Service Dealer recently hosted another of our regular panel discussions with some senior representatives of machinery manufacturers and suppliers of business services.

Once again we'll be keeping names anonymous to facilitate a frank and honest exchange of opinions and we thank those who kindly gave up their time to speak with us.

Start of the year

We began with a general discussion of how they felt the year had begun for their companies and their dealers - and what we heard was that there is a real mixed bag out there right now. 

What most agreed upon is that there's a lot of stock in dealership showrooms and yards currently. More than there has been for several years. The question that these suppliers are now asking is, is there in fact too much? Have dealers, who have been burnt by having inadequate stock levels in recent times, over ordered?

There was talk of how dealers received stock late last year, well after they expected delivery, and haven't yet had the opportunity to sell it. There was concern voiced that this kind of scenario could lead to credit issues with certain dealers. The argument was presented that some businesses took all that  they could get their hands on, but now it needs paying for - and that's proving difficult for some.

We we told that our panel's dealers on the whole are feeling confident about the year ahead, with service levels being good at the moment for example. The problem that dealers are facing though, is both the overriding economic situation hitting consumers, but more importantly, it's our old friend the weather that is causing the most headaches.

Ever since all this stock was taken late last year, the unhelpful climatic conditions have meant that this season has just not got started in any meaningful way yet. Therefore dealers are sitting on stock and may find themselves struggling to pay bills. 

Due to these extenuating circumstances, it is difficult to see what may be the true picture of this coming season. It was also remarked that dealers may have difficultly remembering what a 'normal' season is due to the turbulent nature of the past 5 or 6 years of drought, floods and Covid.

What all this meant, we were told, was if dealers were to feel a pinch this year, it would be regarding this issue of cash-flow.

Growth opportunities

However, it wasn't all doom and gloom. We spoke about where dealers might see growth in their businesses in 2023. Essentially the message we heard was that growth will be possible with investment in the right product areas. What exactly those areas are of course, will be specific to each individual dealer.

We did hear though that some dealers have found success in branching out into new, but related areas, to their established businesses. Moving into more commercial markets for example, when domestic has previously been the principal focus, was spoken about. 

Also new and developing technologies such as robotics were mentioned as having great potential. The end-user desire for autonomous machines across domestic, commercial and agricultural sectors would only grow larger our panel felt. This could of course raise new issues for commercial users such as new health and safety concerns - but the technology for dealers of all machinery specialisms certainly presents opportunities.

Looking to the future again, a discussion was held over which alternative fuels might prove themselves popular amongst manufacturers and users. Hydrogen was spoken about as being a source that several companies are currently prototyping. Also low emission fuels are being looked at - as well as electric of course.

A slight note of caution was voiced over electric though for specific product areas such as utility vehicles. It was felt that the limits they could reach might perhaps not be as powerful as required by professional end-users. Therefore perhaps hybrid-systems would end up being favoured it was posited? The challenge would be, it was said, managing consumer expectations.

Women in the industry

Finally, inspired by the formation of Service Dealer's working group of female dealers, the session ended with a brief chat about the position of women in the industry.

The notion of greater diversity in the sector was was ,of course, agreed to be a positive move and indeed one that would benefit all. The consensus was that the situation has improved over recent years, with more women in key roles at manufacturers and dealerships than ever before - but more could still be done to increase numbers.

The representatives spoke about how their companies were proud to feature their female employees in promotional materials around events like International Women's Day, how more women dealers were attending their workshops and trips and how concerted efforts were being made to include a broader spectrum of people as models in their catalogues and websites.

Making increased efforts to encourage more women to the join the industry, especially young women, was agreed to be an endeavour very much worth pursuing. 

What would be a successful means of achieving this though? Well, that's something that's going to need some serious thought and effort by all invested parties.

Boss ORV, the sole UK distributor of the Corvus UTV range, have announced two more dealerships have joined their network.

Phil Everett, md of Boss ORV, with Alan McCracken

First up are Alan McCracken ATV Services. Allan McCracken started his business twenty-eight years ago following working for another Yamaha dealer. Based in Castle Douglas, the dealership offers sales and service of ATV’s, walk-behind and ride-on mowers in a thirty-mile radius of the town. 

“We’re delighted to welcome Allan McCracken and his team as our latest dealership appointment in Scotland,” says Phil Everett, Boss ORV’s managing director. “I have known Alan for over twenty-five years and the quality of service he provides is second to none. I’m looking forward to working with Alan again and developing the Corvus brand in this part of South West Scotland.” 

L-R: John Parry and Ed Cousins of Roberts Rural with Phil Everett

Next up are Roberts Rural who are based in Chard, Somerset.  A family-run business covering the southwest they supply new and used UTV’s including the new Corvus electric EX4, diesel and petrol range. 

Phil Everett said, “It’s great to have John Parry and Ed Cousins on board and we’re looking forward to working with them in this important region.”

Roberts Rural provides machinery and parts sales, servicing and maintenance to a range of business sectors and will provide Corvus with coverage across Somerset, Devon and Dorset.

Grange Machinery has extended its dealer network with the appointment of major dealership MANNS.

