Service Dealer held one of our regular calls yesterday, with some senior representatives of the manufacturer and supplier side of the industry.

As ever we thank them for being generous with their time and for taking part in a frank and open discussion. Again we will be keeping the identities of who joined us anonymous, in order to help facilitate this openness.

Barometer reading

We began yesterday with a barometer reading of how circumstances are for their businesses at the moment. All seemed fairly positive, with supply sounding like it's improving and freight costs coming back down from the silly heights they reached during Covid - not to their pre-pandemic levels, but certainly much better. Also in terms of shipments, we were told that port congestion is easing up.

The larger concerns now of course, are much more to do with the economic situation. From the value of the pound, to record high inflation, to costs rising across the board - there is an awful lot of negativity in the air at the moment.

And those on the call acknowledged how these worrying circumstances that we all find ourselves in, are of course having an impact on their dealers. They believed dealers might be nervous about investing too much in stock right now, with the uncertainty of just what the next year might bring.

One of the panelists described the dealer network as being "battered and bruised" having been put through the mill these past couple of years. However hard it's been though, there has been this feeling up until now that whatever dealers could get their hands on, they knew they could sell. Looking ahead however, that confidence has perhaps ebbed somewhat.

We heard a supplier say they felt the dealer network was currently in a "reflective mood". In this period where perhaps the business isn't quite so busy, they are taking the time to analyse the dealership and work out the best way to progress.

For the domestic sector considering the year ahead, the feeling appeared to be that the low and high ends of the market would not struggle too much. At the lower end, mowers and the like are a necessity purchase and people would still need to re-buy, replace and fix their machinery. Whilst at the higher-end, wealthy customers would continue to be wealthy and the fact that their heating bill had gone up wouldn't affect their decision to purchase an expensive machine.

It was also agreed that professional users and farmers will still need the machinery, either new or fixed, to do their jobs. However, it was that swathe across the mid-range domestic where it was felt that the market could feel the pinch.

But as ever, what would dictate the state of next season more than anything was the weather. It was felt that a good growing season where the grass continues to need cutting, will dominate over any economic situation.

To this end, our panelists appeared to agree that to describe their dealer networks as "cautiously optimistic" about next year would be fair. There is a natural nervousness about what lies ahead, but this is more to do with the overall pressures of running a small business they said. There does not appear to be any overly dramatic fear of the bottom falling out of the market or anything like that.

Trade shows

Having just come off the back of SALTEX, the discussion turned to trade shows and whether the industry needs more or fewer of them in a given year?

What was actually quite interesting, and probably not what the organisers of national shows want to hear, was that our panelists seem to give a higher regard to spending their marketing budget on supporting their own dealers when they appear at regional or county shows - rather than taking their own stands at more and more trade shows. They seemed to feel this offered them a greater return on their investment. This, as well as organising their own roadshows for dealers and targeted events for key customers, was seen as money well spent.

Appearing at trade shows is a lot different now to what it was 20 or 30 years ago we were told. People don't tend to wonder onto stands and place large orders - those days are gone. Shows today can be much more about flag waving - however flag waving just for the sake of it, isn't enough. There needs to be a value there for these manufacturers to warrant committing their staff, time and money.

An opinion was voiced that if there were to be fewer shows, that would be better for exhibitors as a larger number of visitors would likely be delivered. It's extremely difficult to quantify how successful an appearance at any show has been, but what is crucial we heard, is that there's enough of a captive audience to make the endeavour worthwhile.

Recruitment challenges

We finished by looking ahead to next year and this notion that dealers should be cautiously optimistic about their businesses was raised again. 

A panelist told us that dealers need to be looking to maximise each and every opportunity that comes their way. Focusing on the whole deal, including extras, accessories and up-selling will be more vital than ever.

It's easy to be pessimistic we heard, with the all noise around, but it's a new year and a new season coming up. If dealers were go into it with their heads already down, that could be self-defeating. If the weather plays ball, demand will be there.

