We're excited about the latest edition of Service Dealer magazine which has gone to press this week.

The September/October 2017 issue should be with you the first week of September - and when it arrives there's plenty of juicy content for you to get your teeth into.

If there’s a theme to be found in this edition, it’s all to do with the value of listening. Listening and responding to the needs of customers - which if nurtured correctly should result in long and profitable relationships.

We will hear from both sides of the equation in the issue, talking to both dealers and to a professional customer.

We speak to Angus Lindsey who is Group Head of Assets and Fleet Management for professional green service provider idverde. He finds himself in the fairly unusual position of buying significant quantities of machinery from various dealers all across the UK. He therefore has an excellent perspective on what makes a dealer great.

He also has some strong opinions on where some can go wrong!

We also speak to dealers in the groundscare and agricultural sectors, both of whom have found real success with the building of long term relationships with key customers. These guys are proving that there is true value to be gained from genuinely listening – which means understanding and reacting in a meaningful manner.

When we as customers can tell we are being paid attention to, we believe the company we are dealing with cares, that they may be open to change and that we are important to them. These are vital feelings for an independent retailer to instil in their customers.

And not to keep banging on about it, but these are precisely the type of comments we are receiving from customers of our readers who have already entered the 2017 Dealer Of the Year competition.

As I mentioned last week it’s not too late to make sure that your dealership is in the running for this prestigious title. You know how hard you work, why not be recognised for it?!

Visit our website for all the category and entry details.

Also whilst you are there you will find all the information you require for ticketing for the Service Dealer Conference which takes place during the day of the Awards ceremony on November 16th. Happening once again at the Oxford Belfry Hotel and entitled The Challenge of Change: Embracing & Adapting To A Changing Market, tickets are currently available at a special discounted Earlybird Rate until September 29th.

The Earlybird price for a dealer attending the Conference only is £175 (full price £195).

If a dealer wants to attend both the Conference and the Awards dinner the Earlybird price is £240 (full price £260).

Entry to just the Awards dinner is open to everyone (dealers, manufacturers and suppliers). Earlyprice for this is £85 (full price £99). Tables for 10 people are also available for £850.

For full details and information of a special Conference B&B rate at the hotel, visit the Service Dealer website.

We truly hope to see as many of our readers there as possible for what always proves to be a highly educational and enjoyable day.

The British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association (BAGMA) celebrates its 100th anniversary next week (August 16).

Established in 1917 as the National Association of Implement Dealers, the name changed in 1928 to the Agricultural Machinery Dealers Association and changed again in 1944 to the Agricultural Machinery and Tractor Dealers Association. The association became the British Agricultural and Garden Machinery Association in 1972 after an extensive review of its relationship with members.

During its 100 years, the Association has had 52 presidents, most of whom have served a two-year term and have a come from many of the well-known family-owned dealerships from the landbased industry.

The actual birthday is August 16, 2017, but the association has been marking the anniversary in each of the editions of its membership magazine, the BAGMA Bulletin.


Keith Christian

Keith Christian, director of BAGMA, commented: “For 100 years the association has represented the interests of machinery dealers in the UK across a broad spectrum of activities including legislative issues, supplier contracts, legal, health and safety, education and training. BAGMA continues to do this with the added benefit to members of the support of its parent group, bira (British Independent Retailers Association).”

Two of the driving forces behind the creation of an association of implement dealers were AJ Fletcher of Drake & Fletcher, Maidstone, who, as a member of the Kent Implement Dealers Association, “saw the necessity of a national association”, and Sir Ashton Lister of Dursley, who “circularised over a thousand implement agents to ascertain their views as to the establishment of an Association”.

The aim was to create “a powerful organisation of implement dealers, which shall vigorously safeguard and promote the interests of the trade and be in every way worthy of the increasingly important industry it represents.”

Dealers were encouraged to attend a meeting at the Midland Grand Hotel, St Pancras, London, on the afternoon of August 16, 1917. The Implement & Machinery Review reported: “A very gratifying number of agents from all parts of the kingdom supported by a good sprinkling of manufacturers were present and it was evident that they came firmly resolved to form an association.”

