The Service Dealer Conference & Awards take place on Thursday 30th November at the Crowne Plaza, Stratford upon Avon, England. Already there are some great speakers lined up for the event, including the keynote speaker Daryl Fielding, who is a branding expert. The theme of this year’s conference is Taking Care of Business.

This conference is scheduled at a good time as it is almost at the end of the year and also at the end of the growing season. Even though it is a one day event, there is a lot packed into the conference. As conferences go, I consider this to be a very special and unique event because, not only is it held in the main hall, but two breakout sessions are also organised (morning and afternoon) in smaller rooms where delegates come together to hear fantastic guest speakers in a more intimate environment. This allows people to engage with each other and share their thoughts and ideas of the relevant issues. 

To round off the day the conference gala dinner takes place in the evening. This is always popular as it is a relaxing way to round off the day where entertainment is provided. It is also the time when the award category winners and the Overall Dealer of the Year is announced, which always generates great excitement.

I thoroughly recommend attending the Service Dealer Conference and Awards. It would be lovely to see more dealers from Ireland travel to attend. Updates on the conference can be found on the Service Dealer website.

An event closer to home but happening next month is the National Ploughing Championships. It takes place in Ratheniska, County Laois from 19th – 21st September and, for the first time, exhibitors are put on a waiting list as trade stand bookings are at capacity due to exceptional and unparalleled demand. This event is considered one of the largest in Europe and attracts in excess of 300,000 people. Dealers who have been fortunate to have secured an exhibition space should get plenty of visitors. I hope they have decent sales over the three days. 

Coming back to the Service Dealer theme I would like to congratulate Service Dealer publishers, The Ad Plain (TAP), who, last week, became B Corp certified in recognition of their commitment to people and the environment. B Corp is an international movement to change the global economy and encourage for-profit businesses to be a force for good.

The announcement comes following a rigorous two-year process. Duncan Murray-Clarke, Service Dealer owner and group managing director of TAP, which has offices in the UK and in Spain, said, “We are beyond thrilled to become a B Corp-certified business. It has been a long and detailed process, but it reflects all that we believe in”.

The business of TAP is carbon positive; office space and travel have been reduced to enhance both the environment and employee wellbeing, and conservation is at the heart of TAP’s ethos and values.

You can read more about what it means to be B Corp certified here.

The Ad Plain (TAP) who publish Service Dealer Ireland, have this week become B Corp certified in recognition of their commitment to people and the environment.

L-R: TAP company directors Liz Tomkinson, Emma Craigie and Duncan Murray-Clarke

As well as publishing this title, the UK edition and TurfPro, TAP predominantly works in digital communications for a broad range of clients within the environmental science and agriculture industries, including many of the world's largest seed and crop protection companies. It is one of just 1,300 businesses in the UK to be verified as meeting B Corp’s high standards of social and environmental responsibility.

The announcement comes following a rigorous two-year process. Duncan Murray-Clarke, Service Dealer owner and group managing director of TAP, which has offices in UK and in Spain, said, “We are beyond thrilled to become a B Corp-certified business. It has been a long and detailed process, but it reflects all that we believe in.

"It has reaffirmed for us that responsibility and profitability are not oil and water, and long-term success is built on genuine values and purpose. There can be a tendency towards greenwashing in the current business and political climate, and we wanted to demonstrate, transparently, our genuine commitment to the people who make our business work, to the planet and the wider community. TAP is a growing business, and I’m so proud of our team for getting us to this point; I look forward to seeing how we can continue to strengthen as a business, a supplier and as part of the global network.” 

B Corp is an international movement to change the global economy and encourage for-profit businesses to be a force for good. B Lab, which administers the certification, takes a holistic review of the business’ social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. One of the fastest growing networks of sustainable businesses, there are over 7,000 B Corp-certified companies across the world from global brands such as Patagonia to the UK’s Riverford Organics and the family-run Glen Lyon Coffee. 

The greatest reward has been furthering the conversation around environmental science, agriculture and producing food sustainably for a growing world population, says Duncan, who established TAP in 2002:

“We specialise in communication at the highest levels with some of the world’s top food production and environmental science businesses. We are very privileged through our work to be speaking daily to growers, agronomists, leading agricultural companies and other industry experts. There’s a challenge to produce food sustainably for the growing world population. Furthermore, there are very important discussions around this like the role of chemistry and how the industry is already showing good practice to enhance the environment and run sustainable businesses at various levels. The B Corp process triggered constructive conversations with B Lab and our team.”

