EDITOR'S BLOG
DEMO DAYS RETURN
Will you attend this year?
by Service Dealer Editor, Steve Gibbs
 
Steve Gibbs

With some manufacturer-organised dealer demo days back on the cards for late-summer, how keen are you to get back out there and attend?

 


During that period last year when events were being cancelled left and right, a discussion I recall holding multiple times with both dealers and manufactures, was how were new products going to be introduced to the network?

 

Dealer demo days and manufacturer conferences are a traditional part of the industry's late-summer / autumn schedule. Last year there was much talk regarding what was going to happen with 2020's set of dates. Would they be able to go ahead? Should they be scrapped outright? Were there ways of holding hybrid on-and-off line activities?

 

I remember one dealer saying to us at one point, 'if manufacturers don't introduce their new products to me, how am I going to introduce them to my customers?'

 

As it was, pretty much nothing along these lines happened face-to-face. Different manufacturers and suppliers all found their own remote ways of introducing new developments. Some of these products introduced via the internet, will of course have struggled to actually reach showrooms - but that's another story!

 

This late summer and autumn however, with the progress that has been made, it appears that certain companies are planning on holding in-person events for their dealer networks once again. Readers have most likely been invited to more than one already. I'm aware of several key suppliers all of whom, have get-togethers lined up for September.

 

The question now is, how popular will these prove to be do you think? Are you keen to get back out and meet your suppliers and fellow dealers?

 

Trade show indications?

 

In order to try to get a steer on that question, should the few trade shows that have taken place so far this year be used as any sort of indication for what the appetite is like for industry meet ups?

 

You might have read my piece last week about the Festival Of Turf that took place in Warwickshire. A well intentioned effort that was, to put it bluntly, poorly attended.

 

This week the Sports & Grounds Expo has been taking place at Malvern - and whilst I can't speak from first-hand experience, I've heard from an exhibitor who described the three day event as "quiet". 

 

Whilst in the ag machinery sector, colleagues who attended Cereals in June, talked of visitors being thin on the ground.

 

So should these events be taken as evidence of a lack of enthusiasm for real-life industry gatherings in 2021? Are Zooms good enough?

 

I'd argue yes and no. Perhaps for these end-user targeting events, there's not currently too great a desire for many to leave their work at a busy time of year to attend. 

 

But my guess for events specifically designed for the dealer network, is that they could do rather well - especially considering most suppliers are putting on roadshows at multiple venues around the country. This means travel should be cut down for attendees who don't have to schlep miles to a national venue - there should be an option relatively close by.

 

Crucially the key element of course, is that these will be targeted events, specifically for dealers, each with their own compelling reasons to attend.


Dealers who responded to our recent Business Confidence survey told us they are looking forward to the rest of the year and beyond with a 'cautious optimism'. Finding out what new products their suppliers will be bringing to market will play into that. 

 

But what do you think? Do you have some manufacturer demo day dates in your diary already? Are you looking forward to getting back out there and mixing with peers and colleagues again?

 

Or are you not so keen? Is time away from your dealership this autumn not a priority for you? Have virtual product launches been perfectly good these past months?

 

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.

NEWS
RW CRAWFORD'S NEW DEPOT TO OPEN MONDAY
In Ropley, Hampshire
 
Crawford's Ropley depot opens Monday

This week's WEB ONLY story is dealers RW Crawford have announced that their new branch at Ropley Business Park, Alresford will open on Monday 2nd August 2021.

 


IBCOS / CATALYST ANNOUNCED AS JOINT PLATINUM SPONSORS
Of 2021's Service Dealer Conference & Awards
 
Adam Giles, Account Manager, Ibcos (2nd from right) presents Neale Hopley of Buxtons with their Forestry Machinery Dealer of the Year award at 2019's Service Dealer Awards - with Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke (left) and comedian Charlie Baker (right)

Service Dealer are pleased to announce Ibcos and Catalyst Computer Systems as joint Platinum Sponsors of the 2021 Service Dealer Conference & Awards which returns to the Double Tree by Hilton Oxford Belfry this November.

 


Returning to the Double Tree by Hilton Oxford Belfry this November, the Service Dealer Conference & Awards will benefit from Ibcos and Catalyst Computer Systems as joint Platinum Sponsors.