The biggest note of caution we were given though, was around the whole area of recruitment for the dealership. These suppliers felt some of their dealers held real worries regarding these challenges. They weren't looking to simply fill a position, they wanted the right people with the right attitude and skills - and these are becoming increasingly to hard to find. And then once found, hard to retain.

A panelist told us they were aware that several of their dealers were particularly interested in coming to the Service Dealer Conference next week, specifically to hear what our expert speakers have to say on the subject. 

It's clearly a very real problem across the country and one that dealers are looking for advice on. Hopefully everyone who comes next Thursday, will leave with inspiration. 

Kubota (UK) Ltd has announce that Vincent Tractors & Plant has further widened its geographical area, reaching north east from its existing Devon and Cornwall locations with a new depot in Wellington, Somerset.

L-R: Jack Martin (agricultural sales), David Mann (groundcare sales), Nick Vincent (sales director), Lyn Taylor (service controller), Matthew Hodge (group general manager), John Scott (groundcare sales), and Paul Berry (technician).  

This extension of Vincent’s sales area and customer base sees the dealership expand into parts of Somerset, and north and east Devon with a fourth depot to support agricultural and groundcare customers throughout the south west of England.

“Vincent Tractors & Plant’s expansion continues to strengthen Kubota’s commitment to its customers and the markets in which our business operates,” says Henry Bredin, general manager of Kubota (UK)’s Tractor Business Unit. “This strategic expansion sees the Vincent family continue to develop its partnership with Kubota, as it actively supports a wider customer base in both groundcare and agricultural sectors.”

The depot adds to existing locations in Holsworthy, north Devon, plus Smithaleigh near Plympton in south Devon, and the company’s headquarters in Fraddon, Cornwall. From Wellington, the company will provide sales, parts, service and support for the Kubota tractor and implement ranges, and Kubota groundcare equipment.

As Vincent Tractors & Plant’s newest Kubota centre, the Wellington depot opened its doors to customers on November 10th and includes stores, showroom and workshop facilities, along with yard space that provides opportunities for growth as the business moves forward.

Serving customers across Cornwall for more than 50 years, the business that was started by Ken and Esme Vincent has recently welcomed third generation family members Alec and Nick Vincent into the fold. 

“We’re pleased to be a part of this exciting journey with Kubota, but just as importantly, we’re looking forward to welcoming new and existing agricultural and groundcare customers through the doors at Wellington,” says sales director Nick Vincent. 

Overton (UK) Limited have been awarded the UK and Ireland distribution for the RINO electric mowers made in Italy by the Del Morino company.  

L-R: Samuele Acquisti, RINO Electric and Stuart Rose Overton (UK) sales director

The electric mowers have been in production since 2019 and the Del Morino company have been in business for around 150 years. 
 
Stuart Rose, director at Overton said, "We have been looking for rough cut mowers to complement the Mean Green mowers as they are for regular mowing cycles, whereas the RINO has the capability to attach a front mounted flail or rotary mower, sweeper and weed brush. The CaRINO is available as a flail, rough cut or fine cut mowing deck. All these mowers will achieve all day running times and have the options of fast charging systems.
 
"At the recent SALTEX exhibition we were blown away with the comments and positive feedback from the national contractors and dealers. I can confirm we are looking for dealers and I’m pleased to say we had many enquiries at SALTEX."

Ripon Farm Services held an open event at their newly opened Malton branch on 27th October.

Guests at the new premises' open event

The dealership moved into their new depot at the 30-acre Eden Business Park near Malton at the end of August. The 22,000 sq ft building is located immediately off the A64 by the Pickering Road (A169) junction by Eden Camp.

Richard Simpson, commercial director of RFS, commented, “The opening of our new Malton depot is a major milestone for Ripon Farm Services and signals our intention to ramp up the investment in our long-term future.

“This new building reflects the importance we place on serving the North and East Yorkshire farming, equestrian and ground care communities."