As well as demonstrating its B Corp values through policy and governance, TAP sponsors employees to volunteer, including at board level, with a charity of their choice, which has included Reading for Dyslexia, UK farming charity, the Addington Fund, and the company is sponsoring children through school in developing countries.

The business is carbon positive; office space and travel have been reduced to enhance both the environment and employee wellbeing, and conservation is at the heart of TAP’s ethos and values. It shapes business decision-making as well as being celebrated internally - for example around conservation events, such as observing World Water Day, the whole TAP team is encouraged to pledge to changes to make a difference in their own small way.

With agriculture and environmental science working as hard as many industries to meet environmental goals, TAP puts significant emphasis on supporting clients throughout the supply chain to communicate their sustainability work and stimulate change.

“We have always had people and purpose at our core,” explains company director Emma Craigie. “The B Corp lens has given us a structure and guiding principles for all that we do, including how we support our clients to communicate their sustainability and make change. Reassuringly, as we went through the verification process it was clear we were already doing so much in our business through choice, and it doesn’t stop here: we will keep evolving and continue to drive our business and support others in the industry to take steps to effect positive change.”

To complete the process, TAP invested in a full business audit, changed the legal structure of the business and rewrote staff and external contracts to commit to the B Corp values.

Duncan concluded: “It’s clear that business needs to lead the way, and I’d urge more businesses in our sector to consider committing to a sustainability scheme, and potentially start the B Corp process.  It doesn’t matter that it takes time, it does matter that you start the journey.”

With less than one month to go to the 2023 National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co Laois from September 19th to 21st, trade bookings are at capacity due to exceptional and unparalleled demand for this time of year and a waiting list is in place.

NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh said, “The extraordinary number of confirmed exhibitors highlights how the Ploughing makes good commercial sense for the companies exhibiting. Europe’s largest outdoor exhibition is an ideal opportunity to showcase the very best of products and services to an expected 300,000 visitors.

"There will be exhibitors from every part of the country, a large number from Northern Ireland and record international interest with exhibitors coming from an array of countries such as Italy, Slovakia, Australia, France, Scotland, Spain, Estonia, Wales, Belgium, Netherlands and England.”

Millions of euros worth of agricultural and plant machinery displaying the latest cutting-edge technologies will be on show this year. The leading manufacturers and agents will be present with specialist sales advisors and technical experts available for free consultations. In addition, the prestigious ‘Machine of the Year’ competition will feature again.

Vintage Exhibitions, Motor Show, Threshing, Loy Digging, with well-known faces everywhere and of course a true Ploughing Masterclass will be on display in 24 classes throughout the 3 days.

Service Dealer can today confirm the first of our popular breakout seminar sessions for November's Conference.

Adrian Swinscoe

Running an interactive presentation will be customer experience expert Adrian Swinscoe. Adrian is a best-selling author, Forbes contributor, speaker, investor and advisor. At our Conference he will explore what makes the customer’s journey.

Adrain is widely experienced in his field and has been growing and helping develop customer-focused large and small businesses for over 25 years. His clients have included brands such as Sky, NowTV, Apple, ING, KFC, Philips, Cancer Research UK, Talk Talk, Kramp, Intercontinental Hotel Group, Olympus, Harper Collins, the UK Gov’s Crown Commercial Service, Microsoft, Nespresso, Pearson and Costa Coffee as well as numerous tech vendors and many smaller and medium-sized businesses.

Adrian says, "I’m a huge fan of organisations that do great things for their customers and their employees and I’m a helper to many wanting to achieve their own level of greatness.

"I’m also a lover of simplicity and advocate of the human touch with a bit of really useful technology thrown in."

Taking place on Thursday 30th November 2023 at the Crowne Plaza, Stratford upon Avon, the theme for this year's event is Taking Care of Business.

DeLaval has appointed Stephen Moore Farm Machinery Ltd as the sole dealer for the east of Northern Ireland, expanding into County Antrim, Down & Armagh with depots in both Coleraine and Lisburn.

