It's been a bit after the Lord Mayor's show this week for me, following on from all the excitement and drama of last Thursday's Service Dealer Conference & Awards.

Rather than attending fascinating seminars and keynotes, whilst celebrating success with our dealer readers, this week I have been back at my desk, readying the next issue of Service Dealer magazine for the printers. The new mag will be with you all for the beginning of the new year, with the issue packed with reports from the autumn shows; a discussion from Laurence Gale with some leading turf professionals on what they want from their dealers; as well as details of all the award winners and a full breakdown of all the day's sessions at the conference written by my colleague Martin Rickatson.

Before then, I'm aware that the immensely talented people at TAP, who run the awards and everything Service Dealer, are editing down all the hours and hours of video footage that was taken during the day and evening into manageable, bite-sized chunks to share with us when it's ready. When that's available it'll be highlighted in this Weekly Update.

Until then, I thought I'd wrap up the coverage here with some results that came out of the conference via the interactive surveying tool that was employed on the day. During the course of the event, Duncan asked the dealer delegates in the room to feedback to a few questions that were posed via a system called Slido, accessed through everyone's phones.

First up was a simple enquiry that no one should have struggled with, asking 'Where have you travelled from to attend the conference today?'. This in itself is quite revealing though, as we pride ourselves on the fact that dealers do indeed attend from all around the country - which hopefully the new central location of the event further helps.

The below word cloud illustrates the spread of attendees this year:

Quite why Dorset was the most popular area of the country to visit from this time around, I'm not sure?

The other word cloud I've been given by the organisers, shows the most used words that were submitted in questions to the Q&A panel that took place at the close of the conference. Returning to the stage were speakers who had presented throughout the day, and the below graphic shows the areas that the dealers in the room were interested in hearing more about.

It's probably no surprise that a word like 'experience' stands out big and bold here, considering that is one of the key ingredients that make up a specialist dealer's appeal to their customer base. Also words like 'brand', 'care' and 'time' also tie into this.

I will admit though, I am somewhat perplexed as to why "pianos" has found its way on to there?! A new innovation to make the showroom experience more pleasant perhaps? Very odd.

The Slido system also asked delegates a couple of brief questions that the team thought it would be good to get a quick steer on, as to how dealers may be feeling this winter.

Firstly it asked 'How confident are you about your business's prospects for 2024?' - with the results showing:

Very confident - 38%

Cautiously optimistic - 37%

Neutral - 13%

Not confident - 12%

It's encouraging to see that most dealers who responded, chose a positive option to describe their feelings. Crucially, zero people selected the 'worried' description that was also available.

Finally Slido asked, 'Which of the following options do you consider to be the biggest challenge to your dealership in 2024?' - which gave the following results:

Economy - 50%

Supply of stock - 26%

Erosion of margins - 24%

Political situation - 10%

There were other options to choose from too, including 'online discounters', 'rival dealers' and 'mass retailers' that no-one chose. Also surprisingly, no one chose 'weather'. Perhaps now the weather is so intrinsically tied in to all that a dealership does, that it's no longer considered a 'challenge'? 

Hopefully sharing these brief stats today gives a little insight into the mindset of how the dealers who attended last week were feeling. From speaking to people and hearing the contributions that were spoken during the sessions, I certainly got the impression that whilst business is, as ever, tough and requiring of huge effort and dedication, there's a palpable positive vibe out there at the moment. 

After the past few years that everyone has endured, long may it continue!

Generous attendees at last week's Service Dealer Awards are in the top 10% of recent fundraisers for Macmillan Cancer Support.

A raffle held during the gala ceremony where the Dealer of the Year winners were revealed, has so far (as of the morning of Friday December 8th 2023) raised an amazing £2,740!

The good news is though, the Just Giving page is still open and anyone who wishes can continue to kindly donate.

Making the draw, L-R: Comedian Charlie Baker, Service Dealer owners Duncan Murray-Clarke and Emma Cragie and Service Dealer's Nikki Harrison

Service Dealer owner, Duncan Murray-Clarke, said, “Thanks to everyone who supported Macmillan Cancer Support in our raffle on awards night - making our event one of the top 10% of Macmillan fundraisers in November!

"Thank you everyone for supporting this worthwhile cause. While the raffle was drawn on the night, if you wish, you can still donate and support this fantastic charity."

Visit Service Dealer's Just Giving page here.

According to figures released by the AEA, after an unusually strong performance in October, the number of agricultural tractors registered in the UK during November was "unusually low". 

At 414 machines, the monthly total was down by more than a third, compared with the seasonal average and by over 40%, compared with the same month last year.

Commenting on the figures, agricultural economist at the AEA, Stephen Howarth, said, "The total for the last two months was very close to the seasonal mean, though, so it is too early to say whether this is just a blip or marks the start of a downturn in the market.

"The combined total for October and November 2023 was below the level reached a year ago, when manufacturers were working through the backlog which had built up over the previous couple of years. Nevertheless, the total for the year to date was still 2% higher than in the same period of 2022."

Kramp, the spare parts supplier, has announced a new fund totaling £30,000 yearly for agricultural engineers, farmers and students. The initiative is called Cultivate a Generation and will provide funding for essential workshop equipment.

Kaleb Cooper of Clarkson's Farm attended the launch event

There will be seven categories inviting applications: agricultural engineers, arable farmers, livestock farmers, young farmers, contractors employing less than five people and more than five people, and family support. To celebrate the Cultivate a Generation launch, there will also be an additional grant supporting six students at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) that Kaleb Cooper will present.

