The well known American dealer-development specialist, Bob Clements spoke at the Service Dealer Conference last November. He touched on many topics but one of the things he mentioned that stuck in my mind was the importance of dealers as part of the community. He went on to explain that if a dealer in a small town or rural area was to go out of business it affects the whole community. The more I thought about it the more it made sense.

Dealers within a community are like the local vet. If an animal gets sick, the first thing the farmer or owner does is call the vet. They are concerned for their animal’s welfare so the vet will have the expertise to try and make it well again. But the function of the vet is not just to make the animal better. He or she is there to reassure the owner that everything will be all right or to console them if the animal’s prospects are not too good. The dealer is no different. When a machine breaks down, particularly on a farm during harvest, when it is a race against time and weather to get the crop harvested, or if there is an important tournament coming up at a sportsground, the last thing that is needed is a breakdown. When it does happen the local dealer, just like the vet, will be called upon, no matter what the hour is. The dealer’s premises may be closed but he or she can usually be contacted out of office hours. 

This is one of the very important roles that the dealer provides. To be there to help the farmer or groundsman get his/her machine back working again or to provide an alternative machine to get them out of the situation and to reassure them that everything will be alright.

You will find in many rural dealerships that the customers who come to their premises for spare parts usually know each other and it can provide a meeting point and opportunity to catch up on how they are doing, and get the latest news or gossip. 

Many dealers around the country get involved in supporting a local charity or charities in their area. Your business will stand to benefit from this support to these charities. It could be something like sponsoring a local football or sports club or making a donation to a local charity group. If done well, a charity campaign can bring the bonuses of strengthened customer trust, expanding your brand, and bringing about long-term customer loyalty and respect.

Dealers can be much more than a channel to customers. They can play an important role in providing customers in their community with advice and information on a wide range of services before and after a sale. Those services include advice on the selection and application of a product, financing, insurance, operator training, maintenance and repair, and help in deciding when it makes economic sense to replace a machine.

The local dealer can also give feedback from his or her customers to the distributor or manufacturer on any issues relating to the machines they sell.

So you can imagine the stress that would be caused if the local dealer were to shut down or go out of business. Local dealers who are long-established members of their communities can get closer to customers than a global company can on its own.

Don’t underestimate the important role you play in the community. You are not there just to sell and repair machines. You should see yourselves as advisors and being supportive to the customers in your community.

It was announced last week that the board of directors of Husqvarna AB has appointed Henric Andersson to succeed Kai Wärn as the President & CEO of the Husqvarna Group effective as of April 2, 2020, following the closing of the 2020 AGM.

Henric Andersson

Kai Wärn will retire from his role as CEO and Board Member as of such date, but will continue as a senior advisor to the Board during 2020.  

Tom Johnstone, Chairman of Husqvarna AB said, "I am delighted that the new President & CEO of Husqvarna Group, Henric Andersson, has been developed within the Group, where he has worked for the last 22 years. Henric is a strong and well-appreciated leader with a very good business and technology focus. He has a very broad experience within the Group having worked in various roles in Commercial Lawn and Garden, the Construction Division and for Group Technology before taking up the role as President of the Construction Division in 2015."

Henric Andersson is currently President of the Construction Division of Husqvarna and has been a member of Group Management since 2012. He was born in 1973 and has a Master of Science degree in Industrial Engineering & Management from Linköping Institute of Technology.  

"On behalf of the Board I want to sincerely thank Kai for his leadership of Husqvarna Group since 2013 and for the very good job he has done. The results of this work over this period can be clearly seen both in the financial performance and the total shareholder return," said Tom Johnstone.

Kai Wärn, the outgoing President and CEO, said, "I am proud over what we have achieved during these years in respect of strengthening our competitiveness, especially in areas such as robotics, the petrol-to battery transition and technology including connected solutions such as Smart Garden. We have also made important transformative changes in the organization to increase focus on our end-customers and core brands, achieved through the Divisional structure."

Doosan Infracore Europe has confirmed new changes effective immediately in the company’s Authorised Dealer network in the Republic of Ireland. 

EMS (Embankment Machinery Sales), based in Naas in County Kildare, is now responsible for sales and service for the full range of Doosan crawler and wheeled excavators in Leinster, Munster and Connacht. EMS is also the dealer in the same areas for the full range of Doosan mini- and midi-excavators from 1 to 8.5 tonne.

Philip P. McCormack Plant, based in Clane in County Kildare, is responsible for sales and servicing of the Doosan wheel loader range in Leinster, Munster and Connacht. This is in addition to the Doosan range of articulated dump trucks (ADTs) for which Philip P. McCormack Plant has been the dealer in the same areas for several years.

Commenting on the changes to the Doosan dealer network in Ireland, Anthony Pearce, UK & Nordics Regional Sales Leader for Doosan Infracore Europe, said: "Working closely with both EMS and Philip P. McCormack Plant, we are aiming to continue to grow our business in Ireland in a positive and sustainable manner. I see these latest moves as a fantastic opportunity whilst continuing to provide the Irish market with an unrivalled level of service and customer support."

Iseki UK & Ireland announce that Alan Prickett has joined the growing team in the role of business development manager, responsible for dealers in the central band of the UK, along with key and national account sales.

Alan is a very well-known figure in the industry having previously worked for many years at Ransomes Jacobsen Ltd. Prior to his leaving there in July of 2019 he held a number of positions ranging from regional sales manager to managing director.