Paul Moss, sales director of MANNS (left) with Rhun Jones, managing director of Grange Machinery Ltd

Part of the Claas global agricultural machinery business, MANNS has seven depots in East Anglia, Kent and Leicestershire selling the full range of Claas machinery plus Horsch’s cultivation and seeding products, among other franchises.

 “Grange Machinery is delighted to be working with MANNS,” commented managing director Rhun Jones. “There is an excellent fit between our products and the range offered by MANNS and the company has a strong presence and long-standing reputation in the key arable regions of the country where many of our target customers are located.” 

Paul Moss, sales director of MANNS commented, “We are looking forward to offering Grange Machinery’s products, which complement our Horsch range perfectly, presenting an ideal solution for farmers and contractors who wish to loosen soil ahead of a cultivator or drill.”

“The combination is sure to be of great interest where farming for the benefit of the land is a goal, and offers us an exciting opportunity in that marketplace.”

Husqvarna Group has published its 2022 Sustainovate Report, the annual summary of the company's work with decreasing carbon emissions, developing circular innovations and inspiring more people to make sustainable choices. 

Sustainovate is described by the Group as its approach in combining its innovation capability with a commitment to sustainability. Through Sustainovate, Husqvarna Group say they are rethinking how products can be used more efficiently, produce them with resource-smart materials and power them with non-fossil fuel alternatives.  

"Husqvarna Group is a company that thrives on transformation. This capability has never been more important as we lead our industry into low-carbon, resource-smart solutions. We are building an ever-stronger Group by capturing new opportunities that strengthen our position," says Pavel Hajman, acting CEO of Husqvarna Group.

Summarizing 2022, the Group's CO2 footprint reduction is at -32% which is on track with the Science based target of a -35% CO2 reduction across the value chain between 2015 and 2025.

Husqvarna Group's ambitions include increasing the share of electrified motorised products to 67% by 2026 from 34% today. Although demand for electrical and autonomous products is growing, supply-chain disruptions impacted the ability to deliver electrical products according to plan during 2022.

The second target within Sustainovate addresses circularity, where the Group aims to "rethink and redesign for a resource-smart customer experience". By the end of 2022, ten circular innovations were launched and the company says the work continues towards the target of 50 launched circular innovations by 2025. The final target, to empower 5 million customers and colleagues to make sustainable choices, had reached 572,000 by the end of 2022.

During the autumn of 2022, the Group announced an acceleration program for the shift to an increased low carbon offering and will increase R&D

investments in autonomous mowers, battery, smart watering, and professional products.

Argo Tractors the UK distributor of the McCormick and Landini products, has made a new appointment which they say intends to both drive sales and develop the dealer network in the south and south-west of England.

Finlay Bassett has joined the business as territory manager for the those regions, in a role that will see him support Landini and McCormick dealers and help strengthen their presence in the market.

“As we continue to roll out new products, we want to capitalise on the strong working relationships we have with local family dealerships who not only supply new tractors but back them with high levels of service and a full aftermarket parts offering,” says Argo Tractors UK and Ireland managing director Adrian Winnett.

“In the south and south-west, Finlay will now be working not only to help our existing dealers in this respect, but also to strengthen our network with new dealer appointments to ensure both our McCormick and Landini brands have maximum presence in the marketplace.

“Finlay joins us with a strong and proven heritage of selling tractors, implements and construction machinery, as well as field-based technology, having worked for a UK importer and at dealer level. He has a strong background in direct selling on farm, plus skills in engineering and formal training in marketing. That makes him well-placed to help our dealers to grow sales of tractors and parts to support farmers in these regions."

Bruce Hopkins Ltd is the latest dealer to join the Polaris UK network, covering Oxfordshire, Warwickshire, Buckinghamshire areas.

Starting in 1974, Bruce Hopkins Ltd focused on service and repairs of agricultural machinery for local farmers and has been successfully growing their customer network ever since.

“The main reason we approached Polaris is because we know that they offer quality products and provide a wide range of options to suit all customers.” William Hopkins, company director said. “We knew it was something that was missing from our range and thanks to Polaris we are now able to offer a full range of products in the ATV and UTV market.

"We are also getting asked more and more about what electric products we can offer so with the launch of the Ranger XP Kinetic it will be a great draw for a lot of our customers.”

The SAGE show has announced that the UK Loggers National Championships will be held at their event this year.

The competition, which showcases the expertise and skills of the best loggers from around the country, will be hosted on the 19th and 20th of July 2023, at the Three Counties showground in Malvern, Worcestershire.

The UK Loggers National Championship is a test of precision and skill determining an overall precision chainsaw champion - with the best among the competitors going on to represent their country at the World Logging Championship next year. Consisting of five disciplines, the championship tests every facet of logging - from cross cutting, to felling, limbing, a chain change and a relay race.

Richard Siddons from UK Loggers said, “When we learnt more about SAGE and how it’s all about providing interactive, hands-on experiences and demonstrations, it was clear this would be the ideal place to hold the UK Loggers National Championships.

“Not only is there a huge amount of outside space available for us to hold the contest, we’ll also be surrounded by people who will appreciate the skill and experience of those taking part in the competition.

“We plan to put on a great show for those watching, who will also hopefully learn a little more about the many different aspects of precision chainsaw competing. And, of course, the champion will also be crowned, as well as the best few chosen to represent the UK next year at a global level.” 
 
 

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