Following on from our conversations we held with manufacturers and with dealers over the past couple of weeks, it's clear the most significant threat to the industry right now is regarding stock levels.

This time a year ago, with the world shutting down, it was quite different concerns businesses were facing. It felt more fundamental. Quite simply, how can trade continue under such extraordinary circumstances? What we're going through now, somehow feels more complex.

As the months ticked by last year, safe and revised methods of trading were found - eventually resulting in many dealerships experiencing what could be described as a bumper year of sales. With homeowners focused on their gardens, agriculture never stopping working, and the commercial sector eventually coming back on stream, machinery shifted through dealerships.

However, to mix metaphors, the elephant in the room was always kicking a can down the road into the long grass!

With factories shut for prolonged periods of time around the world, stockpiles of available machines were always going to be depleted when consumer demand was so high. Some of those factories, either for wholegoods, or crucially for components, have probably faced multiple re-openings and further shutdowns throughout the past 12 months. As one of our dealer panel said, these manufacturing lines have never had the opportunity to fully catch up with the production that has been missed.

Add into that Brexit, a logistics industry crisis, shipping container shortages and now a learner driver attempting a three-point turn in the Suez Canal and you have the perfect storm of a situation.

One can only hope that dealers have been able to build some fat into the business following bumper 2020 sales, because it certainly seems like these next few months are going to pinch.

Lead times extending

I was talking to the sales director of a large dealership this week, who sell into horticulture, ground care, agriculture and construction too.

They told me that some of their construction machinery clients are actually placing orders now for equipment that they have accepted they won't take delivery of until January or February 2022! The buyers in that sector have seemingly come to terms with the reality of those lead times. As that sector plans so far ahead with projects, there's an understanding that's how the world is working currently. I must admit I was quite shocked.

I'm not sure how many of our readers, faced with a customer who has just pulled their non-working mower out of the shed in time for the Easter get-togethers, would be comfortable telling them they can buy something new today and receive it after Christmas? There'd be some interesting reactions no doubt.

As we've said before, it's a problem not exclusive to our sectors, or indeed to our country. I interviewed the head of the U.S trade association, Kris Kiser, recently, for a feature in an upcoming issue of Service Dealer magazine, and I asked him how it was for dealers over there?

"We have the exact same problem,” confirmed Kris. “Significant parts shortages. Significant interruptions in transportation and delivery. Very real challenges. Most manufacturers are producing, it’s getting product out which is hard.

"So, yes, we’re having the same problems as you guys. And this weather we’ve had here has added to the interruptions.”

Whilst it doesn't exactly help, it is a fact that it's a worldwide problem right now. Sara Hey and Bob Clements, of the American dealer training organisation Bob Clements International, released a video this week in fact, talking about how they are working with their dealers to address the situation.

And of course it's been something we have been discussing with our panels since the start of the year. Last week the latest module of the Service Dealer Digital Toolkit went fully live, which has been designed by TAP and shaped by leading dealers, to address these type of issues directly.

We urge all readers to take a look at the Toolkit as there could well be that one nugget in there, that inspires some new thinking. As Service Dealer owner, Duncan Murray-Clarke, says, “Our new Dealer Toolkit module aims to give you the tools needed to adapt and futureproof your business."

How is your dealership impacted?

What would be of great value to us today, would be to hear from as many of our readers as possible about how this issue of stocking is affecting your dealerships right now - and what you foresee going forward? 

How are you coping? Do you have your methods to ride out the storm? Are you able to manage both customer and staff expectations?

We are running a short survey today with a few brief questions and a space for you to leave your comments, which we'd really appreciate your feedback on.

As ever, we shall publish the results and a selection of your thoughts in the next issue of Service Dealer magazine.

TAKE THE SURVEY

Husqvarna Group has published its 2020 Sustainovate Progress Report, that reports a 32% cut in CO2 emissions compared to 2015.

The company say these absolute reductions include emissions from suppliers, in operations and when products are in use. In a statement the company says this is an important milestone in the Group's " . .striving to lead the industry in low-carbon, resource-smart solutions."

Henric Andersson, CEO and President of Husqvarna Group commented on the Group's 2020 results, saying, "We feel a sense of urgency for climate action and with a 32% reduction since 2015, we took a big leap forward to achieving our 2025 carbon target."

The Group's Science-based target (SBT) takes into account the CO2 emissions that occur both in its own operations and when products are being used.

