Sometimes inspiration comes to you in a flash. For Dooitze Dijkstra it was more like a shock.
Dijkstra first encountered the Gallagher Group's electric fences on a visit to a sheep farm in Scotland in 1977.
As the fence in question was almost entirely covered by long grass he assumed it would not be live. He was wrong - and you can probably guess how he found out.
"My Dad was totally gobsmacked," his son Erik explains. "He thought it was impossible that there could be so much power on a fence when there was a lot of vegetation.
"After a chat with the Scottish farmer, it turned out that the shock had come from the Gallagher BEV II Energiser. Dooitze Dijkstra returned home without any sheep, but with two Gallagher fence energisers."
When he arrived back home in the Netherlands he showed his new purchases to his business partner, Jan Veldman, who agreed they were superior to anything else available to Dutch sheep farmers.
They wrote to Bill Gallagher in New Zealand and, to cut a long story short, were granted the distribution rights for the Gallagher Energiser for the Netherlands.
The pair soon expanded and Gallagher Europe has been offering first-class solutions for animal management ever since.
"New Zealand is recognised on the global stage for producing efficient and effective agricultural solutions that work in a range of climates and many UK farmers have seen the benefits of using some of the tried and tested solutions developed there," says Mark Oliver, regional sales manager UK and Scandinavia.
Solutions
"We don't stop until we find a solution for a challenge and we are inspired by our customers. If one has a challenge, it feels like ours as well," he adds.
"It doesn't matter if you want to keep cattle secure or protect your livestock or crops by excluding animals - we can help anyone who needs to keep animals in our out."
With a wide network of distributors across the UK, Gallagher Europe is committed to providing state of the art solutions and quality.
The company strives to redefine what's possible in order to provide its customers with products they often didn't realise they needed. From harnessing the power of wireless technology to transform mobile phones into access devices to creating the world's most powerful energiser, Gallagher Europe boasts a strong record of innovation.
"We strive for excellence through continuous improvement," Mark says. "We constantly explore ways to ensure our long-term competitive advantage with the lowest cost structure.
"We also pride ourselves on building enduring partnerships. Our integrity is never compromised; all our conduct must be personally and socially responsible."
Gallagher Europe continues to expand its dealer distribution network in the UK to support customers who use their products. "We are further developing our omnichannel approach to ensure we our products are readily available wherever our customers wish to purchase the Gallagher solutions," Mark adds.
To find out more, the website provides a wealth of technical information and best practice advice, alongside an online store.
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