 

The date of this year's event has been confirmed as Thursday November 25th 2021.

 

Adam Giles, Account Manager, Ibcos (2nd from right) presents Neale Hopley of Buxtons with their Forestry Machinery Dealer of the Year award at 2019's Service Dealer Awards - with Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke (left) and comedian Charlie Baker (right)

 

Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke said, "We are pleased to welcome back both Ibcos and Catalyst to the Service Dealer Conference & Awards - this year as joint Platinum Sponsors.

 

"We thank them both for their continued support and look forward to a most valuable event for the independent dealer network."

 

 

James Buchanan, sales director at both Ibcos and Catalyst said, "We’re incredibly excited to announce that we will be joint-Platinum sponsors at this year’s Service Dealer Conference & Awards. We thoroughly enjoy sponsoring this event as it’s a great opportunity to meet with industry experts and share best practices.

 

"We’re thrilled that the event can go ahead this year and we can’t wait to share expert insights about the groundscare and agriculture industries.."

 

More details about this year's Service Dealer Conference & Awards will be announced in due course.

 

You can watch Adam Giles of Ibcos present the Forestry Machinery Dealer Of The Year Award at 2019's Conference & Awards below:

 

Service Dealer Awards 2019: Forestry Equipment Dealer of the Year

 

LISTER WILDER SECURE JBM ARBORICULTURE PARTNERSHIP
Supplying products across all depots
 
Lee Hatton, groundcare area sales manager with some of the new JBM machines

Through importers DJB Machinery, Lister Wilder will be stocking and supplying JBM stump grinders from July 2021.

 


Through importers DJB Machinery, Lister Wilder have announced they will be stocking and supplying JBM stump grinders from July 2021.

 

Lee Hatton, groundcare area sales manager with some of the new JBM machines


JBM has been manufacturing stump grinders since 1975 and sells to a number of European markets and but according to Lister Wilder, has been under-supported in the UK until now. DJB Machinery working in conjunction with the manufacturer has ensured products are curated from an understanding of the UK market’s needs.


Phill Hughes, Lister Wilder sales director, said, "Securing these key partnerships allows us to ensure we are offering a quality product that suits our customers’ demands. Our aim is to be the one-stop shop for our arboriculture market and we are partnering with reputable manufacturers in order to do this."


Andy Elliot from DJB Machinery added, "This new partnership between JBM and Lister Wilder is great news. Their passion and extensive knowledge within the arb industry will help us to provide customers with great levels of support and access to our brand via a highly respected and well established network. We are proud to have them join us and look forward to working very closely together with more exciting products coming very soon."

GJR APPOINTED BY CAMPEY
New dealer
 
Geraint Richards of GJR Machinery

Campey Turf Care Systems has appointed Monmouth based GJR Machinery as their new dealer for South Wales, Mid Wales and Herefordshire.

 


Campey Turf Care Systems has appointed Monmouth based, specialist ground care machinery dealer, GJR Machinery as their new dealer for South Wales, Mid Wales and Herefordshire.

Geraint Richards

 

The company has been run by owner Geraint Richards since 2005. Before starting the business, Geraint was instrumental in the transformation of 400-acres of agricultural land into a 27-hole championship golf course at Cottrell park, with USGA spec greens. 
 
The grow-in knowledge was then combined with 11 years of hands-on machinery experience at the golf resort before Geraint began to grow his business.
 
Geraint said, “For us, Campey brings it all together. This opportunity fits perfectly with our company because the machines complete our portfolio, we can now offer everything that our customers need, which means they can use one company but not one brand name.
 
“The feedback we’ve had from demos already has been very good and very successful. We’ve made sales already within our first two months with machines like the UniRake and the Air2G2, which is very impressive. 
 
“Effortless, straightforward but effective machinery is what I’ve seen from Campey throughout the years, it’s something that’s made me keep an eye on what they’ve been doing since I was working at Cottrell Park many years ago. When I was there, I was always looking for new ideas. I’m one of these people where if I can see there’s a way of doing something a little bit differently, I’ll challenge it and have a go.”

