Landini and McCormick tractors will be back at The Ploughing (National Ploughing Championships, September 19-21 at Screggan near Tullamore, Co Offaly) this year as new distributor AgriArgo UK underlines its commitment to the Irish market.

A selection of tractors representing the current Landini line-up and the growing McCormick range will be on display, and the event presents the first opportunity for the AgriArgo management team handling sales, distribution and after-sales support to meet farmers, contractors and other end users.


AgriArgo's Will Doyle

“At our first Irish dealer meeting, we were told that returning to The Ploughing is essential to give the brands and the tractors the profile they deserve,” says Will Doyle, national sales manager for Ireland.

“But, frankly, we knew that already; it’s a hugely important event for the farming community and a great platform for effectively relaunching Landini and McCormick in Ireland.”

AgriArgo has kept a relatively low profile since being appointed by manufacturer Argo Tractors to take over the sales and support role vacated by the previous distributor.

Behind the scenes, explains Ray Spinks, general manager and sales director, the intervening period has been spent negotiating with existing and potentially new dealerships, and getting the required resources in place to serve the Irish market professionally.

“We’ve been focused on getting dealers up to speed on our procedures for ordering tractors and parts, and on putting finance resources in place for dealer stocking plans and retail sales,” he says.

“Our service staff have explained the diagnostics tools available to dealers for trouble-shooting, and the procedures involved in warranty claims and for delivering feed-back to the factory, which we consider very important for the long-term development of the products.”

This all takes time, Mr Spinks points out, but is essential to make the transition go as smoothly as possible so that Landini and McCormick dealers are well-equipped to serve their customers.