[Agricultural Machinery Spotlighted at KIEMSTA] One International Highlights McHale ‘Fusion 4 Plus’ and Fendt 700 Vario

When rain is forecast during the forage harvest season, a breakdown in agricultural machinery can be fatal. Farms that provide contract farming services make as many as 8,000 rice-straw and grass bales a year with a single baler-wrapper combination machine. One farm in Buan, Jeonbuk State, runs five combination machines and handles 40,000 bales a year. If a machine is down for even one day, the rice straw of the next farm in line is left to get rained on. For contract-service farms, both the machine’s ability to last and the speed of repairs when it breaks down are important.

These were the two points emphasized by One International Co., Ltd. at the 2026 Korea International Exhibition of Machinery, Equipment, Science and Technology for Agriculture (KIEMSTA), held at EXCO in Daegu from the 4th to the 7th. One International showcased Ireland’s McHale baler-wrapper combination machines and Germany’s Fendt tractors as its main products.
 

McHale, with more than 10,000 units sold in Korea…handling muddy paddies with a short, high chassis

The centerpiece of One International is undoubtedly its implements. One International Executive Director Won Hyun-jae described the combination machine as a core item, saying, “The company grew thanks to McHale.” According to the company, the number of McHale machines it has sold in Korea so far, including both combination machines and single balers, exceeds 10,000 units.

Executive Director Won traced the reason for the machine’s strong sales to terrain. Korea’s farm roads are steep and narrow, and when it rains, paddies become muddy, so machines need to be as compact and sturdy as possible. “If the chassis is low, the belly of the machine touches the ground before the wheels can even roll,” Won explained. “Other machines have to be pulled out with an excavator once they get stuck, but a McHale gets out relatively easily.” The McHale combination machine has a structure in which the wrapping ring stands upright, making the chassis shorter than that of ordinary combination machines. Its large wheels and high chassis also make it less likely to get stuck in muddy paddies.

The fourth-generation “Fusion” series unveiled this time shortens the pickup and rotor sections so crops enter more quickly. The number of gear teeth has been increased to balance the speeds of the rotor, chamber rollers, and pickup, and the company said this makes work about 30% faster. The intake sections on both sides of the auger have been changed from a straight shape to a gentle angle to reduce crop snagging, and the shock absorber that takes the impact when crops enter has been changed to a spring type.

The top model, the “Fusion 4 Plus,” is equipped with a fixed chamber of 18 rollers (1.25 m in diameter × 1.23 m in width) and up to 15 knives. Blockages are automatically cleared with a drop floor. During operation, lubricant is automatically supplied to the bearings, and on slopes, the bale lowering speed is hydraulically controlled to prevent it from rolling away. The 10-inch 3D touch monitor displays bale pressure in real time as a numerical value. If an error occurs, a QR code appears on the screen to guide the operator to a solution, enabling an immediate on-site response. Work data such as customer name, total work, number of bales, average weight, and moisture content is also automatically stored, making it easy for contract-service farms handling jobs for multiple farms to manage work records. Wrapping one bale takes around 40 seconds.
 

Fendt 700 Vario cuts fuel costs with continuously variable “VarioDrive” transmission

The main tractor brand is Fendt. Among them, the 700 Vario series, in the 200- to 280-horsepower range, is the best-selling line for pulling livestock implements. The 8 and 9 series, in the 290- to 420-horsepower class, are mainly sought by farms doing corn work or sweet potato farms that need deep tillage in fields.

The first advantage Won cited was Fendt’s continuously variable transmission technology, “VarioDrive.” He said, “Thanks to VarioDrive, fuel costs are reduced by more than 30% compared with other tractors,” adding, “Some farms say it feels like 50%.” He also emphasized ride comfort. Because there is no shift shock and the cabin is quiet, it greatly reduces fatigue for farmers who work long hours under pressure during the busy season. Although the many buttons next to the armrest make it difficult to learn at first, Won said, “Once you learn how to set it up and tailor it to your preferences, there is no tractor more convenient than this.”