ALAMO ANNOUNCE CHANGE IN SEGMENT REPORTING
Split between two new divisions
 
Alamo Group have announced a change in segment reporting

Beginning with Q4 2021, Alamo Group say they will report business results in two new segments, namely, the Vegetation Management Division and the Industrial Equipment Division.

 


Beginning with Q4 2021, Alamo Group say they will report business results in two new segments, namely, the Vegetation Management Division and the Industrial Equipment Division.

 

 

The Vegetation Management Division will include all of the operations of the former Agricultural Division plus the mowing and forestry/tree care operations that were previously part of the former Industrial Division, including the recently acquired Morbark and Dutch Power business units.

 

The Industrial Equipment Division will include the Company’s vocational truck business and other industrial operations such as excavators, vacuum trucks, street sweepers, and snow removal equipment.

 

In an official statement the company said, "This realignment of our two divisions provides greater potential to capture synergies in cross-branding, distribution, product development, supply chain management and logistics. They are also more balanced in scale and scope giving the  company two strong platforms for ongoing development through a mix of organic growth and acquisitions."

 

The Vegetation Management Division will be led by Rick Raborn who is currently serving as Executive Vice-President of the Company’s Agricultural Division. The Industrial Equipment Division will be led by Michael Haberman, who is currently leading the Company’s excavator and vacuum truck business units and who served as the President of the Company’s Gradall business from 2006 to 2020.

 

In addition to the above segment related changes, Alamo Group has appointed Dan Malone to serve as the Company’s first Chief Sustainability Officer in an effort to enhance the Company’s focus on environmental and social governance and related sustainability efforts.

BRITISH PLOUGHING CHAMPIONSHIPS CELEBRATES 70 YEARS
Returns in October
 
British Ploughing Championships

The British National Ploughing Championships & Country Festival will be celebrating 70 years when the event is held on 9th and 10th October 2021 at Mindrum Mill, Northumberland


The British National Ploughing Championships & Country Festival will be celebrating 70 years when the event is held on 9th and 10th October 2021 at Mindrum Mill, Northumberland, by kind permission of D Harvey & Son. This will be only the third time the event has been held in the county.

 


 
Organisers say space for trade stands, shopping stalls and agricultural machinery demonstrations is being snapped up after many shows have been cancelled.
 
They also say ploughing entries are coming from ploughmen and women from all over the country with some competitors travelling well over 400 miles to take part in the Championships from as far afield as Devon, the Isle of Wight and Kent.
 
They will compete in one of fifteen different ploughing classes over the two days - including world style conventional and reversible, vintage classes for trailing, hydraulic and classic ploughs, horticultural ploughing, crawlers, tractor high cut and magnificent heavy horses. There are also tractor club classes for Ferguson, Ford & Fordson and David Brown. In five classes, the top 10 competitors from the first day will take part in a Plough-Off Final on the Sunday to find the British Champion in each section.
 
Alongside the ploughing competitions, organisers say there will be steam ploughing engines, vintage tractors and machinery displays and working vintage demonstrations. Machinery manufacturers and local dealers will have an area for demonstrating machines and there will be agricultural trade stands plus other related shopping areas.
 
The 250 acre site is close to the Scottish border, between Wooler and Kelso and is sown with wheat and oil seed rape.  After a recent site visit, President of the Society of Poughmen, organisers of the event and host farmer, Ian Harvey said, “I have been planning the crop rotation around this great event since 2018 and there is a lot of local and national interest and excitement about the Championships coming to North Northumberland next to the Scottish border. It will be an honour to host such an outstanding event!”
 

SERVICE STAFF ARE ASSESSED FOUR TIMES A YEAR
Pay rates are performance related
 
RDO Equipment Co

Monitoring the performance of service and parts personnel on a regular basis is vital in the retention of skilled staff for the US dealership that employs over 2800 staff.

 


Monitoring the performance of service and parts staff on a regular basis is vital in the retention of skilled staff. “We set up meetings four times a year with every member of our service and parts team to monitor their performance against an agreed career path” says Amanda Dawson, HR Director of RDO Equipment Co in the US “as their pay rate is performance related”.
 
“In our experience, long-term career prospects are more important than pay rates, although we regularly benchmark our remuneration packages against similar industries.”
 