The new flagship building features offices, training suites and meeting facilities for staff and customers and has been specially designed to accommodate rapidly growing combine harvester business. The new Malton location is the company’s twelfth depot in all.

Richard Simpson added: “We are especially pleased to have made such a big investment to improve our facilities in Malton, which has the enviable - and entirely justified - reputation as the food capital of the north. It is at the centre of North Yorkshire’s extensive agricultural community, which we are looking forward to serving,” said Mr Simpson.

The organisers of this year's SALTEX show say that "pre-pandemic confidence" returned to the exhibition in this month, as nearly 15 percent more visitors attended the 2022 show.

 
Over 8,300 attendees from across the UK and over 50 countries visited over the two-day event at Birimingham NEC, which the GMA say signalled a return to pre-pandemic levels.
 

Geoff Webb, CEO of the GMA said, “SALTEX has long been the flagship show for the industry and, in its 76th year, showed that, after the challenges of the pandemic, confidence from both visitors and exhibitors has returned.

“With nearly 15 percent more visitors than the 2021 show, SALTEX delivered on offering visitors the widest array of equipment and products to explore, with over 400 brands on display, and offered exhibitors the largest audience to showcase their products to. 

“As a not-for-profit, everything we earn gets ploughed back into the industry through investment in resources and initiatives that benefit the groundscare sector, so, with the 2022 show being such a hit, we look forward to beginning work on ensuring we build on this success and make the 2023 show even better for the sector. 

“We look forward to welcoming everyone back at SALTEX from 01-02 November 2023.”

In recognition of current economic challenges, the GMA say they introduced a special show rate for 2022 exhibitors, meaning that exhibiting at the 2023 show will cost the same despite increases in interest rates and inflation.

The independently audited post-show survey is underway which the GMA say will shed insight into the effectiveness of the event for generating new leads and sales for exhibitors. The results of these surveys will be published in due course.

Just over a year ago, Jochen Schneider took over responsibility for the European, Middle East, Africa, Asia and Pacific region as executive vice president for AriensCo.

Since then, the company says intensive work has been done on the organisational structure of the European AriensCo. With effect from 1 October 2022, the management team around Jochen Schneider is now complete. 

"With immediate effect, we are setting out together with AriensCo to be the best partner for our dealers and customers in the core segments of high grass mowing, lawn care and snow clearance in EMEAA as well. I am particularly pleased that we have been able to fill many of the newly created management positions with existing employees from the production sites in England and Germany," said Jochen Schneider.

Maria Lange takes up her new position as vice president RapidCare EMEAA. She is responsible for technical support, order processing, logistics of spare parts and new equipment across all AriensCo product brands. In order to be able to fully concentrate on this comprehensive task, she will hand over her management tasks at the Bühlertann location to EVP Jochen Schneider in the future.   

Darren Spencer remains managing director at the UK site and also takes over responsibility for production at the sites in Germany and England as the vice president of Plants with immediate effect. Darren Spencer has been part of the company for 32 years and has held various management positions at Great Haseley.  

Stephen Kuester has been leading the engineering and product development teams in the UK for the past two years and will continue to lead this area as vice president for engineering and R&D for the entire EMEAA region with immediate effect. The engineer and product designer brings over 25 years of experience from various industrial sectors in leading positions.

The responsibilities of Georg-Otto Fuchs, vice president product management & marketing EMEAA, include the product and brand strategy for the entire region across all product brands as well as the AriensCo Academy. In his new role he will work closely with sales and Brad Stiles, the vice president sales EMEAA. Brad Stiles has been active in this function since May 2022.  

Mark Scavillo was appointed senior vice president finance EMEAA in July this year. He is now also responsible for overseeing the human resources and IT functions within the business. 

Tamara Hauenstein becomes vice president human resources with immediate effect. 

Wolfgang Fiedler is now responsible for the entire IT environment in the EMEAA region as vice president information technology.

