Farming Monthly National March 2018 | Page 21

| Arable The benefits of using a single provider for all your grain store electrical services Farmers across the UK can save time and money by commissioning a single contractor to carry out electrical services in agricultural buildings such as grain stores. ealing with multiple providers on a project is not only time- consuming due to the number of calls, site visits and invoices to be dealt with, but can also be significantly more expensive than using one contractor whose prices will generally be more favourable. “Having one team on a site carrying out numerous jobs is much more efficient for us as it means our travel and personnel costs are greatly reduced. This enables us to pass on our savings to the client,” says Josie Knight of Essex-based Gibbons Agricultural Fans. “We find that farmers also like the convenience of dealing with a single familiar contact. Having to speak to one contractor for grain fans, another for lighting and someone else for wiring takes time that most of our customers simply don’t have.” Gibbons supplies a high-efficiency crop- conditioning fan range that’s manufactured on site at the company’s production facility in Tollesbury, near Maldon. Farmers can order these fans via a network of official resellers and distributors across the UK and beyond. Sized at 0.13 – 2.2 kW, the fans are available as single phase or three phase in both D aluminium and steel in most sizes and are designed to be used with pedestals. Completing the range are mobile Airspear® fans for dealing with hotspots. Gibbons recently upgraded its fans to include a steel – rather than plastic – terminal box casing for added robustness. Inspired by farmers its team met at January’s LAMMA show, Gibbons last month launched Plug&Dry™, a range of accessories for its grain store fans. These easy-to-connect add-ons include a push-button direct on-line (DOL) starter fitted with thermal overload protection, high-precision thermostat and heavy-duty extension leads up to 20m. In addition, Gibbons supplies fully- compatible support stands that enable its fans to be used as part of a floor-level crop-drying system. Gibbons also provides a comprehensive range of electrical services for new and existing agricultural buildings, such as mains power, lighting and wiring. This complements the company’s range of electrical and mechanical equipment for agricultural applications, which includes electric motors, pumps, gearboxes, ABB variable-speed drives, air-handling systems and control panels. As we head into spring and thoughts begin to turn towards another harvest, it’s advisable to have electrical and mechanical work carried out in your grain store sooner rather than later to ensure you’re fully prepared. Image credit: Tim Scrivener www.farmingmonthly.co.uk March 2018 | Farming Monthly | 21