The contracting company ATS (Agriculture, Travaux & Services) has its origins in the middle of a protected landscape area in the north of France. The landscape is characterised by lush green meadows and dairy farming.
Trust in green technology
25 years ago, Ludovic Renon decided to embark on a new career path. Small and manageable was the beginning. Only he and a seasonal worker worked off the orders that came in. A lot has happened since then: the range of grassland technology has been successively expanded. ATS has specialised in the needs of dairy farms in the region. Mowing, tedding, raking, baling and chopping are among the contractor's core services. The range of services also includes planting and muck spreading. A total of ten Fendt Varios of different series are used for the work. For green forage harvesting, the French agricultural service provider relies on technology from Marktoberdorf. In addition to the Rotana 160V round baler and the 1290 S XD square baler, Ludovic Renon relies on a total of three forage harvesters from Fendt. That was not always the case. In the early years, the contractor mainly used second-hand technology: 3 forage harvesters from 3 manufacturers. None of them were impressive. Then a courageous step: make one out of three. In 2014, the contractor decided to downsize the fleet and exchange the three used machines for a new Fendt Katana.
The ATS contracting company relies on Fendt forage harvesters.
Well equipped with the Fendt Katana
The entrepreneur was taken with the Katana 65. He did not hesitate for long and the first Katana 65 stage 3b (Tier IV interim) with SCR technology moved into the grassland region. The second machine followed only 2 years later, as the contractor was able to significantly gain customers with the Fendt forage harvester technology. Here, too, he relied on the Katana 65, because the main area of use is green forage harvesting. "Less power is required from the forage harvester when harvesting grass. This brings the advantages of the eco-drive mode to the fore" explains Ludovic Renon. The Mercedes-Benz 16 l-V8 engine produces up to 653 hp at 1,800 rpm. This means low fuel consumption without sacrificing performance. However, the most convincing argument for the Katana 65 was the hydrostatic drive, which distinguishes the forage harvester from the competition. The front axles are driven by independent wheel motors with integrated brakes. The V-Cracker and the largest chopping drum on the market at the time, was another argument in favour of the Katana. The harvested crop is fed from the header through to the cylinder via an innovative pendulum frame and 6 pre-press rollers. This guarantees a uniform crop flow and an impressive chop quality. Customers themselves have been impressed by this.
Changeover made easy
And the drivers were quickly enthusiastic about the new harvester technology. The operation and comfort are similar to the existing Fendt Vario tractor technology. The well-designed cab with multifunction joystick and the Vario terminal for machine settings are well known and proven. "Above all, the simple and intuitive handling has convinced me and the forage harvester operators. In addition, there is the high level of comfort and the good sound insulation in the cabin, which fully pay off during long working days," says Ludovic Renon. The Frenchman can already see development progress in the two Katana 65 models. The machines are both extremely robust, which is a basic requirement for the entrepreneur with this amount of investment. Fuel consumption has also improved further with the switch to Tier V-final engines. One reason for choosing the Fendt brand for the purchase of the third chopper. In 2022, the time had come: the new generation Fendt Katana 650 moved into the Petit-Fayt site in order to be able to serve the constantly increasing customer requests. It’s not only the entrepreneur who is convinced of the quality of work. However, when making the investment, entrepreneur Renon also had other aspects in mind: low maintenance, further reduction of fuel consumption and a long service life for the self-propelled unit. Finally, the high costs must also be reflected economically. "With the Katana 650, the daily maintenance procedures have been significantly reduced. Maintenance is much faster than with the two older 65 machines," explains the contractor. In this way, the Frenchman can offer exactly what the name of his company promises the customer: reliable work and an all-round service for farms in the region.