Stephen and Alison Moore

The expansion follows Stephen and Alison Moore’s purchase of John Deere dealership Johnston Gilpin & Co Ltd earlier this year. Mrs Moore explains:
 
“We have been a DeLaval dealer since 2011 and a John Deere dealer since 2008. The acquisition of Johnston Gilpin & Co earlier this year has led us to service customers over a wider area. We have always had a strong relationship with DeLaval and we are grateful for the opportunity to expand the brand in this area.”
 
With 50 staff spread over two depots and a team of six on the road, the business say they were well prepared to cover the wider area and service both DeLaval and John Deere customers. Chris Dawson and four technicians are backed up by James McConnell who operates a daily delivery service of consumable parts and chemicals to farms throughout the east of the country.
 
“Many of our John Deere customers are dairy farmers, so it has been a natural expansion for us as a business. DeLaval has supported us with training, and customers know that when they speak to anybody in the team they can ask about machinery or dairy equipment,” says Mrs Moore.
 
DeLaval chose the dealership to improve customer service by establishing a streamlined and consolidated provision in the east of Northern Ireland. Stuart Fulton, DeLaval Country Commercial Manager, Ireland, said, “Stephen and Alison have grown an excellent business with a focus on strong customer relationships and support that mirror DeLaval’s values. Having one point of contact for DeLaval customers in the east of Northern Ireland will help service and provide DeLaval robotics, parlours, equipment and supplies more efficiently.”
 
Moore’s has almost doubled its business following the Johnston Gilpin & Co acquisition. This has contributed to the team offering a 24-hour service commitment to DeLaval customers for all aspects of milking management from depots in Coleraine and Lisburn.

The European Agricultural Machinery Association (CEMA) have published their business climate figures for August. It reports that the general business climate index for the agricultural machinery industry in Europe has continued to fall sharply after reaching negative territory in the previous month for the first time since the crash in the wake of COVID-19.

In August, the index fell from -7 points to -22 points (on a scale of -100 to +100), which is one of the sharpest declines in the history of the survey.

After order backlogs had peaked at the beginning of the year, the volume of orders has seen a repeated significant reduction and is now corresponding to a production period of 4.4 months, which is still high in a long-term comparison, but substantially lower than at any time in the past two years. For every second manufacturer, the turnover from the order backlog reduction still ensures a stagnating or even increasing turnover for the current year.

However, with a view to the coming order intake, around 60% of the companies expect a further decline, as in the previous months. Confidence levels for the European market have deteriorated in particular. 

Meanwhile, there is no longer any single European market for which a majority of survey participants would have positive turnover expectations. So, while the manufacturers' supply side continues to ease, the uncertainties on the market side have now definitely come to the fore.

Pitched against Toro distributors from across the globe, Reesink has been awarded by Toro the International Outstanding Sales Achievement award for 2022.

From left: Jon Mooney, sales director at the Toro Company, presents Jon Cole divisional business manager - turfcare, at Reesink Turfcare and Alastair Rowell, managing director of Reesink UK with the Toro 2022 International Outstanding Sales Achievement Award

In order to qualify for the award, distributors must have exhibited excellence in sales growth, a positive market share trend, and win rate - which includes new projects, large fleet replacements, and renovations. They must have participated in relationship building activities and delivered solid industry support.

Reesink Turfcare were judged to have succeeded on every level in demonstrating these core components.

Jon Cole, divisional business manager for Reesink Turfcare, said, “To be considered for this award at all is an honour, and to win it is a massive achievement for our sales team and dealer partners. 

“The number of machines we’ve managed to get into clubs, even amid the challenges of industry wide shortages, speaks for itself and is testament to the hard work our sales team and dealer partners put into building those relationships with our customer base. Over the past year we’ve seen more and more clubs invest in electric models and increasing numbers turning red as they look to invest in quality machines. I cannot emphasise enough just how thankful we are to all our customers for their patience and understanding in what have been, and remain, extremely challenging circumstances.

“Our aim is always to set the customer up with the right machines for their course, and deliver to them a product that is going to perform, and last a very long time. This sales achievement award is a reflection of those values and the passion Reesink and our partners share in delivering quality equipment.”