Doug Landers, the distribution manager for Waratah Forestry Attachments USA, gave customers a tour of the newly upgraded product manufacturing facilities. Guests included Bob and Margaret Minerick from Sagola, MI; Ronnie and Ron Shamion from MI; and Dave Holli and Martin Tasson from Ishpeming, MI. Larry and Margaret Otis from Pape Machinery; Mark and Michelle Shamion from Nortrax Mid West; and Ed McDaid, Waratah Kelso branch manager and Dan Harte, Waratah sales, also toured the facility.

The experience was eye-opening for the North American customers. They got to see native New Zealand trees—from gigantic woods to scraggly eucalyptus trees. They also watched the Waratah HTH626 Big Wood in action. And Mark and Ron Shamion got to try their hand at dropping a couple of the big trees with Waratah’s powerful 626 head.

The North American group was up for new adventures that included bungee jumping and Hukka Jet boat riding. It was a first-time experience for all the guests visiting New Zealand.

“A New Zealand factory trip is an exciting opportunity for North American loggers to experience the full range of forestry products that Waratah has to offer,” Landers said. “The terrain of New Zealand’s forests, and the applications that we can show are totally different from the normal working conditions that our U.S. customers are used to.” He added, “The 600 Series heads are designed tough and built to work, and there is no better place to show this than at the birthplace of Waratah.”

Key to Images on Right:

• Image 1: Waratah Forestry Attachment Tokoroa Facility
• Image 2: Tokoroa Tour
• Image 3: New Zealand terrain
• Image 4: Standing Left to Right: Margaret Minerick, John Romanick, Garth Wright, Doug Landers, Bob Minerick, Ron Shamion. Seated: Alex Stevenson
• Image 5: North American Customers Ronnie Shamion and Bob Minerick