Sulky, Sky and Prolog become SKY Agriculture
With the unveiling of the new name that now unites its three historic brands under a single banner – SKY Agriculture – the French family-owned group Burel has completed a transformation whose foundations were laid 10 years ago. It’s a move which, beyond a simple change of identity, opens the door to a tenfold dynamic in terms of innovation to serve agriculture in Europe.
SKY Agriculture DNA
While the family-owned group, owner of the historic Sulky, Prolog and Sky brands, reports record results for the 2022-2023 campaign, with consolidated sales of 85 million euros for the 22-23 financial year, its management continues to work on its evolution.
SKY Agriculture’s stated aim? To be at the side of tomorrow’s farmers, with a wide range of innovative equipment, adapted to the new needs of agriculture in Europe. Over and above the name change, this is the culmination of a carefully considered process of reflection around a ‘mono-brand’ strategy and positioning, since the first milestones in the transformation of this solid group were laid 10 years ago.
Adapting to the changing face of the market
Julien BUREL, Group President, explains:
“Taking our time, not rushing things, so as to do things in the right order, is part of our DNA. In 2018, we created the Baseline ‘Farming together’ which initially allowed us to materialize the link between our three brands Sulky, Prolog and Sky. The evolution continued with, in 2020, the Group’s internal legal restructuring and the reorganization of sales, after-sales service, parts…
We started by redoing the inside of the house, so to speak, before repainting the outside walls. And today, we can announce the culmination of our work, with the birth of the SKY Agriculture brand.”
This single-brand strategy also enables SKY Agriculture to adapt to the changing face of agricultural equipment distribution in Europe: the market is becoming more concentrated, and the dealer network is being restructured, with the number of dealers declining steadily over the last few years. The creation of SKY Agriculture is also intended to support the Group’s export growth. Although 40% of sales are currently made outside France, SKY Agriculture intends to increase this proportion to 50%, notably through the dynamism of its research and development department, which focuses on four key areas: precision, technology, energy efficiency and agronomy.
SKY Agriculture, a concentrate of SULKY
SKY Agriculture is a concentrate of SULKY, and looks to the future, with a name that’s easier to pronounce outside France and the determination to remain successful for the next 20 years. David Guy, Group Managing Director, comments: “Just because things are going well doesn’t mean we shouldn’t change anything. Our group is solid and has achieved excellent results in recent years. But things can change quickly. We’ve seen that with covid, the war in Ukraine… So we need to remain cautious. By bringing our three brands together under a single banner, our aim is to be there tomorrow to better support farmers towards a positive agriculture that responds to environmental and societal challenges.”
Together as one.
*To be one.
Gone are the days of the colourful carriage!
With SKY Agriculture, no more blue, green and red in farmyards ! All the brand’s equipment will be dressed in graphite grey and titanium white, which have the advantage of matching all tractor colors. David Guy adds : “No more colourful hitches! In choosing these high-tech color codes, we also thought of the farmer, who can be proud of his tractor, whatever its color.
From August 16, the first SKY Agriculture machines will be rolling off the Group’s four production sites. And to discover the entire range in its new colors, visit the SKY Agriculture stand at Agroshow (PL) from September 22 to 24, 2023, at the Sommet de l’élevage (FR) from October 3 to 6, 2023, at Agritechnica (DE) from November 12 to 18, 2023 (Hall 12, Stand C37) and at SIMA (FR) from November 24 to 28, 2024.
Take care of your soil