The Claas Foundation has again awarded its annual prizes for a total value of around €50,000 to students from agricultural and engineering faculties in recognition of their outstanding final theses. 

Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser (right) congratulated Patricia Ulbricht on the first prize of the Helmut Claas-Scholarship

The winners received their prizes at the Claas Greenhouse in Harsewinkel recently. Students awarded the main prizes gave brief presentations to outline their work.

Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser, Chair of the Board of Trustees since 2021, was delighted to welcome another batch of young professionals from seven European countries and Africa, saying, “Talented youngsters from the areas of agriculture and engineering are vital to overcome the challenges we are currently facing and will continue to face going forward."

The individual prizes were awarded as follows:   

Scholarships

• 1st prize: Patricia Ulbricht was awarded the leading prize for her Bachelor’s thesis on regenerative agriculture, which she wrote at the University of Leipzig. She can look forward to financial support totalling €7,200.
• 2nd prize: Paul Speitelsbach from the University of Hohenheim worked on the design of a tine-based traction system for lightweight robots used in the field. His thesis took second place with prize money of €6,000.  
• 3rd prize: A student at Harper Adams University in the United Kingdom, Richard Geary, won third prize. His thesis entitled “Maize Belongs to the Farmer, Not the Field” investigates the optimisation of harvesting technology and earned him a grant of €4,800.  
• 4th prize: Lasse Clausen analysed use of a CLAAS combine harvester in the field. The graduate of Neubrandenburg University of Applied Sciences received €3,600 in prize money. 

Prize winners, Board of Trustees, Jury and representatives of universities met with Cathrina Claas-Mühlhäuser for a photo session after the Awards Ceremony

Bonus prizes

Four bonus prizes, each worth €1,500, were awarded in addition to the annual scholarships. 

A student of Harper Adams University in England, John David Kendal Morgan, received the prize in the category of Technical Solutions to Improve Animal Welfare. His thesis explored the development of a low-cost imaging system to analyse the behaviour of poultry in small Kenyan pens.  

James Patrick Nicol Shaw, also a graduate of Harper Adams University, won in the category of Improved Nutrient Management for Food Production. His thesis investigated the mechanical durability of digestate pellets. Coming first in the Technical Engagement category, Nathanael Ebertshäuser used field testing to determine and compare the rolling resistances of three tractors. He is a graduate of the University of Hohenheim. Jessica Emminghaus - also from the University of Hohenheim - won in the Innovation category with her thesis on electrification in agricultural technology.  

AgTex Doctoral Thesis Prize (Agricultural Engineering Doctoral Prize)

Malte von Bloh received this year’s inaugural doctoral prize in the field of agricultural engineering, which is endowed with €5,000. Von Bloh researches the digital monitoring of plants in his doctoral project at Technische Universität München. 

International Student Prizes 

The International Student Prizes worth €2,000 each were awarded to Henk Nap from Wageningen University (Netherlands), Christian Ciocirlie from the University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” Timisoara (Romania), Benjamín Zvara from the Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra (Slovakia), János Péter Jakus from Budapest BME University (Hungary) and Maciej Kubicki from Poznan University of Life Sciences (Poland).  The Weihenstephan-Triesdorf scholarship went to Ibrahima Traore from Guinea.  

Hyundai Power Products have said they want to do their part to raise awareness and fundraise to support those who are working tirelessly to help men affected by prostate cancer.

They say this is the reason why throughout the month of November they are making a donation of £10 to Prostate Cancer UK for every petrol lawnmower sold, and a donation of £5 for every electric lawnmower sold.

George Butcher, corporate account manager at Hyundai said, "The leaves have fallen, the temperature has dropped and Halloween decorations have been put away for another year, which can only mean one thing - it’s Movember.

"Movember is an annual event involving the growing of moustaches during the month of November to raise awareness of men's health issues, such as prostate cancer, testicular cancer, and men's suicide. If you’ve been wondering why you’ve been seeing impressive and maybe questionable moustaches out and about lately, you now know why!"

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