The company says they are committed to reducing CO2 in line with society's ambition to limit a temperature rise of 1.5 °C. It also commits to net-zero emissions across the value chain by 2050 at the latest.  

Sustainovate to 2025 is the Group's plan of action to, as they put it, "lead the industry in the shift to a low-carbon, resource-smart economy".

Some of the year's highlights are:

Carbon:  For the third consecutive year the Group has reduced its absolute CO2 emissions while increasing sales, demonstrating the business case for climate action.

Circular:  By 2025 Husqvarna Group will launch 50 circular innovations. The Group launched Sustainovate Open, an accelerator that hosted more than 20 start-ups in a circular innovation challenge. A 300,000 SEK pilot budget was awarded to Ekkono Solutions for its Edge Machine Learning software.

People:  By 2025 the Group will empower 5 million customers and colleagues to make sustainable choices. Ten sustainability awareness workshops with the employees were held during the year.The Group also closed the books on Sustainovate 2020, its five-year plan covering five areas necessary for integrating sustainability deeper into the business-carbon, teams, suppliers, safety and community.  The Group achieved four of five 2020 targets. Supplier audits was slightly below the stated target due to impacts of the COVID pandemic.

Sales, servicing and spare parts back-up for Kuhn equipment will now be available at the Inwood Farm depot at Nether Stowey, Bridgwater, following the agreement for Hunt Forest Group to acquire Smart Ag Services Ltd.

 
Hunt Forest, a John Deere dealership, has been a major supplier of Kuhn’s full agricultural and amenity ranges since the merger of R. Hunt Ltd and New Forest Farm Machinery in 2018. This latest acquisition by Hunt Forest Group allows extended coverage for the Kuhn offering in Somerset.
 
“Having now fully completed the acquisition of Smart Ag Services, we are delighted to be able to further our partnership with Kuhn into our expanded area,” comments Paul Burnett, business development director at Hunt Forest Group.
 
“Customers can benefit from a full suite of machines that help achieve more, in a cost-effective way, supported by a full team of experienced people both in our business and at manufacturer level. I am confident the Nether Stowey team, coupled with the ethics of Hunt Forest Group, will go from strength to strength and help us grow the Kuhn business together in the area.”
 
Siân Pritchard, managing director of Kuhn UK added, “We’re delighted to be able to make the KUHN brand more accessible to customers in Somerset and to strengthen our relationship with Hunt Forest Group.  Hunt Forest’s expertise and professional approach to sales and aftersales support in the farming and groundcare sectors is highly compatible with that of Kuhn UK.”

Organisers of SALTEX say they are looking for the best speakers in the grounds management industry to showcase their knowledge at the show, which takes place at the NEC, Birmingham on 3 and 4 November 2021. 

Learning LIVE, SALTEX’s education programme, provides advice, insight and solutions to issues faced by the grounds management industry. Organisers say they aim for the seminar programme at this year's event to be engaging, informative and educational for attendees.

Since its creation in 2015, the GMA say the most popular Learning LIVE sessions have been case studies and presentations from companies or individuals who are prepared to share personal experience and learnings.

In a statement the GMA said, "If you have a story to share or consider yourself a field specialist, then we want to hear from you.

"Each proposal will be evaluated and those that most closely match the needs of the attendees will be selected."

To submit a proposal, click here.

It has been announced that Fendt has entered into an agreement with tyre-maker, Continental.

The partnership between the two German manufacturers means all new 200 and 300 series tractors will now be available with TractorMaster tyres.

The move is described by Continental as another boost to the investment they have made to produce tyres with new technology at their dedicated agricultural production facility in Lousado, Portugal.
 
“This partnership with Fendt further strengthens the Continental tyre range for agriculture. It also demonstrates that the research and development we have carried out at our production plant in Lousado has attracted the interest and support of one of agriculture’s most influential brands,” says agricultural tyre specialist Richard Hutchins.
 
The TractorMaster tyres feature N.Flex Technology, a patent pending, heat-treated nylon that sits beneath the tyre rubber to help it return to its original shape after impact and heavy use. A further technological development is in the wire, or ‘bead’, that helps the tyre hold the rim of the wheel. Many agricultural tyres use as many as ten individual wires to create one bead which can cause weaknesses at the joins. Continental say their bead however, is made of a single wire construction wrapped around the circumference of the tyre up to one hundred times creating an agricultural tyre that holds the rim, even when run at very low pressure.
 