In Alan’s early career he studied agricultural engineering in Oxfordshire, before commencing a career in the professional turf industry from 1981, initially working for professional machinery dealerships in the midlands, rising to the level of sales management and key accounts.

Commenting on the appointment David Withers adds, “Alan will be a great asset to the team at Iseki, he will be looking to further drive market share gains in the compact tractor and collecting mower categories where Iseki excel.”

Iseki UK & Ireland are the distributors of Iseki compact tractors and mowers for UK, Ireland, Iceland, Middle East, South Africa and Russia. The company has been manufacturing compact tractors and mowers in Japan for over 90 years and has had a presence in Europe for over 50 years.

Following the largest GIE+EXPO ever, the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) has announced that in 2022 it will move into 100 percent ownership of the Louisville, USA based trade show.

Since 2007, GIE+EXPO has been owned by three partners: the OPEI (the majority and managing partner); the NALP (National Association of Landscape Professionals); and the PGMS (Professional Grounds Management Society).

GIE+EXPO's outside demo area

“GIE+EXPO has had an extraordinarily strong run since 2010 - posting records in attendance and booth space. Last year’s show was the biggest ever, setting record attendance levels,” says Kris Kiser, President of OPEI and managing director of GIE+EXPO. “With this change in ownership structure of the show, OPEI will own the show in its entirety.

"We’ll continue to work with our landscape industry partners to provide attendees with training and other programmatic elements at the Kentucky Exposition Center. We look forward to the continued evolution and dynamic growth of GIE+EXPO in Louisville in the future.”

2019 was the sixth record-breaking year in a row for GIE+EXPO. The show hosted more than 1,000 exhibitors and more than 20 acres of outdoor demonstration area for attendees to ride, drive, dig, and cut with the industry’s latest equipment. More than 26,500 contractors, dealers, and exhibitors attended from all 50 states and more than 40 countries.

New features at the 2019 GIE+EXPO included in-tree training from the Women’s Tree Climbing Workshop, whose team of climbers demonstrated arbor safety and climbing skills in a 60-foot sugar maple erected in Freedom Hall for the purpose, as well as the second-annual Lucky’s Mutt Madness rescue dog adoption event held in partnership with the Kentucky Humane Society.

GIE+EXPO will continue to offer education, training, and certification in all segments of the Outdoor Power Equipment industry, including landscape, hardscape, lighting, snow and ice management, tree care, and irrigation for dealers, landscapers, hardscapers, distributors, and contractors.

GIE+EXPO 2020 is set for October 21-23. Attendees can expect hands-on drone training, expanded tree care demonstrations, a UTV test track, as well as continued co-location with Hardscape North America.

“OPEI has signed an extension agreement for the show from 2022-2024 with the Kentucky Exposition Center and area hotels in Louisville for the future. GIE+EXPO has always been the industry’s family reunion, and the place to be if you’re in this business,” Kris Kiser said. “We’re looking forward to continuing to work with our partners to provide the best training, education, and hands-on learning for the entire industry.”

The appointment of Luke Barnard as precision farming specialist, in addition to his role as area service manager for all of Ireland, strengthens the support available to dealers supplying Landini and McCormick tractors throughout the UK and Ireland.

Luke Barnard

Luke (27) joined the Argo Tractors operation with several years of technical experience working in machinery dealerships to add to his National Diploma in Land-Based Technologies gained with triple distinctions from Riseholme College in Lincolnshire where he lives.

“I’m loving the job,” he says. “It involves a lot of travel, especially to our dealers in Ireland and to the Argo Tractors factories in northern Italy for detailed technical training, but it’s nice to wake up looking forward to going to work.”

Argo Tractors  has a global partnership with Topcon Agriculture for precision farming technologies. Any Argo-built tractor can be equipped for guidance with a controller and AES-15 steering wheel drive unit, and larger models can be ordered from the factory guidance-ready with the electronics infrastructure already in place.

Topcon AGI-4 receivers and the X25 and X35 displays can then be installed by national specialist distributors – LH Agro in England, Scotland and Wales, and Topcon’s own operations in Ireland.

Luke Barnard explains: “We have a selection of guidance packages available for Landini 7 Series and McCormick X7 and X8 tractors, from a basic EGNOS system operating through our own Data Screen Manager display, to full RTK with variable rate and section control technologies provided by the Topcon X35 console."

In his area service manager role, Luke Barnard supports Landini and McCormick dealers throughout Ireland with product training and, when necessary, to help them identify and resolve technical issues.

Adrian Winnett, managing director of Argo Tractors operations in the UK and Ireland, says dealer service technicians are encouraged to keep up to date with the technical make-up and features of the products so they can maintain and repair them as quickly and efficiently as possible in support of customers.

“It’s important for dealers to have this independent capability but it’s also essential that we have the resources to support our dealers in that goal, through effective technical bulletins and face-to-face training.

“Luke joined us to perform that role throughout Ireland alongside the technical staff who support our growing network of dealers in Great Britain, but his past experience with precision farming technologies means he also brings important knowledge on this increasingly important aspect of tractor operation to our business.”

Kubota have announced that is has invested in a California-based startup called Abundant Robotics, developing automated apple-picking robots.

Through this investment the Japanese manufacturer says they intend to contribute to labour-saving and efficiency improvement in farming in the U.S. and other countries.

This latest development follows on from Kubota launching last year what they call their 'Innovation Center' as a division to enhance cooperation with external partners.

They say they are currently pursuing negotiations for collaboration with startups, which commenced in August 2019 when they invested in a company called Advanced Farm Technologies, Inc who are developing robotic strawberry picking technology.