The new association formed that day was described by the Review as “a defensive body – an Association, moreover, that can render the Government very substantial help in many of their schemes for increasing the food production of the United Kingdom”.

The first committee comprised 20 'gentlemen' representing different parts of the country. C Hussey of Hammond & Hussey of Croydon was the first chairman and AJ Fletcher was elected as secretary.

Of the 20 companies represented on that first committee, six are still members of BAGMA. These are TH White of Devizes, Alexander & Duncan of Leominster, AT Oliver of Luton, G Thurlow & Sons of Stowmarket, F Randell Ltd of North Walsham, and Peacock & Binnington of Brigg.

Platts Harris Ltd, the groundscare equipment dealer with depots in Tuxford and Darley Dale, has been appointed the Baroness UK distributor for a territory encompassing Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Derbyshire and south Yorkshire.

(L-R) Jim Whitton, Business Development Manager, Baroness congratulates Platts Harris Groundcare Sales Manager Allan Gray

Part of the Lookers PLC group of companies, they provide complete product sales and support services with territory-specific sales teams and field engineers based at their Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire premises.

Groundscare Sales Manager Allan Gray commenting on the appointment said, “We are delighted to be working with the Baroness team. Their well-respected range of fine turf care products fits well within our existing product portfolio of groundscare machinery.

"Although only just appointed, we have already receiving significant interest in Baroness from golf and fine turf managers. Our sales and after-sales teams are extremely excited and looking forward to meeting up with new and established customers within our territory.”

Baroness UK Business Development Manager Jim Whitton added, "Working alongside strong and experienced dealer partners is key to providing an exceptional Baroness customer experience and we at Baroness are delighted to welcome the Platts Harris team into the family. I am very much looking forward to working closely with them to drive the Baroness revolution in their territory.”

AGCO have announced that the Challenger Team, Challenger track tractors and sprayers will be integrated into the Fendt AGCO brand in the Europe and Middle East sales region.



This action applies exclusively to the AGCO Region EME Europe and Middle East. Challenger products will continue to be sold through the AGCO network in the AGCO NA North America, SA South America, and APA Asia-Pacific, Africa regions.

Part of the project in Europe includes relocating production of Challenger products from AGCO in Grubbenvorst, Netherlands, to the Hohenmölsen AGCO production site, in which the trailed sprayers and various Fendt Katana forage harvestor models are produced. Research and development and other key functions remain in Grubbenvorst.

In a statement explaining the move AGCO said, "The new structures in the Production and Sales/Marketing divisions will increase efficiency appreciably, and will further strengthen AGCO in the Europe and Middle East region. They represent another step in the corporate strategy to offer customers and dealers the best overall package for all agricultural enterprises, operating strategies, and agricultural applications."

According to current planning, Fendt dealers in Western and Central Europe will be able to offer and sell the Fendt track tractors and sprayers following Agritechnica 2017. Delivery of the first machines to end customers is planned for Q1 2018. 

“Integration of the Challenger products into the Fendt product programme in Europe is another important step forward, and is in keeping with the Fendt full line strategy”, said Peter-Josef Paffen, AGCO/Fendt CEO. “The broad product portfolio is designed to offer our customers and dealers a virtually complete and complementary range of machines, for nowadays, professional agricultural enterprises and contractors demand a wide range of high-quality, high-performance products. This is because machines today are highly complex, and will be able to communicate even more closely with each another in future through networking.”

E P Barrus Ltd is expanding its presence in the garden sector with the acquisition of the gardening gloves and footwear company, Town & Country.


Town & Country

The Town & Country brand will join Barrus’s current line-up of garden machinery and garden tool brands including Cub Cadet, Lawnflite, Agri-Fab, WOLF-Garten, Wilkinson Sword and Energizer.

Founded and run by Barry Page and with a heritage that spans more than half a century, Town & Country offers a comprehensive collection of gardening gloves and footwear.

“The acquisition of Town & Country reinforces our commitment to the garden sector,” commented Robert Muir, Managing Director, E P Barrus Ltd. “This well-established household name has great synergy with our current line-up of premium gardening brands and provides the potential for future growth through existing and new distribution channels.”

