A highly mechanised forestry tree planting machine featuring mechanised planting technology created by South African engineering firm Novelquip Forestry was recently on display at a forestry expo held in Minas Gerais state, Brazil.

Majority owned by the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) and also funded by the Technology Innovation Agency (TIA), Novelquip Forestry partnered with Finnish company PONSSE to create the Buffalo Planter forestry tree planting machine. Under typical operating conditions, the Buffalo Planter delivers working rates of up to 1 300 seedlings an hour, enabling high-volume and consistent planting performance.

“This launch represents a major milestone for Novelquip. To see our technology developed here in the Western Cape being launched globally by a world-leading original-equipment manufacturer (OEM) like PONSSE is a significant achievement for South African engineering. This partnership reflects years of focused development and collaboration by the two companies,” said Novelquip Forestry CEO Fanie Viljoen.

IDC CEO Mmakgoshi Lekhethe says the launch of the PONSSE Buffalo Planter comes at a time of increasing structural pressure on global forestry operations. She added that the export opportunity for South African industrial innovation emanating from rising demand for timber, labour scarcity, escalating costs, and challenging working conditions were critical factors in the IDC’s decision to support the development of this product.

Novelquip Forestry technical director and co-founder Helgaard Steenkamp said that early field demonstrations have confirmed strong market interest in this product while also providing valuable insight to guide continued development. The planter attracted strong interest from forestry operators, contractors, and dealers during the global launch event, she added.

“The launch of the Buffalo Planter has marked an important step towards the broader adoption of mechanised planting, as forestry operations worldwide seek scalable, efficient solutions to meet growing demand. We are  extremely grateful to the IDC and the TIA for their support in allowing my late father’s dream to become a reality,” added Steenkamp.

TIA acting head: advanced manufacturing Lodien Rensburg attributed the success of the Ponsse Buffalo Planter to a strong collaborative partnership among stakeholders that were involved in the creation of this product.

“The successful launch of this product proves that with the right support, our innovators can scale globally and position our country as a leader in innovation. Launching this product on a global platform reflects the TIA’s vision of being a dynamic, intelligence-driven national innovation agency that champions transformative, high-impact innovations,” said Rensburg.