Would I be right in assuming that the most challenging factor affecting dealerships' ability to function at their highest level this past year, has been availability of stock?

In 2020 I don't think it'd be too controversial to assume it was lockdowns and the myriad of rules that dealerships had to contend with which caused the most hardship. And then as we moved through 2021 it became apparent that supply of stock would be the major problem that our readers would have to use all their entrepreneurial skills to negotiate.

Once the calendar ticked over into 2022, consensus of industry opinion appeared to confirm that these delivery issues wouldn't magically disappear just because we were into a new year. If anything, I recall several figures telling dealers to prepare for the hardest year yet perhaps?

But is this assumption still correct? Are you maybe seeing an improvement with supply of wholegoods and parts into your dealership?

The main reason I ask - and we're running a short dealer survey on the subject today - is that we're at the end of the month where a couple of industry trade shows have taken place, where some positive noises regarding stocking have been heard. At these events I've had various manufacturers make favourable comments to me about where they are right now with supply of equipment.

Situation in store?

Now of course, I'm not naive enough to think there isn't an element of bravado, or of 'talking-up' the reality of the current situation, when a supplier is speaking to a member of the trade press. Equally, I in no way believe that everyone who had something upbeat to say about it, was outright lying. As with most things of this nature, I suspect the reality is somewhere in between.

Where there's no doubt is that this is a subject that is incredibly close to dealers' hearts and one which we as a trade magazine haven't had much encouraging to write about for the past 12 months. Therefore in almost every conversation I had with a stand-holder at both the Garden Press Event in London and BTME in Harrogate this month, at some point I asked " . . and how are you finding the supply situation at the moment?" 

Many of the answers I received, implied that the situation is at least improving, at best quite good. But you, our dealer readers, would certainly know better than me how accurate those assessments are. So please do take the time today to tell us what the situation for your dealership is like at the moment.

I heard replies from suppliers along the lines of 'we're actually seeing stock come through'; 'we placed large forward orders so we're doing ok'; or 'our suppliers are managing to fill containers for us'. 

Do these kind of statements ring true for your recent experiences?

I think what most everyone would still agree on, is that customer demand for product hasn't waned yet. With all we're hearing about the rising costs of living and the strains being placed on everyone's budgets, there is a real worry that the pinch for our sector could come. But as of yet, demand still seems to be consistent across domestic, commercial and agricultural customers.

What has been dampening down the rewards that could have been expected to have been reaped from this high demand this past year of course, is the lack of supply. Anecdotally for example, I've heard dealers say how getting hold of batteries for cordless tools has been especially troubling. But are things changing?

If as many of our dealer readers as possible were able to take a couple of minutes today, to answer a few quick questions, plus leave their comments regarding their recent experiences with getting hold of kit for their showrooms, or parts for their workshops, that would be much appreciated. It'll allow us to gain a snapshot of what the situation's like and hopefully compare where we are now to this time last year, when we ran a similar survey.

The results and a selection of your thoughts will be run in the next edition of Service Dealer magazine. Thanks in advance for your help.

TAKE THE SURVEY

LE-TEC have extended the deadline for entries for their annual Land-based Technician Of The Year competition.

Last year's winner, Laura Bassnet

Applicants now have until May 31st 2022 to submit their videos.

This year they have two categories to enter, one for someone who is just embarking on their career and one for someone who has a successful career and seen their vocation develop. A host of prizes are on offer for the winners.

To enter, candidates must record a short video telling the organisers:

• who you are and what you do,
• how you got into this industry,
• what makes it so rewarding,
• and why others should consider it as a career.

LE-TEC say it doesn't matter if it’s a selfie-style video, or a blockbuster production, its the story they want to hear and it's that which could win you the prize.

Videos should be sumbitted to info@letec.co.uk.

For inspiration, watch Laura Bassnet and Lauren Savage from 2021 or Will Twigg and Matthew Branson from 2020.

