With the purchase of Equalizer, the family-owned German agricultural machinery specialist will be significantly expanding its product portfolio in seeding technology.

The Equalizer product range includes precision planters with up to 36 rows and seed drills with a working width of up to 24m.

The acquisition is expected to be completed later this year, once regulatory approvals have been obtained.

Lemken chief executive officer, Anthony van der Ley, believes that the Equalizer portfolio perfectly complements the Lemken seed drill segment and constitutes an important building block for further growth.

"There is no overlap in our portfolios. Equalizer offers solutions for customers and markets that Lemken has not been able to serve so far. In terms of our growth strategy, the Equalizer planters and seeders - also in combination with air carts - close a current gap in our product range," van der Ley said.

Equalizer, which is also a family business, was founded in Cape Town in 2000 and currently employs 180 people. The company supplies South Africa domestically and Australia as its most important export market.

"We see great potential for new products with Lemken on our side, and we look forward to our future collaboration. At the same time, we are proud that this agreement reaffirms the success and hard work of the entire Equalizer team and our local dealers over the past 22 years," said Gideon Schreuder, Equalizer's founder and managing director.

All of Equalizer's local staff will be retained and Equalizer will continue to be led as an independent subsidiary by its current management. The brand name will be preserved.

Lemken says Equalizer distribution will remain as it is currently in Australia.