Mr Hutchins adds: “The bead is as important as the rubber and nylon in a tyre. Our research showed that tyres with a single wire bead can operate at up to 3 psi lower. In field operations this increases the footprint area which reduces soil compaction.”
 
Fendt is the second OEM from ACGO that Continental has been able to partner with, after Valtra, whose tractors have been equipped with Continental tyres since 2018.
 
Reacting to the partnership, Fendt’s UK marketing manager, Charlotte Ellis said, “We welcome partnerships with innovative suppliers who can help our products perform more efficiently in the field and on the road. Tyres are an extremely important part of any tractor and the new technology in Continental’s TractorMaster tyres shows how research and development is helping to drive agricultural efficiencies.”

Opico has appointed Matthew Ashton as Maschio territory manager to cover Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire and Bedfordshire.

L-R: Matthew Ashton, wew territory manager at Opico with Dominic Burt, product manager for Maschio Gaspardo in UK
 
Matthew joins the company with a strong agricultural background having studied agricultural engineering at Reaseheath College in Cheshire, before working for a series of agricultural dealers as both a demonstrator and salesman. Matthew is also a keen sportsman having only recently retired from club rugby.

Charles Bedforth, Opico UK sales director said, "Matthew’s background in farming and his enthusiasm for the role make an exciting combination. We’re pleased to have him on board."
 
On his new appointment Matthew said, "I’ve followed the OPICO brands for a while and I’ve sold the Maschio brand with my dealer hat on. This opportunity was too good to ignore. It felt the right time for me to move from a dealer to a machinery distributor and I am looking forward to my new role.’
 
Since joining, Matthew has been fully immersed in product sales training with Dominic Burt, Maschio Gaspardo’s recently appointed product manager.

Matthew will be based from home near Holbeach, Lincolnshire and his contact details are 07860 335228 or matthew.ashton@maschio.co.uk

Claydon has further expanded its UK distribution network with the appointment of agricultural dealer Oakes Bros. Ltd.

Richard Haines, managing director of Oakes Bros

The company will sell and support the full range of Opti-Till products in southern central England through its four depots, which are located at Micheldever (Hampshire), Coombe Bissett (Wiltshire), East Ilsley (Berkshire), and Horsham (West Sussex).

Richard Haines, managing director of Oakes Bros., said, “We are delighted to be taking on the Claydon Opti-Till range because it will help our customers to meet the challenges of farming at a time when controlling production costs is a priority and there is an increasing need to improve soil health. 

“Since we announced the addition of Claydon to our portfolio the response has been amazing, with both existing and potential Claydon customers calling us to find out more and book demonstrations. We are seeing interest from a wide range of farming businesses, from 300-acre mixed farms to 3000-acre arable estates, all of whom are looking to reduce establishment costs."

Rob Dunk, Claydon’s sales manager - UK and ROI, added, “This is an exciting development for Claydon as it represents a key milestone in our strategy of offering Claydon Opti-Till products to customers through a network of carefully selected, enthusiastic, professional dealers. Oakes Bros. have an excellent spread of depots, dedicated sales teams at each location and a strong focus on customer relationships, so this is an extremely positive development for existing and potential Claydon owners."

Lemken have announced that they have ended the past financial year with sales at an almost unchanged high level of EUR365 million.

The manufacturer said demand was particularly high for seed drills and hoeing technology. They also claim the new year has started well with very good levels of incoming orders.

Antony van der Ley summarised the past year by saying, "We are happy and grateful that we were able to maintain our production throughout the past year without placing the health of our 1,631 employees worldwide at risk. We have achieved our ambitious goals for both sales and results and are very satisfied, even though we exited the field sprayer sector.

"We have also been able to bolster our service for specialist dealers, farmers and contractors at the highest level. We managed the challenges of COVID well by providing many smaller-scale demonstrations and digital offerings. However, we would certainly be delighted if we were able to have face-to-face contacts and events again soon so that we can demonstrate the benefits of our methods on the fields for everybody to see." 

Last year Lemken took a decision on its future direction by stopping field sprayer production and focusing its strengths fully on the manufacture of modern precision hoeing technology. They say this has already yielded initial success: their subsidiary Steketee has increased its sales by 30 percent.

Sales in the German home market have remained consistently high, although international sales dominate with a 77 percent share in total sales. In 2020, the company's largest markets included France, Russia, the USA and the United Kingdom, with substantial increases in sales for the last three of these countries.  

The family-run business also say they are very optimistic for 2021, given the high levels of incoming orders.