The “700 Vario Gen7.1” displayed this time is equipped with a 7.5-liter, six-cylinder AGCO Power CORE75 engine. Depending on the model, it delivers from 203 horsepower (720) to 283 horsepower (728). It is fitted with a VarioDrive (TA190) transmission that drives the front and rear wheels separately, securing both traction and soil protection, and it reduces the turning radius through a “pull-in turn” effect in which the front wheels pull the chassis. A low-speed engine concept (Fendt iD) with a rated 1,700 rpm and Dynamic Performance (DP), which provides up to 20 additional horsepower, are applied to all models. The optional “VarioGrip” tire pressure control system highlights fuel savings of up to 8% and 10% higher traction. Hydraulic flow is 220 liters per minute, and the PTO has four speeds (540/540E/1000/1000E). Based on the 728 model, the weight-to-power ratio is 30.5 kg per horsepower, and maximum payload is 6.2 tons.
 

“TIM,” in which the implement moves the tractor…to be introduced to farms next spring

What One International is preparing next is TIM (Tractor Implement Management) integration. Until now, tractors have controlled implements through ISOBUS, the international communication standard that connects tractors and implements. TIM does the opposite: the implement controls the tractor. According to Executive Director Won, John Deere released it first, and McHale also began sending software to One International this fall for testing.

When a TIM-capable tractor is connected to the Fusion 4 Plus, the tractor stops by itself when the bale is full. It then wraps, ejects the bale, closes the door, and sets off again. If a blockage occurs during work, it automatically handles the entire process of stopping the tractor, lowering the floor plate, running the PTO to clear the blockage, raising the floor plate, and starting again. Won said, “The farmer only has to sit there and hold the steering wheel.” Currently, this function can be used only on the top model, the Fusion 4 Plus, and the Fendt tractors imported this time support TIM even down to the lower-horsepower models.

However, the testing schedule was delayed because of the weather. When the software arrived, it was raining, leaving no paddy available for testing. Won said, “After verifying it thoroughly, even if we have to do it on the road, we plan to introduce these functions one by one to farms starting next spring.”

He was cautious about fully autonomous driving. Autonomous driving is suitable for work that moves back and forth in a fixed pattern, such as rotary tillage or seeding, but for rice-straw work, the turning route changes every time depending on the direction in which the straw has been gathered, so a person must drive directly. Fendt tractors come prepared with GPS-based autonomous driving functions, which can be unlocked for a fee. In fact, one farm in Sinan, South Jeolla Province, using a 140-horsepower Fendt has unlocked this function and is using it in connection with an autonomous driving company.
 

Competing with service as well as performance

As an example demonstrating durability, Won cited a farm that has been using McHale’s first-generation model, the “Fusion 1,” for nearly 20 years. When that farm came to obtain parts a few years ago, the model had already been discontinued and supply had ended, he said. Unlike the Fusion 1, parts and after-sales management are still supported for the Fusion 2 and 3.

Based on solid durability, Won put service at the forefront as a competitive edge beyond that. He said, “Machines keep getting better, but there are limits, and even machines that were lacking become similar to one another over time. What we are most confident in is service and parts supply.” He also set a firm supply deadline. Won emphasized, “If a dealer does not have a part, we will supply it without fail within two days, regardless of weekends, except for holidays such as Chuseok. We do not leave agricultural machinery sitting in the field.”

Through 38 dealerships nationwide, One International provides a swift first response when products break down. For issues that are difficult to resolve on-site, headquarters technicians provide immediate support, and the company has a same-day response system that completes the entire process within 24 hours.

This operation is designed with its main customer base—contract farming service providers—in mind. Won explained, “People doing work for others have to bale before it rains, and if the machine stops, calls pour in from the next farms in line. There is strong demand to use good machines and buy from a place with fast service.”
 

Farmers on site: “Not cost-effectiveness, but satisfaction for the money”

Many of the farmers who visited the exhibition that day were already customers using One International equipment. Jung Il-mo, who operates a Fendt tractor while combining rice farming and livestock in Gangwon State, said, “Satisfaction is much higher when using it directly than when encountering it as promotional copy.” Jung added, “Beyond simple cost-effectiveness, I feel ‘value satisfaction’—in other words, value beyond the money spent. From a farmer’s standpoint, the fact that the machine does not break down is as reassuring as it gets.”