Along with Andy Luikens, RDO’s Talent Acquisition Manager, Amanda was talking to the Inside Agri-Turf podcast about recruitment and retention of the more than 2800 staff employed by the John Deere dealership based in Fargo, North Dakota.
 
Working on the family potato farm using rented equipment from a local John Deere dealer, 26-year old Ronald Offutt was given the opportunity to purchase that dealership in 1968. From a single branch, the company now operates 75 branches across nine US States and also has a partnership with a number of international dealerships including Australia where in 2015 RDO bought the Deere dealership Vanderfield. 
 
RDO Equipment Australia Group now operates 29 dealership location employing over 700 staff.
 
During their conversation with podcast host Chris Biddle, Andy Luikens described how the company start their quest for new staff at a very early age.  “It is important that we sell the attraction of a career in the farm equipment industry to the young, then engage the parents, open our doors for regular visits and make sure we keep ‘the fire lit,’” he says.
 
FARMTRAC FULLY CHARGED FOR SHOW
All-electric compact tractor to be displayed
 
Farmtrac FT25G

Farmtrac say their FT25G so impressed show founder Robert Llewellyn on his Fully Charged TV show last year, that it will be on display at Fully Charged LIVE UK in September. 

 


Farmtrac say their all-electric compact tractor, the FT25G, so impressed show founder Robert Llewellyn on his Fully Charged TV show last year that it will be will be at Fully Charged LIVE UK in September. 

 

Steven Haynes, sales manager at Farmtrac, says, “Last year the FT25G featured on an episode of Fully Charged and the immediate reaction from the audience was incredibly positive and it has since proved itself to be a worthy alternative to a diesel-powered tractor. This year we have further increased the options available on the tractor to make it even more useful in a host of year-round applications and we can’t wait for people to experience it first-hand.”

 

On an episode of Fully Charged which airs to over three million people a month on YouTube, the FT25G was put through a series of tests to evaluate its performance and both Fully Charged TV show host and show founder, Robert Llewellyn and farmer Adam Henson, were highly impressed with the results.

 

Robert said at the time: “What it has proven today beyond a shadow of a doubt, it’s not just me saying it, it’s Adam – proper farmer too – he drives tractors all the time and he absolutely loves this thing. It’s so much quieter than a diesel machine... It’ll give you six to seven hours of hard work. So, I’ve been using this thresher that uses a lot of energy and it’s fine, it keeps going. And it doesn’t half do it well, it mashes through it.”

 

The FT25G compact tractor is the first commercially available all-electric tractor in the UK. Featuring a 72V lithium-ion battery and onboard charger, the FT25G produces zero emissions and low noise. The manufacturer says it can be charged from any domestic socket to 100 percent in eight hours.

 

The FT25G will be on stand E18 from 3-5 September at Fully Charged LIVE UK, Farnborough International.

TECHNOLOGY PAYS OFF FOR GLENEAGLES
Supplied by dealers Double A
 
Scott Fenwick, Craig Haldane (front centre & right) and members of Gleneagles’ greenkeeping and gardens team with John Deere and dealer Double A staff on the 18th fairway of The King’s Course.

As Gleneagles enters the fifth year of its partnership agreement with John Deere, they say their adoption of the latest precision technology is paying off across their championship courses.

 


As Gleneagles enters the fifth year of its partnership agreement with John Deere, they say their adoption of the latest precision spraying and mowing technology is paying off across theirs championship courses, The King’s, Queen’s and PGA Centenary, plus the 9-hole Wee Course.

 

Scott Fenwick, Craig Haldane (front centre & right) and members of Gleneagles’ greenkeeping and gardens team with John Deere and dealer Double A staff on the 18th fairway of The King’s Course.

 

The award-winning luxury destination in Perthshire holds a unique position in golf as the first European venue to have hosted both The Ryder Cup (in 2014) and Solheim Cup (in 2019). John Deere was the official golf course and turf maintenance equipment supplier to Gleneagles for the latter event, with tournament support provided by local supplying dealer Double A at Cupar.

 

The next professional tournament scheduled at Gleneagles takes place in July 2022, when The King’s Course will host The Senior Open Presented by Rolex for the first time. This will be Europe’s only Senior Major Championship next year.

