Exciting news for us to share with you all today. 

Bob Clements, president of Bob Clements International Inc. (BCI), the Missouri-based dealer-development specialists, is going to speak at the Service Dealer Conference in November.

I am personally delighted about this confirmation, as I've been keen for Bob to get over and speak at the Conference ever since I first saw him present to a huge room of American dealers, several years ago at the GIE-EXPO in Louisville, Kentucky.

He was such an engaging speaker, who clearly inspired the dealers in attendance. They would all have left that room buzzing with ideas to try out in their own dealerships.

I am so pleased we are finally able to align schedules and it's possible for Bob to make it across the Atlantic to speak to our readers, because I know they will gain so much from listening to him.

As announced a couple of weeks ago, the Conference's theme this year is Turning A Profit and Bob will be approaching that subject from a variety of perspectives. A quick look at his company's blog page will reveal the depth of knowledge he and his team (including Service Dealer magazine regular columnist, Sara Hey) hold - all specifically relevant to running a dealership.

One can imagine how it can seem like a lonely pursuit on occasion, running an independent business. If you haven't got that large, corporate structure to rely upon, where do you turn to for advice and support? Of course suppliers and manufacturers can offer this to a degree, but that advice by its nature can't exactly be unbiased.

Trade associations are there for you as well of course - and their help can be invaluable and mustn't be underestimated.

However, when an opportunity presents itself to benefit from the wisdom of someone, outside of the business, who knows their subject, and knows what other company's like yours have gone through, well that seems like an opportunity which shouldn't be passed up.

Whilst doing some research on the idea of business advice I came across a fascinating paper from the Enterprise Research Centre, entitled (Seeking, Acting on and Appreciating) the Value of Business Advice. A lengthy piece written by Kevin Mole of Warwick University, it offered some interesting conclusions on the broad benefits which can be gained from seeking business advice.

Firstly it talks of the economic benefits which can be achieved, although it does concede that these "may take time to bear fruit" and that there will be companies for whom this may happen more readily than others.

What struck me as perhaps more universal was the paper's second conclusion of "the confidence building and psychological benefits" of listening to advice.

Kevin Mole writes, "There are more benefits than simply economic from advice. Social and psychological benefits from the ability to access advice can protect the business from shocks and help the managers to develop both themselves as leaders and their businesses."

This to me would be one of the main reasons why a dealer might choose to attend something like the Service Dealer Conference, or talk to their trade association, or seek advice from a business specialist. This idea of developing themselves and therefore as a consequence, their business, is perhaps less tangible than an immediate economic benefit - but surely one which in the longer term will pay off handsomely?

As they say, every day should be a school day!

Bob Clements, the president of Bob Clements International Inc. (BCI), the Missouri-based dealer-development specialists, will be speaking at this years’ Service Dealer Conference - which takes place at the DoubleTree by Hilton Oxford Belfry, on Thursday November 21st 2019.

Bob is a sought-after speaker who loves to challenge and motivate owners, managers, and salespeople to reach new levels of success. He will be speaking at the Hilton Oxford Belfry specifically in relation to the Conference’s theme of Turning A Profit.

Bob will deliver both his own solo presentation to our dealer delegates as well as running one of our popular, smaller group, breakout sessions - the essence of each being the creation and retention of profitability in all areas of the dealership.

Click below to view a video introducing Bob.

Bob says of his business’s philosophy, “Our success is found in the success of others. When we have the opportunity to work with a dealer who, after years of struggle, has been able to turn his dealership around, finally showing a profit and breathing a sigh of relief, we know that we are doing work that matters.

“Equally when we work with a dealer who used to look at his service department as a necessary evil but is now realising a significant income and impact on customer satisfaction because of the work they produce, we know that we are involved in work that matters.

“Sometimes,” Bob continued, “we are fortunate to work with dealers that are thriving but know they can reach new levels of success. We’ve been able to help them successfully establish new locations, expand their markets and product lines and work to transition their businesses to the next generation.”

Joining Bob in making the trip over and returning to the Conference after running two very successful sessions in 2018, will be Sara Hay, Vice President of Operations and Development at Bob Clements Inc.

Sara who now contributes a popular column to each issue of Service Dealer magazine, will be teaming up once again with Pete Harding of PFW Associates dealership consultancy, for one of their popular U.S vs U.K workshops.

Sara Hey & Pete Harding at last year's Service Dealer Conference

A total of 31 young service technicians have formally graduated from the latest John Deere Ag Tech and Turf Tech advanced apprenticeship programmes, which are run in partnership with national training provider ProVQ at the purpose-built John Deere Apprentice Training Centre in Radcliffe-on-Trent, Nottinghamshire.

