal, experience a jump in fencing orders at this time, just when you’d think farmers were too busy to erect new fences? enior Sales Officer Shaun Gervis manages the sales of Estate®WIRE at ArcelorMittal and he has a few answers to this conundrum. “At ArcelorMittal we definitely know our tups from our ewes, and we understand what’s important to farmers during the busy lambing season. But a constant concern with lambing is also predators. Badgers and foxes also love lambing time, which is what prompts many farmers to get around to renewing fencing that has been on their ‘to do’ list for some time. “I think this explains the leap in Estate®WIRE sales,” says Shaun, “but we have gone the extra mile to make our Estate®WIRE 2Life® and the new Dragon Estate®WIRE 2Life® wire fencing even easier to erect, so that’s another job famers can tick off the list.” Better fencing, easier to erect The extended durability offered by Estate®WIRE 2Life® is the answer for many sheep farmers. Fencing made of inferior material is difficult to erect and it won’t stand square. ArcelorMittal’s fencing is unique in that it is manufactured from 2Life® wire (zinc and aluminium coated). This product range will last at least twice as long as a heavily galvanised product and the newlylaunched green Dragon fence also benefits from this technology. Dragon is based on the traditional 2Life® fencing, with a longer corrosion-resistant life, even when folded or bent. This means that if the green coating is damaged the 2Life® properties remain intact. “The launch of the green Dragon fencing has taken the market by storm,” says Shaun. “Sales have leapt during lambing season and we predict a continued rise as summer approaches. “While we know lots of farmers try to avoid unnecessary tasks at this time of year,” explains Shaun, “the fact is that Estate®WIRE is simply made of a superior S material, so it is easier to work with, easier to get up and more reliable once it is in place. This saves farmers a lot of hard work.” Many farmers also sing the praises of ‘easy to work with’ Estate®WIRE due to it having centreless rolls, being self-draining and – above all – being stocked by all of the country’s leading outlets. Fencing always in stock ArcelorMittal recently opened its expanded storage facility in response to retailers’ changing ordering patterns. Now that most retailers carry less stock but still need to be able to deliver fencing products quickly to end users, the 46 | Farming Monthly | April 2016 fencing manufacturer massively expanded its stock and the range of products it holds in Sheffield to ensure retailers can replenish their stock rapidly. www.farmingmonth K