Some more prizes for 2022 have also been announced by Le-Tec, including:

• City & Guilds certified Refrigerant Handling Course and City & Guilds Air Conditioning Course, for two winners, funded by AP Air Europe. This will include meals and accommodation.
• A Makita Radio donated by Makita UK
• A 70pc Siegen Tool Kit by Sealey, donated by Kubota UK.
• BAGMA Handover and Installation Training for two winners, funded by Merlo UK Ltd. This will take place at the new Merlo training facilities and the prize will include meals and accommodation.
• A Karcher HD Classic 4/8 Pressure Washer, sourced by Bira Direct
• Various tool and equipment prizes to be announced.

Overton (UK) have appointed David Evans Agriculture Ltd as the latest dealers for Mean Green Mowers covering South Wales. 

Richard Jenkins (left) and Dan Oddy (right) from DEAL and Stuart Rose (centre) from Overton (UK)
 
David Evans said, "The current market is changing quickly and with the cost of all types of fuel increasing constantly, the battery powered machines are attracting a lot of interest.

"Many of our customers are exploring electric equipment across our whole sector and we felt the Mean Green mowers are a good fit for us as they are proven and established, have a 7-hour run time and surpass anything else on the market."
 
Stuart Rose from Overton UK added, "We are pleased to be working with the DEAL team in South Wales."

The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) is calling for entries for its Technical Innovation Awards.

2020 Gold award winners Lambert & Dyson Ltd

Designed to recognise design and innovation across machinery and equipment for use in the agri and rural sectors, the Society says the awards showcase inventions and innovations that demonstrate a positive impact on agriculture, horticulture, equestrian, forestry, renewable energy and estate activities. 

Entries must relate to machines, appliances, technical components or important ancillary equipment and should be commercially available or prototypes in development. All entries are judged and benchmarked on individual merit.

The judging format will be a hybrid of in-person demonstrations, user evaluation and electronic submissions. The awards are open to entries from Thursday 24th March until Friday 15th April via the Royal Highland Show website.

Winners will be presented with their awards during the Royal Highland Show in June and promoted through a PR and digital marketing campaign, with spaces reserved at the Show for the winners from 2020, 2021 and 2022 to exhibit their winning designs. The organisers say the show is a unique shop window for winners to take advantage of, with nearly 200,000 visitors expected over the four days.

The oldest RHASS award, having been in place since the formation of the Society in 1784, the Technical Innovation awards were formerly known as the ‘New Implements Award’. This year is a significant milestone in the history of the awards, as it marks the 200th anniversary of the Royal Highland Show. 

Last year, one Gold, six Silver and five Certificates of Commendations were awarded. The Gold award was presented to previous Silver award winners Calibrate Inc. Ltd, for their Heatpump Heat/Chill 6MW System.  

RHASS chief steward of technical innovation, Christopher Shepherd said, “Despite the challenges of the last couple of years, we have continued to see businesses exhibit fantastic levels of innovation, with a huge number of high-quality entries to the Technical Innovation Awards. 

“The Awards are a highly influential industry accolade, offering a unique and valuable marketing advantage to winners. This year even more so, as the Royal Highland Show celebrates its 200th anniversary. I look forward to seeing the designs and products that are leading the way in developing our rural industries.”

Lemken, the specialist for professional arable farming, say they closed the past business year with a 22% jump in sales.

The €446 million sales volume achieved represents a record for the family business, which has a 242-year history. They have also announced that the new year started equally well with a high number of orders on their books.

“We are very proud of this result and would like to thank all our employees for their outstanding work and commitment,” said partner Nicola Lemken and CEO Anthony van der Ley.

In a statement the company announced that incoming orders have exceeded expectations. The company puts this down to farmers and contractors benefiting from consistently high producer prices and therefore investing in modern agricultural technology.

Lemken say their production was optimally maintained throughout the year, and almost all implements ordered could be delivered. The number of employees worldwide increased to 1,697.

For the current year of 2022, the manufacturer say they are concerned by the ongoing war in Ukraine, not only on an economic level, but on a human level, given the company’s long-standing relationship with this important agricultural market. It hopes that this conflict will end as soon as possible.

At the same time, the sound volume of existing orders, which extends across all other sales markets and has been further boosted by high producer prices, means that the risk arising from this conflict can be mitigated and employment remains secure at the production sites. Against this background, Lemken say they expect a consistently high level of sales this year.

