When a farmer who raises sheep in rugged country close to the Arctic Circle needed help with moving his flock around he turned to Europe’s top trailer maker to provide the answer.
And to demonstrate the commitment it shows to customers across the globe the Ifor Williams Trailers distributor in Iceland drove over 200 miles to personally deliver a new livestock trailer to Bjorn Torfasson in the remote west of the country.
The farmer now is delighted with the way his TA150 trailer is performing in a landscape served only by rough roads and left frequently cut off by months of heavy snow.
The vital piece of equipment was supplied to Mr Torfasson, who is in his early sixties, by Vikurvagnar ehf, which is the official Iceland distributor for Ifor Williams Trailers.
The company, which is based in the country’s capital Reykjavic, was founded over 30 years ago and was in the same family until 2015 when it was bought by current chief executive Bjarni Benediktsson.
He said: “We keep busy selling a range of Ifor Williams trailers to customers right across the country including the TA models which feature an internal deck which is perfect for transporting farm animals.
“I was contacted by Mr Torfasson who wanted something to move his sheep around.
“He has about 500 sheep on his farm which is near a place called Westfjords, an island on the western side of Iceland.
“It’s a very isolated area and he has lived there all his life. Only 35 people have their homes there and it gets lots of snow. In fact, the roads to the farm are only passable to for a short period of time from late April until the beginning of September. At all other times supplies and post have to be flown in by plane.
“Iceland is just outside the Arctic Circle and is very much affected by the weather. Sometimes in winter we get the icebergs coming down from the North Pole but we also get amazing views of the Northern Lights.
“Bjorn’s farm is right on the coast and there’s nothing apart from the sea between him and the pole about 1,600 miles away.”
He added: “Bjorn likes the Ifor Williams brand because they are very strong and just right to cope with the bad roads up there.
“As I know him and it’s such a beautiful part of the world I decided to deliver his new trailer myself towing it behind my Land Rover Discovery.
“It was the best weather possible for the time of year and I took one other member of my staff with me on the 350 kilometre – or 200 mile – trip from Reykavic to the farm.
“This is the first Ifor Williams trailer Bjorn has had and he tells me he’s very happy with the way it’s performing.”
Andrew Reece-Jones, the Design Engineering Manager, said: “We build our trailers durable so that they can cope with the most difficult of conditions which is clearly the case in Iceland.
“We were pleased to hear that Mr Torfasson is so happy with his trailer and that Bjarni went the extra mile and then some.
“Our trailers reach the parts that others don’t.”