“We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Cultivate a Generation fund, a groundbreaking initiative designed to empower the future of agriculture in the UK,” said Des Boyd, sales director at Kramp UK. “This fund is dedicated to supporting farmers, young and old, farming families, contractors and agricultural engineers by providing essential workshop equipment to cultivate their skills, knowledge, and passion for agriculture.

“In an era where agriculture plays a pivotal role in addressing the challenges of sustainability, innovation, and food security, nurturing the next generation of farmers and agricultural engineers is paramount.” 

Kaleb Cooper, one of the stars of the hit Prime Video series Clarkson’s Farm, attended the launch event at the Kramp UK headquarters in Biggleswade. 
 
He commented, “I’m passionate about using the opportunities that farming has given me to help other people succeed in agriculture. I recently launched my own Kaleb Cooper Agriculture Bursary at RAU. Kramp’s Cultivate a Generation fund is a fantastic opportunity for people in the industry to begin equipping their own workshops.”

The grants will mostly be in the form of credit to the Kramp online store, which stocks workshop equipment. Anyone who fits into one of the categories can apply through the Kramp UK website: Cultivate a Generation. 

A year on from its launch, the flagship Fendt 728 Vario (Gen7) has come out top in an independent DLG PowerMix test which measured the performance, efficiency and fuel consumption of the 303 hp tractor.

AGCO, the tractor's manufacturer said, when results were compared with previously tested tractors in the 240 to 305 hp sector, the 728 Vario proved to be the most economical. With a consumption of 242 g/kWh (+ 24.2 g/kWh AdBlue) in the field, it consumed 15 g/kWh less than the comparable competitor machine at 257 g/kWh (+16 g/kWh).

During transport work at a speed of 40 km/h, the 728 achieved a peak value of 332 g/kWh (+ 33 g/kWh AdBlue), a saving of 16 g/kWh when compared to other brands in the segment.

Moving at 50 km/h, it consumed 336 g/kWh (+ 33 g/kWh AdBlue), just 4g more than at 40 km/h. And at a maximum road speed of 60 km/h, this only increased by 2g to 338 g/kWh (+ 33 g/kWh AdBlue).

“For operators covering high road miles the fuel efficiency of the 728 Vario will mount up and, with fuel prices rising, this will provide significant savings. For contractors harvesting and transporting crop long distances it represents a sound investment,” said Fendt’s Richard Miller.

To test a tractor the DLG evaluates fuel and Adblue consumption under typical workloads on a rolling test bench to demonstrate energy efficiency. It also uses 12 field-based load cycles, including draft work with a plough or cultivator, PTO and mixed work. This, combined with two load cycles during transport work on the road, provides an aggregated total score.

Having been named Tractor of the Year 2024, Claas's Xerion 12 Series was also awarded with a Farm Machine 2024 Award at the recent Agritechnica, with a second award being made to the 3A - Advanced Automation & Autonomy consortium.

These prizes completed an award winning week for Claas, which also saw the company also receiving two silver Innovation Awards.

L-R: Laudator Alexander Brockmann (dlv/traction) Thomas Spiering, Lukas Große-Wienker, Jan Wieckhorst, Johannes Weisbrodt and Dr. Martin von Hoyningen-Huene 

Following the recognition for the Xerion in the Farm Machine category, Dr. Martin von Hoyningen-Huene, chief technology officer Claas Group and responsible for the tractors and implements division, said, "We are overwhelmed that after 25 years of Xerion on the market, Helmut Claas’ vision has received this prestigious award.

"This award and the Tractor of the Year 2024 belong to the entire product team around development, marketing and sales. After many extremely positive customer comments on the market launch, both awards impressively confirm the innovative approach of the tractor and are further evidence of its numerous undoubted technical and economic arguments."

Claas say they were also pleased to receive another award with its 3A founding partners AgXeed and Amazone. In the 'Smart Farming & Robotics' category, the world's first consortium for high automation and autonomy prevailed against two competing submissions and thus received the second award at Agritechnica after the silver Innovation Award.

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Visitors to this year’s SALTEX were among the first to see the new and exciting range expansion from leading garden machinery brand, Cobra. 

At the show, Cobra unveiled its collaboration with EGO Power+ with the launch of its new ‘Fortis powered by EGO’ products.

Earlier this year, the brand successfully launched its Fortis range of petrol-powered cylinder lawnmowers with six interchangeable cartridges, creating the ultimate lawncare system. Now, as part of the next phase of the Fortis range and continuous  product development by the brand, it has partnered with battery-powered specialist in the garden machinery sector, EGO Power+. 

The 4 new Fortis lawnmowers powered by EGO will offer the same extensive specifications and technology as the petrol models, combining the cutting expertise of Cobra with the revolutionary power and eco-credentials of EGO’s 56volt Arc Lithium battery technology.

Fortis mowers all feature a six-blade precision ground cutting cylinder to give the finest, most precise cut possible. The height of cut can easily be adjusted too, with variants as low as 6mm (3mm with the 10 bladed cylinder fitted) and ranging up to 30mm. The finishing touch to the perfect cut comes from the steel front roller giving an enhanced definition to the iconic lawn stripes.

What makes the Fortis machines the ultimate in lawncare, however, is their ability to transform into six other machines to ensure that lawns are immaculate and healthy. The Fortis six-bladed cassette can simply be removed and replaced with another accessory cassette in the range to switch its use. Other cartridges include a verticutter, scarifier, dethatcher, aerator, lawn brush and ten-bladed cassette. 

The ‘Fortis powered by EGO’ mowers will be available from spring 2024.

For more information on Cobra visit: www.cobragarden.co.uk

or to become a Cobra dealer, please contact Andy Marvin on: 07771 581 296 or call our sales team: 0115 986 6646 today.

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