BIGGA has launched a new scheme that will see exhibitors at its annual trade show and education conference encouraged to ‘Plant a Tree for BTME’.

BIGGA's membership services Manager for ecology James Hutchinson (left) and head of business development Lauren Frazer (right) with Harrogate Golf Club course manager Ken Ward
 
The 2022 edition of BTME took place last week from 22 to 24 March at the Harrogate Convention Centre, but BIGGA say it is anticipated to return to its regular January date in 2023. Exhibitors who sign up to attend the 2023 event will be given the option of purchasing a tree, to be planted at a nominated golf course.
 
BIGGA hope that over the years sufficient trees will be planted to create a network of ‘BTME community woodlands’ around the UK, with Harrogate Golf Club the first club to participate in the scheme.
 
With individual trees capturing up to 1 tonne of carbon dioxide from our air over its lifetime, the scheme is intended to raise awareness of the carbon footprint generated by major events such as BTME and be a flagship initiative as BIGGA seeks to improve its sustainable practices.
 
BIGGA membership services manager for sustainability James Hutchinson said, “The idea of planting trees as a means of offsetting carbon generated by people travelling to attend BTME was first proposed by a BIGGA member a couple of months ago and it is something that struck me as making a lot of sense. Those who know me know that I’m a dendrophile - I love trees - and as we explored the possibility further we uncovered schemes such as the National Trust’s pledge to plant 20 million trees by 2030, so it just made a lot of sense to get involved.
 
“It is always important to take great care when selecting what trees to plant on a golf course as not all species are appropriate or will generate the desired result, but by working with courses that are eager to create areas of woodland for the wider community, we believe this scheme will help to raise awareness of the good work that golf courses are doing to protect the natural environment.”
 
Harrogate Golf Club’s course manager, Ken Ward, said: “An old employer of mine once told me, ‘we’re just custodians of this land’. That rang true with me. We’re not here for that long but we want to leave it in a better place than we found it. This is an opportunity to get our members and two local primary schools involved with a project on the golf course, which is a fantastic thing.”

Mark Daniel initially worked for Rustons Engineering (Reco) and was a regional manager for E P Barrus and Claas UK before moving to New Zealand in 2002

There he worked for two New Zealand distributors and dealerships before being offered the role of machinery editor for the Rural News Group, the leading farming publication in New Zealand, a post he has held for 7 years.

A Welshman, Mark now lives in the small coastal community of Raglan, near Hamilton in North Island, and he spoke with Chris Biddle for the latest episode of Inside Agri-turf podcast.

First Mark reflected on his time in the UK, on renting a room in Lancashire from Mike Gibson (Chris Gibson’s father) and of regularly falling off quad bikes in Wales.

.

Then of his present role of writing about machinery matters for the Rural News Group which has been largely unaffected during the past two years despite tight lockdown conditions in New Zealand.

Farming is central to the New Zealand economy and he described farmers coming to terms working under a ‘green’ Labour government with its environmental credentials, but which is suffering from labour shortages. 

Picking fruit and vegetables was previously undertaken by back-packers, often from the UK, but there have been none allowed in the country in past two years.

He also says that New Zealand farmers have a very commendable ‘make do and mend’ attitude and are very adept at solving mechanical issues themselves.

Despite that, and the fact that agri-business subjects are included in 30% of the country’s secondary school curriculum, he says that there is no university in New Zealand offering courses in agricultural engineering.

LISTEN TO EPISODE

The sports and grounds maintenance tradeshow, SAGE is taking place on 6th & 7th July at The Three Counties Showground in Malvern. Free registration is now open for visitors.

Organisers say there will be people from a wide range of industries exhibiting products, providing live demonstrations and the opportunity to take a free training course. 

In an official statement the show said, “The main priority of SAGE is that visitors get to see the industry products in action, in an environment that has ample space to accommodate the largest kit on sale. Amongst our exhibitors there are businesses who supply turfcare products and equipment, playground equipment and landscaping equipment.”

SAGE this year will also be hosting the first sustainability summit, which will take place on Wednesday 6th July, in partnership with Bio-Circle. Organisers say the summit will be led by experts across the industry and will provide guidance and support on how sustainable solutions can be achieved by businesses across the sports and grounds maintenance industry. The panel along with their colleagues will be on hand to deliver tailored options for those looking to adopt processes that are more environmentally friendly. 