Diet feeder specialist BvL GmbH, who this year celebrate 21 years in the UK, has announced the appointment of AM Phillip Agritech as its new dealer for northern and eastern Scotland.

All six AM Phillip Agritech depots from Glenrothes in Fife to Bridge of Ord near Inverness have taken on the sales and service for the complete BvL range of diet feeders and silage handling attachments. 

Following their appointment, the AM Phillip Agritech sales team have received training for the complete V-Mix diet feeder range, from the smallest 5m3 single auger up to the largest 46m3 triple axle machines, in addition to BvL’s range of Maximus self-propelled mixers. AM Phillip Agritech has also recently taken delivery of a sizeable parts order to ensure that each depot will be able to provide a high level of service and support for the BvL range, with parts support from BvL UK.

AM Phillip Agritech has been selling agricultural machinery for over 40 years and in 2018 joined The Scot JCB Group. They also own Kelso & Lothian Harvesters, who are the BvL dealers for the Borders and Lothian region, so this new appointment further strengthens the association between the two companies.

Ernest Doe and Sons Ltd is a multi-branched, long established family-owned company that sells Groundcare, Agricultural and Construction machinery, with franchises incl. Ransomes Jacobsen, Cushman, Wiedenmann, Iseki and New Holland.

We currently have the following vacancy at our Benington branch, based near Stevenage, Hertfordshire:

PROFESSIONAL GROUNDCARE AREA SALES MANAGER

The applicant needs to have a good, sound knowledge of Groundcare equipment and be committed to the sale of turf machinery to golf courses, local authorities and other professional users promoting the company’s franchises within Hertfordshire, South Beds and North London.

The successful candidate will be offered a competitive salary, commission, pension, life cover, company vehicle and good job prospects.

Please submit your CV with a covering letter to Jason Callaby, Branch Manager.

Email: jasoncallaby@ernestdoe.com

Jason Callaby 
Ernest Doe & Sons Ltd
Whempstead Road,
Benington,
Stevenage,
Herts
SG2 7BZ

Following last week’s launch of the WER19ALSP aluminium deck 19” lawnmower we are pleased to launch yet another new product from the Webb brand for 2021 with an all new 21” self propelled premium aluminium deck lawnmower.

The WER21ALSP boasts a powerful 163cc Briggs & Stratton 675EXi Readystart engine and a large working width of 53cm / 21”. The aluminium cutter deck is designed for exceptional airflow and collection performance, with 4 in 1 function offering the choice of rear collect, rear discharge, side discharge, and mulching.

For enhanced performance and durability, the WER21ALSP features a unique 4 blade disc, with swing tip blades to avoid costly damage in the event of objects being struck. 

Other features of the WER21ALSP include a large 70L collector with full indicator, large highwheels for easy manoeuvrability over any terrain, 8 stage central height adjustment from 25mm to 90mm, and quick release folding handles for easy transport and storage.

As with all Webb products the WER21ALSP offers exceptional value for money, with an SSP of just £599.99 including VAT, full spare parts backup, a 2 year warranty, and competitive dealer terms ensuring your profitability.

Other new products for 2021 from Webb include an electric silent shredder, 40cm electric chainsaw, 20V cordless tiller, 20V cordless lawnmower kit, 36cm electric scarifier/lawn rake, 21” aluminium deck lawnmower, and a new Briggs & Stratton powered self propelled wheeled vacuum with optional hose kit, scarifier and brush cassettes. The full range of 2021 products are available in our Trade Terms catalogue which can be viewed online at handyonline.co.uk or you can request a printed copy using the details below.

As well as our 2021 National advertising campaign in leading newspapers and magazines we have also invested heavily in our brand content, with new product videos, photography and online information. Visit our YouTube channel to see the latest product videos. 

For more information on any of the new Webb products contact Handy Distribution on 01793 333220 or speak to your local sales representative. Alternatively, all products can be easily ordered online at www.handyonline.co.uk

Our Summer research shows that on average, each Garden Trader dealer will be sent 114 new customers (or people with a buying intention walking through your door) per year.  This works out at 83p for each new customer. A subscription rate designed to be all inclusive delivering unrivalled online results.

This site was purpose-built just for skilled servicing ground care dealers by the team that bring you Service Dealer Magazine. It is easy and quick to register and costs just £96 + VAT per year for a full listing.  As this dealer site is designed to promote the UK dealer network, all revenues in 2021 will be reinvested into promoting the site online.

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