WINNER FOR MACHINERY INNOVATOR
OF THE YEAR
Sponsored by: Lamma’17
James Geoghegan
Agriknives, Co Westmeath
AS a farmer and contractor from Ireland running a silage harvesting operation using forage wagons, James Geoghegan is well aware of the issues of blunt knives and the inefficiency they create.
As a result, he developed a machine to sharpen knives in forage wagons
and round balers.
He says: “My new sharpening machine is the first machine on the market which sharpens both sides of the knife.
Features include slow speed motors to grind knives and a coolant flowing on the knife which retains the original temper and hardness of the steel.
“Fuel use is also down 20 per cent on average, as a machine with sharp knives is easier to drive.”
James’ machine is on the market and he has 300 machines working in 12 countries.
What the judges said: “This device clearly has benefits and works efficiently. While the elements of the device aren’t necessarily new, the way in which James has identified and constructed a relevant device is. The design can easily be adopted by a wide industry audience.”
On winning: James was unable to collect his award in person