The Gippsland-based contractor wants to know that the plastic packaging ensiles his client’s feed and maintains its quality and integrity, regardless of the weather conditions.
In addition, the wrap must run through his twin satellite machines without breakages.
After all, down time is costly and frustrating.
So the fact that the silage wrap he now uses — SilaWRAP ULTRA — does all this, makes the fact it’s locally made a bonus.
“It is definitely good that it’s made in Melbourne,” Mr Haymes said.
“Last year we had trouble sourcing other products we used in our business, but because SilaWRAP ULTRA is made locally, we knew we were always able to get it.”
Mr Haymes used the new Melbourne-made silage wrap last season and was impressed with how well it ran through his machines, at high speeds, without breakages and at any time of day or night.
“With the weather conditions, normal wraps can change consistency,” he said.
“For example, between hot and cold days and especially with the dew at night, when the wrap goes from warm to cold, that could cause problems.
“But not this SilaWRAP ULTRA, and that’s important, because we want it to go as smooth as possible, especially because operators are out baling any time of the day.”
The new SilaWRAP ULTRA, sold by Agri Novatex, is now made at a state-of-the-art manufacturing site in Melbourne thanks to a partnership with manufacturer Integrated Packaging.
It was sold for the first time last year and early adopters of the new wrap were not only pleased with its performance, but they were also surprised to learn of its local origins, according to Agri Novatex’s Nelani Roux.
“It was a nice surprise for many customers to learn that SilaWRAP ULTRA was made locally,” Ms Roux said.
“We live in a day and age where we have a belief that most things are imported, so they were quite happy to know that they were supporting Australian jobs and industry.”
But the benefits of local production haven’t just been limited to product availability and economic stimulus.
Ms Roux said local manufacturing fast-tracked product development.
“At the start, when we were trialling it, there was a lot of back and forth — like there is with all tech,” she said.
“For example, ‘it had too much tack, or not enough tack’. But that was the great thing about having local manufacturing, we could adjust quickly and act on the feedback from farmers and contractors.
“It really sped-up the process of getting to the perfect product.”
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