Guy Martin (centre) and ProVQ chairman Julian Lloyd (right) presented the John Deere Apprentice of the Year award to Henry Smith of Cornthwaite Agricultural Ltd, Ormskirk

Apprentice of the Year for 2018 was Henry Smith of Cornthwaite Agricultural Ltd in Ormskirk, who received a crystal plaque, winner’s certificate and a John Deere tool kit worth £500. The runners-up were Martyn Burnett of HRN Tractors Ltd, Insch and William Storr of Rea Valley Tractors, Sudbury, who each received a certificate and high street vouchers worth £250.

The annual apprentice graduation ceremony was held at the East Midlands Conference Centre on the University of Nottingham campus for the first time, with the students’ parents and dealer representatives also invited to celebrate the occasion. John Deere Limited managing director Jonathan Henry presented the apprentices with their graduation certificates, while after-dinner guest speaker and TV presenter Guy Martin, together with ProVQ chairman Julian Lloyd, handed over the three apprentice of the year awards.

These awards are based on the trainees’ consistently high standards of work, both at their dealerships and at the training centre, over the three years of the apprenticeship. In addition, all central government approved apprenticeships in England now require an end-point assessment, over and above the log of work progress that was kept for each apprentice before last year. The majority of the 2018 graduates were therefore the first John Deere technicians to qualify under the new EPA rules.

John Deere’s latest qualified Ag Tech and Turf Tech apprentices, with training centre manager Allan Cochran and managing director Jonathan Henry, at the 2018 graduation year presentation ceremony in Nottingham in April

“With the new EPA tests, which were held at Langar in April, both John Deere and our dealers are now able to quantify more effectively the skills of the apprentices we are training,” says John Deere Limited training centre manager Allan Cochran. “An EPA pass mark of above 90 per cent was required to earn a distinction and well over half the apprentices we tested achieved this, which was well above our initial expectations, so we have got off to a great start with these new assessments.”

John Deere’s three-year Ag Tech and Turf Tech and two-year Parts Tech apprenticeships involve students being trained in engineering, electronics, hydraulics, diagnostics, communication skills, computing, sales and marketing. The programmes lead to IMI Level 2 & 3 Diplomas in Landbased Engineering and Vehicle Parts Competence, and registration at LTA Intermediate level in the industry’s Landbased Training Accreditation scheme.

In subsequent years qualified technicians undergo further education and adult training within the John Deere University programme, on a career path that can ultimately lead to the highest possible LTA Master Technician accreditation.

New student intakes are in September each year; apprentices need to be resident in the UK, sponsored by a John Deere dealer and aged 16 or over. The standard programmes include on-the-job training and assessment as well as eight weeks each year at the John Deere Apprentice Training Centre. Further details can be found here.

Now in its 27th year, Ag Tech was the first such scheme to be introduced in the UK and won a National Training Award at the end of 1997, the only one ever made to an agricultural machinery apprenticeship programme. Since the first programme started in 1992, over 750 apprentices have graduated through the three main schemes and are now working in the company’s nationwide dealer network.

John Deere’s 2018 graduate apprentices, plus their sponsoring dealers, are:

Ag Tech - James Rudolph & Callum Truman, Ben Burgess & Co, Coates; George Bye, Ben Burgess & Co, Newmarket; Luke Crowhurst, Burden Bros Agri, Stockbury; Henry Smith, Cornthwaite Agricultural, Ormskirk; Martyn Burnett, HRN Tractors, Insch; Oliver Rabjohns, Masons Kings, Exebridge; Hari Lloyd, Mona Tractor Co, Criccieth; Louie Waddingham, Rabeys Garage, Guernsey; Kyle Hickson, RBM Agricultural, Brigg; Matthew Simkins, Rea Valley Tractors, Newport; William Storr, Rea Valley Tractors, Sudbury; Joshua Pacey, Sharmans Agricultural, Grantham; Edward Leech, Sharmans Agricultural, Lowdham; Matthew Morley Lamb, Sharmans Agricultural, Melton Mowbray; Cole Sansom, Sharmans Agricultural, Stamford; Toby Cutler, C Smart Agricultural Services, Dorchester; Jake Williams, Frank Sutton, Bridgend; Michael Mitchell, Frank Sutton, Raglan; Stuart Gallop, Tom Legge & Louis Williams, Tallis Amos Group, Evesham; Cennydd Hughes, Tallis Amos Group, Narberth; Kieran Armstrong, Thomas Sherriff & Co, Haddington; Kevin Wilson, Thomas Sherriff & Co, Jedburgh; Seb Marno, P Tuckwell, Ardleigh; George Spackman, P Tuckwell, Great Dunmow; Richard Chennells, P Tuckwell, Maulden; Sam Winch, P Tuckwell, Rayleigh; and Sam Thompson, P Tuckwell, Woodbridge;

Turf Tech - Tom Wombwell, Masons Kings, Chudleigh.

