Waratah Forestry Equipment is celebrating their 45th anniversary this November. The pioneers of mechanized harvesting, Waratah has offered first-class products coupled with unparalleled customer support since their inception. The company is proud to honor four and a half decades of innovation and expansion in the forestry industry.
Established in Tokoroa, New Zealand in 1973, the company transitioned to meet local loggers’ heavy-duty delimbing needs creating a delimber-feller-buncher featuring a four-roller fixed head. Following that innovation, a red grapple processor for the Canadian markets marked the beginnings of the 600 Series and solidified its place as the original red head in the industry.
Today, Waratah heads are found in all logging applications from felling on steep slopes, to cut-to-length hardwood harvesting at the stump, to processing on a landing or debarking on endless plantations.
“We’re dedicated to serving loggers across the globe. As an industry leader and the manufacturer of the original red head, we’re in a unique position to offer customers experience, expertise and innovation. We’re excited to celebrate the past 45 years and look forward to the next 45.”
- Heather Robinson, general manager of worldwide distribution, Waratah
Since its inception, Waratah, which has factories in New Zealand and Finland, has grown to support a global market.
“Waratah is based on quality, innovation and many years of experience. With 45 years under our belts, we are able innovate better and use our expertise to push the envelope.”
- John Alemann, general manager, Waratah, New Zealand
Waratah has continued to innovate by finding new ways to increase productivity and provide customer solutions including reliability and durability. For example, the Waratah HTH622C 4x4 and HTH624C 4x4 help minimize waste and maximize profits as powerful four-wheel drive heads that offer multi-stemming, independent log shuffling, 360-degree rotation and more.
TimberRiteTM H-16, Waratah’s measuring and control system, is another recent innovation. This system provides unique versatility with configurable settings for improved head performance, productivity and measuring accuracy.
In addition to the TimberRiteTM H-16 system, Waratah developed WaratahMateTM – a phone app that works with TimberRite to wirelessly share the machine’s production data in real-time. Developed exclusively for Waratah customers, the new app makes it faster and more reliable to send measuring system data back to the company.
“We’ve got a huge legacy in this business. We are looking forward to developing and providing opportunities that will keep our customers ahead of the competition.”
- Alemann