The Belarusian mechanical engineering company Bobruisk Plant of Tractor Parts and Units (BZTDiA) will ship the first batch of tractors to the UK in December, the company’s Marketing Department reported.
The Belarusian company and Belarus Tractor Ltd (Banwell, UK) signed an agreement in late November. The agreement will classify the company as an official dealer of compact tractors sold under the Belarus brand. The first batch of three tractors and utility vehicles under the Belarus brand will be shipped to the UK this month.
The dealership agreement was signed after nearly two years of cooperation between the Bobruisk-based company and the UK company Kent Plant Group, which is the parent company of Belarus Tractor Ltd. Kent Plant Group CEO Paul Bateman learned about the Belarusian company when he came across the company’s official page in Facebook. Vigorous correspondence and negotiations over the phone followed. A group of British businessmen led by Paul Bateman visited Belarus twice in 2016 for direct talks. After the first visit the Belarusian-British project came under the auspices of UK Ambassador to Belarus Fionna Gibb. The Ambassador has also been to the Bobruisk-based enterprise on a fact-finding visit this year.
Taking into account the extensive experience and a broad range of partnerships established by the UK company in some African countries, the agreement also gave the dealership status to Belarus Tractor Ltd in Zambia, Gambia, and Senegal.
“We intend to work with our British partners for a long time. We expect our tractors to sell well in the UK and neighboring markets”, representatives of BZTDiA noted.
Bobruisk Plant of Tractor Parts and Units was established in 1945. The public joint-stock company (OAO) is now part of the industrial group MTZ Holding. The factory specializes in making components for Belarus tractors, disc plate wheels for tractors and agricultural machines, and compact tractors with 25-62 hp engines. (BelTA/Business World Magazine)