PSD Groundscare, the distributor of AS Motor, Eliet, Koppl and TS Industrie professional groundscare machinery, have announced the recent appointment of Michael Groves as business development manager covering the West Midlands and Wales.

L-R: Michael Groves, business development manager and Stuart Mercer, sales director

Stuart Mercer, sales director of PSD Groundscare said, “Michael brings with him many years experience within the groundscare sector coupled with a wealth of knowledge and a great amount of enthusiasm. He is a fantastic addition to our team and he joins us with substantial selling and account management experience within similar markets and I’m sure he will thrive in his new role.”

Michael says of his new role, “I am delighted to have been appointed and to be working with a range of brands of such high quality. I’m excited and very much looking forward to getting out and meeting customers and demonstrating the fantastic capabilities and benefits of our range of machinery”.

Michael can be contacted on 07973 454004 or michael@psdgroundscare.com

In addition, PSD Groundscare welcome back Russ Tomlinson as business development manager covering the North of England, Ireland and Scotland.

The company says Russ has previous experience and a wealth of knowledge from his previous role within PSD Groundscare and in addition he also has experience from both dealer side and manufacturer side roles so is extremely well versed to fulfill his role.

Russ can be contacted on 07557 192450 or russ@psdgroundscare.com

Opico has appointed Alex Smith as Maschio service manager and UK technical support to cover Opico, HE-VA, Sky, Strautmann and Maschio brands in East Anglia, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

Having farming in his blood led Alex to an agricultural engineering qualification, which was followed by a couple of years doing on-farm apprenticeships where he gained a insight into hands-on farming. For over 20 years Alex has worked for a well-known supplier of agricultural parts, working in most functions; from sales and demonstrations to most recently being responsible for product development.

Commenting, Angus Steven, Opico after-sales director said, "Alex brings with him a wealth of knowledge and experience and we are delighted to have him on board."

On his new appointment Alex said, "Joining Opico is a new and exciting challenge for me. It has given me a shift in focus from my years working primarily with parts, to resolving issues with complete machines."

Two students from Cranfield and Harper Adams Universities have won industry awards, sponsored by CNH Industrial and the Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE).

The two awards, directed at undergraduates and post-graduates, are made in recognition of a dissertation/thesis that demonstrates innovation and practical application in the land-based industry.

Iain Dummett receives his award from Professor Jane Rickson President of IAgrE and Rob Alker of CNH Industrial

Post Graduate Iain Dummett of Cranfield University won £500 for his thesis “Evaluating strip tillage practices for sustainable UK arable agriculture” and Undergraduate William Hitchcock of Harper Adams University won £250 for his thesis “Quantifying the effects of a pre-cleaning chaser system on sugar beet recover.”

Both winners receive a trophy for their respective universities to hold for one year, a VIP visit to the New Holland tractor plant in Basildon, also home to the UK headquarters of CNH Industrial, the brand’s parent company, and internship opportunities.

William Hitchcock receives his award from Professor Jane Rickson and Rob Alker

Rob Alker, current product improvement manager at CNH Industrial said, “The future of our industry relies on nurturing the best engineers to design and build the products of the future and our partnership with IAgrE strengthens this possibility.”

Alastair Taylor CEO of IAgrE said, “We believe this is a great opportunity to reward the innovation and hard work of students in higher education.”

The awards took place at the Institution’s annual award presentation event at the National Fluid Power Centre in Worksop.

The team behind the UK distribution of Jensen woodchippers say they were delighted to host a stand at the 2019 Arb Show recently, supported by dealers Riverlea.

With a prominent stand overlooking the entrance, the woodchippers were on full display to several thousand visitors that attended over the course of the two-day event, drawing in crowds of interested people and resulting in a large number of demonstration bookings throughout the country.

Bill Johnston and Nathan Jacobs of Jensen UK at the Arb Show 2019

A wide variety of Jensen machinery was available to see at the show, including towed and tracked machines, having both petrol and diesel models on display.

"This is the third year we’ve attended the Arb Show with Jensen and we were delighted with not only the turn out to the event but the huge level of interest in the brand”, says Bill Johnston, head of T H White Machinery Imports division and business manager for Jensen in the UK.

"It was excellent to meet a large number of existing Jensen owners who were pleased to share their experiences with us, as well as a whole host of new customers booking on-site demonstrations.