 

Gleneagles director of agronomy and estates Scott Fenwick says, “We’re anticipating a great tournament next summer, particularly as The King’s Course also hosted what was then the Bells Scottish Open from 1987 to 1994. Hopefully a lot of the big-name golfers from that era will be able to play the course again, and we look forward to welcoming them back to Gleneagles.”

 

Scott Fenwick recently took delivery of the latest additions to Gleneagles’ extensive John Deere course maintenance equipment fleet, including the ProGator-based GPS PrecisionSprayer, WAM 1600T and 9009A TerrainCut rotary rough and finishing mowers, plus nine TS & TX Series Gator utility vehicles.

 

“We were the first UK golf course to receive a prototype of the GPS PrecisionSprayer for assessment, from the start of the John Deere contract,” says Scott.  “We were able to do a lot of testing with it over three seasons, to help John Deere evaluate the machine in true commercial conditions.

 

“Accuracy is key for everything we do at Gleneagles. We were also one of the first golf venues in the UK to achieve GEO Certified status, and the environmental credentials of our business are very important to us. To be able to spray only target areas is obviously much better from an environmental point of view. We are now able to apply around 12 to 14 per cent less chemical at lower total volumes of water, which also means lower costs, so it’s a big win all round.

 

“Although autonomous technology is well established in agriculture, it’s new to our side of the industry. Once you get used to not having to steer the machine and allowing it to do everything automatically, it’s very operator friendly. Testing the sprayer over an extended period meant we could be sure that it did what it was supposed to do and have full confidence in the results.”

 

Precision is a feature of the A model mowers that Gleneagles uses, with the machines set up using the TechControl system so that they mow and turn at exact speeds. This helps give a consistent finish across all courses.

 

“This is particularly important on a big site like ours, with a 50-plus strong greenkeeping and gardens team and a lot of equipment,” Scott adds. “Every operator has a slightly different approach and feel, but with so many mowers being used by different people every day, we need to achieve consistency.

 

“Since joining Gleneagles three years ago our golf courses manager, Craig Haldane, has been instrumental in bringing the golf and gardens staff together to operate as one team across all the courses and grounds. This has meant we can manage and direct operations and the equipment fleet much more efficiently, and it has also improved communications and the use of resources.

 

“Overall the new John Deere fleet is now in a really good place. It’s also been great for morale that even though the hotel had to close during lockdown, the business has continued to invest in the new machinery we need to maintain the courses to the highest standards.”

JOBS
SPAREX
Area Sales Manager (South West)
 
Sparex

The Areas Sales Manager is responsible for developing and managing Sparex business within a defined geographic territory and making sure all local sales and margin objectives are achieved.

 


 

Job Title: Area Sales Manager (South West)


Reports to: Managing Director UK and Ireland


Sparex is global supplier of tractor parts operating in over 80 countries.


The Areas Sales Manager is responsible for developing and managing Sparex business within a defined geographic territory and making sure all local sales and margin objectives are achieved. They are completely market oriented and sales driven, recognise market opportunities and have the ability to create and install action plans in order to translate opportunities into results.


Main Responsibility:

  • Effectively manage a given territory and grow sales
  • Identify customer potential and key accounts
  • Develop a business strategy for your 40 top accounts
  • Develop a business strategy for smaller accounts to be co-managed by the internal sales team
  • Plan all visits, including appointments with key accounts minimum one week in advance
  • Manage (including initial sale, implementation and follow up) dealer showrooms
  • Promote, demonstrate and implement Sparex Connect to key accounts
  • Drive sales for new products and product management projects as set out in the annual business plan.
  • To train your customers to use our website and e commerce solutions
  • Manage customer database and market segment information
  • To attend and support dealer open days
  • To meet targets for turnover, margin and product sales
  • To carry out any other duty as required

You will have an established background in agricultural parts after market, along with a proven track record demonstrating your ability to meet targets. You’ll need to be commercially orientated and be willing to travel extensively within your region.


To apply for this position, please send your CV and cover letter to careers@sparex.com

ADVERTISE YOUR JOBS HERE
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Advertise your recruitment needs on Serivce Dealer Weekly Update and reach our targeted audience of recipients every week.

Contact Nikki Harrison for details - 01491 837117


Sponsored Product Announcements
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