Tabula making hay while sun shines

nz_most_trusted_2000.png

Doug Price. Photo: supplied
Doug Price. Photo: supplied
Agri-tech company Tabula — previously known as TracMap — has expanded into the United Kingdom, which becomes its 16th operating market.

In a statement, chief executive John Enlow said the UK contracting market presented a "massive opportunity" for the Mosgiel-based company.

Doug Price, who leads operations at AgriBale — one of the UK’s largest straw contracting businesses — has been appointed Tabula managing director in the UK.

Tabula provided job management, guidance and tracking solutions across agriculture, horticulture, aviation and vector control.

The announcement followed a season running Tabula with AgriBale which proved the system at scale in local conditions. Mr Price’s proven track record and relationships would help accelerate expansion in the UK, Mr Enlow said.

He had worked his way up from an operator to a director and shareholder at AgriBale and now leads a team of nine full-time staff and up to 30 seasonal workers, including a regular contingent of young Kiwis.

The UK expansion reflected strong global growth across agriculture, horticulture, aviation, emergency services and council operations, as operators increasingly turned to integrated technology to run safer, smarter and more-connected field operations, Mr Enlow said.

TracMap — which rebranded to Tabula in 2023 — was founded by Colin Brown, who identified a niche in 2005 when, by chance, he found the Thomas Electronics company in South Dunedin was for sale.

He bought the company and then married his background as a farm consultant with the need for accurate and traceable placement of farm products with the skills of electronic engineers and software and hardware developers. The technology grew to be used for a wide range of applications.

Tabula now worked with more than 3500 customers in 16 countries, together logging more than 60,000 jobs a month. It has a team of 55 and has bases in New Zealand, Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom. — Allied Media