“We’re looking forward to seeing lots of those visitors again over the coming weeks, giving them the opportunity to try a Jensen for themselves and experience the power and performance of the world’s original woodchippers.”

The Jensen dealer for Wales, Riverlea, supported the stand at the show and was represented by sales manager Paul Austin.

“This was my first time at the Arb Show and I found it very interesting," said Paul. "We were pleased to speak to visitors and leave at the end of the show with some leads, which I hope will generate some more sales for Jensen over the coming months.”

One of the latest golf clubs in the west country to invest in Ventrac equipment is Merlin Golf Course on the north Cornish coast. Situated on high ground close to Mawgan Porth and only a short drive from Newquay, this heathland course enjoys stunning views towards the Atlantic Ocean.

This latest package, delivered by local dealer Devon Garden Machinery, included a Ventrac 4500 compact tractor unit with Contour mowing deck and a Sisis Multitiner 1200.

DGM’s Vic Robinson (second left) congratulates course manager Martyn Bennett on the purchase of the Ventrac package, alongside Rob Hall and Carl Quible of the greenkeeping team

Martyn Bennett is the Course Manager and is assisted by two long-serving greenkeepers, Rob Hall and Carl Quible. He joined Merlin just 8 months ago after four years as deputy course manager at Caversham Heath Golf Club in Berkshire and before that spent 12 years at Basingstoke Golf Club in Hampshire.

“We were in the market for a new rough mower and my predecessor had a demonstration back in July 2018,” he said. “We had a further demonstration when I arrived, so I could confirm that it would be suitable for the course and I wasn’t disappointed. It’s remarkably powerful for a sub-25 hp tractor, quiet and produces an excellent stripped finish with no mess. We used gang mowers previously so this has been a revelation. It’s so manoeuvrable and has reduced our fuel bills for maintaining the rough by 50%; that’s a significant saving."

Carl Quible is the principal operator of the machine and says, “We have some extreme slopes around the course and I feel 100% safe when I’m mowing. It enables us to maintain the banks on a regular basis and can go where other mowers cannot go. It’s a powerful compact machine and has certainly enhanced the presentation of the course."

Claydon Drills has announced two key appointments to its after-sales and design departments as part of ongoing developments at the company’s factory in Wickhambrook, Suffolk.

After-sales manager Robert Culbert is responsible for all aspects of after-sales service and training, from commissioning new machines to working with dealers and staff to ensure that they are fully conversant with Claydon products and adhere to the company’s standards. Describing his new role, Robert says, “My goal is to assist Claydon’s UK and overseas customers with any after-sales issues and ensure that they are satisfied with every aspect of our products’ quality and performance.”

Robert Culbert

Robert has spent most of his career in the automotive trade and worked all over the world. Most recently he has worked for agricultural machinery dealer Oliver Landpower in Luton, spending three years with the company before joining a dealership specialising in Fiat Group brands in Malta.

John Long meanwhile, has taken on the newly created role of design engineer and compliance coordinator, to ensure that the company’s products meet the legal and technical requirements in markets around the world. John is also a design engineer, assisting the company’s design and manufacturing director Oliver Claydon with the homologation of Claydon products and is responsible for integrating all aspects of production, including streamlining the manufacturing process. John has had a long career in design and manufacturing and immediately prior to joining Claydon he was involved in design contract work, for companies in Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire.

John Long

“I love engineering, design and knowing how things work,” John said. “Building machines on series production, such as we do here, is very different from creating one-offs. My role is to consider how that can best be achieved, such as ensuring that a complete kit containing all the components required to build a machine is available to the technicians in the factory so that they can operate more efficiently.”

When Mary Grant dislocated and broke her ankle at work, paramedics were struggling to find a way to get her safely to the ambulance.

Mary Grant being rescued by the Countax garden tractor. Photograph courtesy of Debbie Clarke who runs KDW Doggie Day Care

Mary, a senior dog handler at KDW Doggie Day Care in Kelty, Fife, was teaching puppy agility at the centre when the accident occurred on May 16th. There are twenty-five acres where the dogs can run and exercise and she was stranded in a hilly area a big distance from the car park.

Quickly on the scene the paramedics attended Mary and had her strapped onto the wheeled stretcher. The question was, how to get it across three undulating fields to the waiting ambulance?

“Even though she was obviously in a lot of discomfort, she still saw the funny side when she laid eyes on the makeshift rescue vehicle. No air ambulance for her I’m afraid," said Debbie Clarke, KDW’s owner.

Instead, they hitched up the centre’s own Countax 4x4 garden tractor to the trolley and carefully towed her out.

Mary is due an operation and will be in hospital for a short while. She says she’ll remember the day, not for the accident but for being rescued by a garden tractor.

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