Tim Hart, Director of Sales & Marketing, E P Barrus Ltd said, “Town & Country, like all our brands, will be fully supported by our operational expertise which enables us to offer excellent distribution service levels, and we will continue to build and develop the brand into the future.”

Barrus will be represented across two stands at the forthcoming GLEE exhibition in September with Town & Country, and WOLF-Garten and Wilkinson Sword.

Polaris has appointed DJ Agri Kent as authorised Polaris dealer for Kent and East Sussex.


DJ Agri partners, Damian Arthur and Suzie Boyd at the Kent County Show

The Faversham based dealership, which moved to new premises in 2016, was formed by business partners Damian Arthur and Suzie Boyd and grew out of Damian’s experience as an agricultural engineer. He also owned and ran his own Polaris Ranger which prompted the initial contact and that coincided with Polaris looking for a new dealer to cover the county and into East Sussex.

“We’re very pleased to welcome DJ Agri as our new dealer for Kent,” says Polaris Country Manager, Jim Clarke, “they offer all the right experience to provide excellent sales and support for Polaris customers and have already made good sales in the area. We look forward to helping them develop the business.”

DJ Agri currently have a Polaris Ranger Diesel, a Ranger 570, Sportsman 570 and ACE as demonstrators and have shown them at a number of local and county shows; which have successfully led to orders for Polaris UTVs and ATVs. 

Rea Valley Tractors (RVT) have announced they will become Kuhn main dealers from 1st September 2017.



The announcement came ahead of a demonstration event which was held on Tuesday this week (1st August) where RVT and Kuhn were seen working together for the first time.

The event held at Lynn South Farm, Newport, launched John Deere’s new tractor range, working alongside a selection of Kuhn machinery.

Kuhn products will be supplied from all four of RVT’s depots covering Shropshire, Staffordshire, Derbyshire and Mid Wales.

Kuhn machines on demonstration at the event this week included the ESPRO 4000 R minimum tillage drill as well as the manufacturer's newest seedbed cultivator, the PROLANDER 7500, which is suitable for shallow stubble cultivation and deeper seedbed preparations.

Ibcos Computers Ltd, the business management software supplier for agricultural, groundcare, and construction dealers, has announced its recent hire of Adam Giles, who has joined the team as a Sales Consultant, working from the company’s Poole office.

The company says this role is a culmination of everything Giles has learned over the past 10 years, having held jobs across a wide variety of companies and industries. He is eager to learn more about the dealers Ibcos works with and the intricacies of its core offering - dealership management software, Ibcos Gold.

“I’m looking forward to meeting more of our customers, building good relationships, and helping them move forward,” said Giles. “This job is a bit different from my previous experiences, which means that I’ll be able to pick up plenty of new skills and knowledge.”

Giles attended university in Southampton where he gained a first-class degree in Criminology. Following university, he spent three years working for a vehicle rental company in the South, where he had advanced to the role of Assistant Manager in six months and Branch Manager of its third largest location within a year.

Since then, he spent two years as a Business Development Manager in the food service industry, serving prestigious hotels and restaurants. 

“The sheer wealth of experience that Adam brings to the table is astounding,” said Collette Convery, the Managing Director of Ibcos. “I think he’s going to make a fantastic contribution to our team.”

Giles can be contacted on:
Mobile: 0044 (0)1202 714200 (Option 2)
Email: adamg@ibcos.co.uk

John Deere has celebrated the achievements of the team at its US Turf Care manufacturing facility as it commemorated its 20-year anniversary.

Located in Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina, the 335,000-square-foot Turf Care facility first opened in 1997, producing lightweight fairway mowers. Over the next 20 years, the facility would introduce several new commercial and golf mowing innovations, becoming an important manufacturing hub for John Deere commercial-grade production.

“Over the past 20 years, we’ve cultivated a team of professionals who take great pride in designing and manufacturing top quality products in the Turf Care facility,” said Siva Sundaresan, factory manager and global director for commercial mowing and golf equipment at John Deere. “In addition to producing innovative equipment that is revolutionising the golf and landscaping industries, we are also proud to employ a team that is dedicated to bettering their local communities.” 