There will also be taster courses on offer, as well as talks from leading experts across the industry.

Väderstad Proceed has won the Farm Machine 2022 award in the seeders and planters category, previously known as 'Machine of the year'.

The Farm Machine 2022 award is presented by a jury of agricultural journalists from over a dozen countries all over Europe.

“We are very proud to win this award, Proceed is a technological leap for precision farming that can place a full range of seeds at the perfect depth with millimeter precision, enabling significant improvements in areas like yield levels, need for tillage, chemical treatment and the use of fertilisers,” said Lars Thylén, director product management planters at Väderstad.

Currently Proceed is going through field trials in several countries across Europe. According to the manufacturer they show " . . impressive results with stronger crops, and an increase in both plant and root biomass compared to a modern seed drill - while cutting the seed rate in half for cereals."

With FR Jones and Son Ltd expanding and a new exciting move to the Midlands we have a vacancy for a Store Representative to work alongside the Branch Manager and Technician.

The new store will consist of Arborist, professional garden machinery equipment and tools from a varied supply of different brands. Alongside the store will be a workshop taking on repairs, servicing and warranty of all the brands we sell.

The ideal candidate for the position would ideally have knowledge of both the Arborist and Garden Machinery industry.

FR Jones and Son have brought in a new Oracle system that runs our day to day, for witch full training will be provided.  

Requirements

• Direct store / shop experience
• Good organisational skills
• Great customer service
• Growing the retail business
• Keeping shop looking fresh and tidy
• Driving higher margin products
• Full driving licence required for site visits in company van (ride on and robot mowers)
• Industry experience
• Dealing with customers in a timely manner

Full head office support will cover

• Accounts
• Purchasing
• Marketing (digital)
• Running of the warehouse (on site but will run independently)

Behaviours/Attitude

• Positive and enthusiastic attitude
• Receptive to new ideas and ways of working
• Work well independently as well as part of a team
• Resourceful
• Customer focus
• High degree of honesty and integrity
• Works calmly under pressure
• Patience
• Full training on our systems will be provided
• Professional appearance

Hours of work 

8-5 Mon-Friday
8-4 Saturday
Holiday 28 days (including bank holidays)

Store Representative up to £25k + Company Benefits & Pension

Please email us at hr@frjonesandson.co.uk with your CV, and we will come back to you. 

If you have any questions please feel free to email. 

With FR Jones and Son Ltd expanding and a new exciting move to the Midlands we have a vacancy for a Branch Manager to take ownership of the store and workshop and bring it to life with a fresh look and feel. 

The store will consist of Arborist, professional garden machinery equipment and tools from a varied supply of different brands. Alongside the store will be a workshop taking on repairs, servicing and warranty of all the brands we sell.

The ideal candidate for the position would ideally have knowledge of both the Arborist and Garden Machinery industry.

As a company we undertake LOLER inspections and therefore we would like the candidate to be able to be trained in being a LOLER inspector or even better to already have this qualification under their belt.

FR Jones and Son have brought in a new Oracle system that runs our day to day, for which full training will be provided.  The candidate would need to be computer literate and competent with Microsoft 360 – especially Excel and Outlook. 

In an ever-growing industry, it is important for the company to bring in new accounts. We would require our candidate to be pro-active in finding these accounts and building a good rapport with them. 

Running the shop and workshop includes

• Training and development of staff
• Good organisational skills
• Great customer service
• Dealing with issues in a timely manner
• Growing the retail business
• Managing staff and interviewing as we grow
• Implementing any system and process changes
• Keeping the store looking fresh and tidy
• Driving higher margin products sales
• Driving sales to hit KPIs 

Full head office support will cover

• Accounts
• Purchasing
• Marketing (digital)
• Running of the warehouse (on site but will run independently)

Requirements

• Store / shop management experience
• Understanding product sales margins
• Good use of Excel
• Full driving licence required for site visits in company van (ride on and robot mowers)
• Industry experience 

Behaviours/Attitude

• Positive and enthusiastic attitude
• Receptive to new ideas and ways of working
• Work well independently as well as part of a team
• Resourceful
• Customer focus
• High degree of honesty and integrity
• Works calmly under pressure
• Patience
• Full training on our systems will be provided
• Professional appearance

Hours of work 

8-5 Mon-Friday
8-4 Saturday
Holiday 28 days (including bank holidays)

Branch Manager up to £38k + Company Benefits & Pension 

Please email us at hr@frjonesandson.co.uk with your CV, and we will come back to you. 

