Croplands will now run the day-to-day operation of former local family business Sonic Boomsprays located in the central wheatbelt of WA
There have been several recent acquisitions by multi-nationals that want a bigger slice of the income being generated by local growers, Horwood Bagshaw and K-line to name the most recent and now Sonic boomsprays has fallen under that spell with a buyout by Nufarm.
Sonic was established by Max and Lynette Hebbermann in 1995 with the aim to produce premium quality spraying equipment for the broadacre growers. And the company became known as a specialist in both self-propelled and trailed sprayers that were fitted with cable-suspended hydraulic booms.
Nufarm will run Sonic through its subsidiary Croplands, a retail arm it has owned since 1988. This strategic partnership enables Croplands to support its customers with machinery and equipment right through to application of herbicides and pesticides in the paddock.
The acquisition of Sonic follows the expansion of Croplands’ Adelaide manufacturing site, announced earlier this year, and will mean the company has additional capacity and operating efficiencies to meet the needs of growers across Australia.
With a quick settlement now completed, both Max and Lynette Hebbermann will transition away from the business, however their children Shanon and Kandi will remain for the time being along will all current Sonic staff.
It is understood the Sonic business will continue to operate out of the Sonic factory at Narembeen WA, albeit with a new boss running the show.
Croplands General Manager Sean Mulvaney said Croplands and Sonic have built a strong relationship over the past four years, having collaborated on the development and commercialisation of the WEED-IT Sonic sprayer range.
“We see Sonic as a perfect fit for Croplands as the companies share many values including quality, integrity, resourcefulness and an ongoing industry commitment to produce spraying solutions that deliver efficiency and long-term sustainability for growers,” Sean said.
“Croplands also started as a family business and while we’ve grown a lot over 50 years, we are still guided by the same strong family values and a respect for the challenges faced by our customers.
“The acquisition of Sonic will increase Croplands’ capacity to bring WEED-IT equipped sprayers to market and also accelerate market access for the wider Sonic product range through Croplands’ extensive sales, distribution and service network.
“We are incredibly excited and confident in this acquisition and the positive impact it will have on the Croplands business as a whole. “Sonic has been an important contributor to the Narembeen WA shire.
Our intent is to continue expanding the operation to provide additional employment opportunities for the local community,” Sean added.
