A five-year process of integration with the Lemken group has been completed as Steketee, the Dutch manufacturer of inter-row hoeing equipment acquired in 2018, reports a tripling of sales.

Now identified as the CropCare business within the group, the company’s existing location in the Netherlands has been expanded and assembly at a new facility providing additional production capacity is scheduled to get under way in November.

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The mechanical and image-guided hoes will then be badged as Lemken products, turned out in blue, rather than Steketee implements in red, and they will come with expanded sales, maintenance and parts support services fully integrated with Lemken’s systems.

Like a number of other large implement manufacturers – including Amazone with Schmotzer and, more recently, Kverneland with French company BC Technique and its Phenix Agrosystem hoes – Lemken acquired Steketee in light of growing adverse legislation and sentiment towards pesticide use.

However, unlike its competitors, Lemken subsequently stopped manufacturing crop sprayers (other than for band spraying) to focus solely on mechanical weed control solutions, which last year contributed to an unprecedented 25% increase in group turnover to an estimated €559m (£478m).

Having recently introduced further hoeing developments, including the “plus” improved version of the IC-Light image guidance system, Lemken’s ambitions in 2024 are for its CropCare division to enter new markets in Europe and beyond, which over time should double the 60 employees currently engaged in the business.