Tal-Tec stands for Talbot and Technology, founded by Peter Talbot, the company’s technological advancements stayed true to their name for more than 50 years.

Greg Talbot, CEO of Tal-Tec, recently welcomed loyal customers and suppliers to their 50th anniversary celebrations. Visitors had the opportunity to tour the Tal-Tec factory and take a trip down memory lane with 50 years of Tal-Tec innovations.

Greg took the Tal-Tec reigns from his father after joining the company in 1990.

All this however started in 1970 with William Talbot and his son Peter. After acquiring a small cattle farm near Vaalwater in Limpopo they were looking for a solution to the costly and inefficient way of dipping their animals. Peter invented the Spray Race; this invention replaced the traditional plunge dip. Instead of swimming through the solution, the cattle now only had to walk through sprayers spraying the solution.

Tal-Tec has a permanent display with their products at their factory site.

In 1972 the Talbots took their invention to the Pretoria Agri show and the Spray Race drew the interest of farmers. This dipping method gained popularity and eventually the independent company Tal-Tec (Edms) Bpk was born.

Greg remembers playing and helping in the factory and sometimes sleeping under the table when tired.

Over the years Tal-Tec continued to produce innovative and technologically advanced products and has expanded their product line by 400% since 2000. Where farming relied mainly on manual labour in the past, the Talbot family created solutions to make these farming practices easier.

Today Tal-Tec is a proudly South Africa manufacturer of livestock handling equipment. They offer both high-tech and entry level products, focussing on durability and affordability. They have even grown their footprint to include Namibia, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia.

“In the livestock farming industry, one of the most significant shifts has been the commercialisation of the beef industry to feedlots which has changed the way the beef industry supplies the market. Appropriate equipment such as scales to track each animal’s weight gain play an important role in this process,” says Greg.

Livestock scales with built-in technologies like Tal-Tec’s Auto Drafter allows for animals to be identified and weighed while the data is captured in real time.

Greg says that the challenge is although these types of technologies exist, not all farmers can afford them, therefore they also produce entry level options.

“We have always been very focused on manufacturing quality products that stand the test of time. Tal-Tec’s neck clamps and mobile equipment, the latter of which alleviates the need to bring livestock to a central point but instead allows farmers to manage and treat animals in even remote areas of the farm, are good examples of strong and durable products that just keep working as they are intended to,” he says.

Visitors at Tal-Tec’s 50th anniversary celebrations taking a trip down Tal-Tec’s memory lane.

Their livestock handling and management product range includes clamps, feeders, water troughs, scales, branding equipment, loading ramps, tilts and mobile equipment such as portable kraal units, mobile crushes and neck and body clamps, amongst others.

Greg says the growth of their company can be attributed to the loyalty of their employees. Employees like Lorraine Keyser who has been with the company for 24 years and Josaya Sithole who boasts a remarkable 27 years as a Tal-Tec employee. Elizabeth Mataboge has been with them for 18 years, Zakia Moholo has been an employee for 25 years and Madelein Gover who has been there for 18 years.

Greg’s stepson Johan Malan also joined the company in 2010 and plays a crucial role in the development of new products.

Keeping their eye on the prize, the Tal-Tec team is excited about the use of artificial intelligence in the future. Greg believes that AI will unlock unknown possibilities not only for agriculture but for Tal-Tec as well.

One thing is for sure: Tal-Tec will continue to build on the reliability of their products for the next 50 years to come.

Greg Talbot, CEO of Tal-Tec.

To view Tal-Tec’s full product range, visit their website at www.tal-tec.co.za.