If you have any questions please feel free to email. 

With FR Jones and Son Ltd expanding and a new exciting move  to the Midlands we have a vacancy for a Workshop Technician to take ownership of the workshop and work alongside to Branch Manager and Store Representative.

The new store will consist of Arborist, professional garden machinery equipment and tools from a varied supply of different brands. Alongside the store will be a workshop taking on repairs, servicing and warranty of all the brands we sell.

The ideal candidate for the position would ideally have knowledge of both the Arborist and Garden Machinery industry.

FR Jones and Son have brought in a new Oracle system that runs our day to day, for which full training will be provided. 

Requirements

• Experienced mechanic with small engine experience
• To be able to undertake servicing and repairs or 2 stroke, 4 stroke, electrical, battery, ride on and robotic machinery
• To learn and utilise each brands dealer web portal (for product schematics and referencing workshop manuals)
• Undertake warranty repairs and submit claims via dealer portals, liaising with manufacturer if necessary
• Good organisational skills
• Great customer service
• Dealing with issues in a timely manner
• Keeping the store looking tidy and fresh
• Full driving licence required for site visits in company van (ride on and robot mowers)
• Industry experience

Behaviours/Attitude

• Positive and enthusiastic attitude
• Receptive to new ideas and ways of working
• Work well independently as well as part of a team
• Resourceful
• Customer focus
• High degree of honesty and integrity
• Works calmly under pressure
• Patience
• Full training on our systems will be provided
• Professional appearance

Hours of work 

8-5 Mon-Friday
8-4 Saturday
Holiday 28 days (including bank holidays)

Workshop Technician up to £30k + Company Benefits & Pension

Please email us at hr@frjonesandson.co.uk with your CV, and we will come back to you. 

If you have any questions please feel free to email. 

Kawasaki Engine Division is a market leading supplier of top-of-the-line commercial and residential lawn mower engines (from walk behinds to commercial out-front riders) and for other garden and general industrial equipment.
 
As engine and drivetrain technologies continue to advance, installations are becoming more complex and our OEM customers require expert technical support for OEM product development projects. 

To aid further expansion in Europe, we are offering a rare and exciting opportunity for an experienced engineer to work with OEMs on new products by providing technical support for engine installation in new product development projects and applications across the EMEA trading area.

Main purpose of Job:

• This position seeks, creates and supports OEM/Distributor product development projects in all aspects of the correct installation of an appropriate Kawasaki engine for the OEM application.
• It further ensures the current and future compliance of Kawasaki engine ranges to required legislation in the trading area. 

Main Tasks:

• Communication with OEMs on initial and future product development project requirements
• Working closely with OEM R&D Engineers throughout the machine development process to ensure the correct fitment of Kawasaki engines to their products and to enable it to gain final OEM and Kawasaki approval
• Manage development and test schedules to OEM requirements
• Take commercial responsibility for customer accounts as agreed with Head of Sales

Experience required;

• Mechanical or Agricultural Engineering Degree (or similar) with several years practical experience in preferably horticultural or agricultural machinery industry
• Experience and knowledge of Turfcare OEM standards and working practices
• Commercial / Sales experience in Business-to-business market

Other information;

• This position reports directly to the Head of Sales and is responsible for engine installation and pre-sales issues projects with OEMs
• Within the daily operation this position has the freedom to plan and organise the activities as seen fit to perform the duties involved in the job, keeping the Sales Manager informed of any significant developments.
• Candidates should live within commuting distance from the Bourne End (Bucks) office.
• Kawasaki operate a hybrid working environment policy (mixed days at office/work at home)

Applications; 

Interested applicants should send their CV and a covering letter to Lee Skinner, Head of Sales LSkinner@Kawasaki.eu

Closing date; Monday 4th April

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