Built to withstand the harsh conditions of Polish forests, Fao Far’s forwarding trailers are now making their way to the UK and Ireland. Forestry Journal spoke to the company’s Jan Glajcar to learn more about its heritage and the advantages of its products.
A range of forestry equipment that helped to revolutionise forestry in Poland is now making its way into the UK, thanks to a partnership with Clark Engineering.
Established almost three decades ago in Puncow, a village close to the borders of the Czech Republic and Slovakia, Fao Far has grown to become Poland’s largest private producer of forestry machines, with a reputation for exceptional quality.
Working out of a 5,200 m² site and employing around 30 staff, the company has won numerous awards at domestic and international forestry fairs and has, in recent years, been making serious inroads in foreign markets.
Now its forestry trailers have caught the attention of Dumfries-based Clark Engineering, which recently became the exclusive UK and Ireland distributor for Fao Far timber trailers, which it will be combining with Cranab cranes.
So what is it that makes Fao Far’s products so appealing? The company’s story begins with its founder, Janusz Glajcar. Blessed with a great engineering mind, he was fascinated with the production of agricultural equipment from a young age. At 22 years old, he completed his first big project, designing a cabin for a tractor.
His son Jan, Fao Far’s representative for English-speaking countries, explained: “At that time, the technology being used on Polish farms was not very good. We were still a communist country and farmers were mostly working with horses in the fields. Tractors didn’t have roll bars or cages, so if they fell over, there was a strong chance of the operator being trapped or even killed.
“My father took a Massey Ferguson tractor and designed a cabin for it with roll bars integrated, as well as a radio and air conditioning.”
His success drew the attention of other farmers and loggers in the local area, with projects of their own. Janusz soon had plenty to occupy him, repairing equipment for some and building custom machines for others. These were still fairly simple endeavours, but as he became more involved with forestry, he saw that there was a niche in the market.
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While the use of technology in Polish agriculture was limited, in the forests it was non-existent, with a combination of horse-logging and winching used to extract timber.
In 1992, after the fall of communism, Fao Far was established, becoming the first company to import forestry machines into Poland. It started with trailers, bringing them in from Austria, Spain and Denmark. These quickly became popular with foresters, who immediately saw they could be used to make their work easier and safer, while helping them earn more money.
At the same time, Fao Far was having to make considerable upgrades and improvements to the trailers it was importing, so they could withstand the punishing requirements of the Polish market.
Jan explained: “People in Poland were not used to the technology, so they wouldn’t use it properly. They would put too much timber on the trailer. They wouldn’t grease it. They wouldn’t read the manual. It was very difficult on the machines, which were already working in extreme conditions. We saw that the requirements of Polish forestry were different from other western countries and decided it was time to introduce our own product that would be perfect for the Polish market.”
Towards the end of its first decade in business, Fao Far went into production with its first mulchers, followed soon after by the launch of its own forestry trailers. Its first models were small as, with no roads in Poland’s forests, that was what foresters required. And, while not as impressive as what was to follow, they were very well suited to Polish conditions.
“They were small, but they were prepared for extreme use, from overloading to reduced maintenance,” said Jan. “We were the first company in Poland to build and sell these types of machines within the country. People really loved that they were custom-made and, if anything special was required, we were there to deliver it.”
The company’s original ‘1’ series (Fao Far 51, 61, 71, etc), designed for smaller tractors, was followed in 2007 by its ‘42’ range of more robust trailers with fully integrated chassis.
Today, the firm offer trailers ranging from its five-tonne-capacity Fao Far 51, designed for small tractors with a power of 30–60 hp, all the way up to the 15-tonne-capacity Fao Far 1542, designed for tractors with a power of 160–230 hp, with a wide variety of options available such as on-board pumps and driven wheels.
Fao Far’s product offering has been slowly developing in the years since it brought its trailers to the market. It enhanced its range of mulchers with the introduction of hydrokinetic clutches and changes to the design, making them easier to manufacture. It also diverged into the production of mini-harvesters, although this arm of the business was retired as the Polish forestry industry evolved towards a need for bigger machines.
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Seeking to expand beyond its domestic market, in 2013 Fao Far opened branches in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, quickly confirming there was demand for its machines outside of Poland.
It has since added representative offices in Germany, Austria and the Ukraine, with sales increasing every year. As the company has expanded its reach, the next generation has stepped up to take responsibility for this growth.
Janusz’s son Jan became involved with the company at around 13 years old, starting in production to learn all about how the machines work, how they are designed and how they are manufactured. Growing up, he ventured into different areas, working in marketing, developing the website and shaping the company’s social media output. Currently, he is in charge of export channels to all English-speaking markets, although, as his father’s successor, he can be called on to do whatever is necessary, from day to day.
“I think in the last two or three years we have really opened up to the world,” he said. “We have customers in France, Austria, the Ukraine and more. Our machines gained popularity in those countries due to their very high quality and the price. The cost of production in Poland is lower than in Scandinavian countries or Germany, which is why we can make a better machine for the same price as our competitors.
“Our priority has never been to sell the most machines we can. It’s not to mass produce. Our priority is to make the highest quality. We concentrate on constantly improving every single part of the machine. Every piece we manufacture, we try to make it the best it possibly can be.
“That’s one of the reasons why we started selling the machines abroad so late. We were really concentrating on the quality, not so much on selling and exporting. That was our approach and I think it worked for us because now, when we’re selling to other countries, we don’t have to worry about the quality or the looks. With our trailers, we feel that we’ve achieved close to perfection, but we still look to improve them whenever we see there is a fresh opportunity.”
Now that Fao Far is making its first forays into the UK and Ireland market, Jan said: “I can see a very big potential in cooperation with Clark Engineering. It is a very professional company with a lot of experience in the United Kingdom and a lot of good customers.
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“Our partnership has started slowly due to the Coronavirus, but we’ve spoken online and can see there is tremendous potential. We’ve also been able to see on Facebook how people have reacted to photos of our machines. They appreciate the looks and I think they will really like the products.”
As for the question of where the Fao Far name came from, Jan admitted this was a bit of a mystery, with its meaning unknown even to him, but added that to all those who have encountered its machines, the name has come to represent “quality, reliability, individualism and modernity”.
Commenting on the new partnership, Richard Gordon of Clark Engineering said: “Our relationship with Fao Far began last spring when we received an enquiry from a customer for a Cranab crane that was to be mounted onto a timber trailer. Up until this point we had supplied many Cranab cranes, but never supplied them complete with a trailer.
“We decided that to further grow the Cranab crane side of the business, offering the complete crane and trailer package would be the natural next step. Fao Far came to us as a highly recommended company and, since it already offered Cranab cranes as part of its trailer packages to other countries, it seemed like a good option and combination for our customers. We opened discussions with Jan Glajcar and the partnership started from there.
“Although our partnership is still new, we are very impressed with the products that Fao Far produces. It uses the highest-quality materials in its products such as Strenx and Hardox steel from SSAB and the reputable Black Bruin motors in its drive systems. The workmanship and finish of the equipment is completed to a very high standard.
“We feel that the combination between Fao Far trailers, the Cranab range of cranes and our after-market is a winning formula that will be well accepted as a premium addition to the UK trailer and crane market. Fao Far is a very innovative company and has many other interesting products that we aim to introduce to the UK market. Unfortunately, with the current COVID-19 restrictions it has not been possible for us to visit the Fao Far factory to receive the necessary training on these products. However, when we are able to travel again, we very much look forward to bringing these products to the UK.”
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