It is time for a short summary of Tume’s past year 2022.
- At the beginning of the year, we put into use the Welding robots and the enterprise control system we invested in.
- A day after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, we decided to change the natural gas heating system of our paint shop to LPG.
- In the early spring, we organized the traditional Tume’s used machinery days. After a break of two years, we were also able to organize physical customer and maintenance training.
- The challenge of the spring rush was increased by the COVID19 wave, which hit Tume factory in the second week of May, when no less than one third of our employees was in the grip of the corona virus. For two years, we managed to avoid corona.
- In July we were on summer holiday and in early autumn we started the production line normally.
- In autumn, in addition to full employment, layout changes have been underway in our production line for the welding shop of our new harrow series.
- In recent years, we have invested heavily in product development. At this year’s Helsinki Farming machinery fair, we presented our new product, the Tume Orion seed fertilizer.
- In October, Kari Luomanen started as our chief of admissions, under whose leadership we are currently conducting a large-scale tender for our supplier field.
- For the rest of the year, we have been at fairs and arranged demo shows internationally. Our scanning also includes new export markets all the time. At the moment, we have negotiations in progress with no less than 11 new export countries.
The constant rise in raw material costs have also been a challenge throughout the year. It is particularly challenging to transfer to the price of our products right now. Delivery difficulties for critical components, constantly rising energy and interest costs, and the expected increase in labor costs ensure that there will be plenty of competitive challenges next year as well.
Globally, we are in a big state of change. With the growing food shortage, the corona virus and the war in Ukraine, it would have been desirable that the appreciation of people’s basic needs would increase. However, it’s concerning to follow the farmer’s position!
- The price paid to them for the products does not increase enough, even though the middlemen who sell their products are currently making record results.
- The farmer is seen more and more as the cause of climate change, even though nature and the climate are the farmer’s most important partners.
- The market disruptions suffered by farmers are tried to be corrected by politicians with various subsidies, but they are already suffering from their misunderstandings.
- The planned changes to the payment schedule for significant support amounts for 2023 cause our customer base to not be able to invest/develop their own company in the way they want.
The saying goes “There is no such great Lord who does not eat from the hand of the peasant every day.” This is true! Farmers have nothing to worry about when it comes to basic needs. That cold and hunger comes to everyone else first! However, there seem to be very few practical ways to make this matter more widely understood. I guess there’s nothing better to do this Christmas than to write to Santa about this.
Dear Santa! This Christmas, we hope that the farmer will get the appreciation and salary he deserves for his work in the future!
Have a peaceful Christmas season and the strength to cope with the challenges of 2023!
Jorma Lähetkangas
CEO, Tume-Agri