Since the production of the first fairway mower, the Turf Care facility has introduced more than 15 products into production.  and celebrated significant milestones along the way including in 1999 building riding greens mowers, ProGator Utility Vehicles for the golf business and 700 Series Front Mowers and Decks. In 2000, began production of the 1400 Series Front Mowers and Decks and in 2007 transferred production of the Z997 Diesel ZTrak Mowers to Turf Care, where it continues to be built to the present day. In March 2015: Turf Care Produced its 500,000th unit.

Prison officer Andy Maxfield from Inskip in Lancashire has completed his epic journey from John O’Groats to Land’s End on a John Deere lawn tractor, while raising several thousand pounds for Alzheimer’s Society.

The ‘Driving the Distance for Dementia’ Challenge set off from John O’Groats at 8am on Tuesday 25th July 2017, and the Guinness world record attempt was completed when Andy and his support team arrived at Land’s End on Sunday 30th July at 4.45pm - a total measured distance of 874.3 miles travelled in five days, eight hours and 45 minutes.


L-R: Kathryn Maxfield, Joanne Gregory, Andy Maxfield, Chris Meacock, Kaitlyn Maxfield and Becca Watson at Land’s End with the X750 lawn tractor and one of its larger cousins, a 5100M supplied by local John Deere dealer Cornwall Farm Machinery

Andy is hoping that Guinness will verify his achievement as he drove the whole distance on his own on an unmodified lawn tractor, which has not been attempted before. “It was a fantastic team effort all round - we certainly raised awareness for Alzheimer’s Society and we all had some fun along the way,” he said.

The trip included interviews with both BBC and ITV regional news and a shout-out on Radio 1’s breakfast show, while thousands of people took to social media to offer encouragement and good wishes throughout the week.

“The advance planning went really well and apart from a couple of detours on the journey, nothing really went wrong apart from the weather - but even John Deere can’t control that!” said Andy.

“The real star of the challenge for me though was the X750 lawn tractor. It may not be built for the road or such wet weather conditions, but it never missed a beat and the spare parts we’d taken along just in case weren’t needed.

“I’d like to thank not only John Deere but also all the dealerships we have come into contact with, especially Ripon Farm Services for offering the use of one of their service vehicles when my van broke down before the challenge began. Special thanks are also due to John Deere’s work placement students Joanne Gregory and Becca Watson in the main support vehicle, who made me feel safe in some challenging traffic and weather conditions.”

John Deere Limited’s turf division manager Chris Meacock, who organised the logistics and accompanied Andy Maxfield for a large part of the journey, said: “This really was a phenomenal achievement, given the difficulties Andy faced for much of the journey.

“It was a tough challenge that he took on and completed with determination, dedication and no complaints - likewise his daughters Kathryn and Kaitlyn, who were with him the whole way. Record or not, everyone should be very proud of what they have achieved - it was a pleasure to support the Alzheimer’s charity in this way and raise money for a great cause.”

Sue Swire, community fundraiser Cumbria & Lancashire for Alzheimer’s Society, who also travelled with the support team in Scotland, added: “The Society is so grateful for the efforts of Andy Maxfield and his family, as well as the support and generosity of John Deere and its dealers for this incredible challenge.

“Andy’s original fundraising target was a modest £1000, and at the journey’s end we had already reached more than five times that amount. I am sure that by the time the Maxfield family’s charity ball comes around in December we will be well on our way to £10,000, which would be another fantastic achievement.”

As an additional fundraiser for Alzheimer’s Society, the charity ball will take place at Preston Masonic Hall on Saturday December 9th. There continues to be a JustGiving website page for further donations at www.justgiving.com/andrew-maxfield; donations can also be made by texting MAXF80 £3 to 70070. More information on the ball and the challenge, including photos and videos from the journey, can be found at www.facebook.com/ForgetMeNotPreston.

Alzheimer’s Society is available for anyone affected by dementia and there are lots of ways the charity can help - for details call the National Dementia Helpline on 0300 222 1122 or visit www.alzheimers.org.uk.

P S Marsden (Lawnmower Services) Ltd are a family owned business based in Nottingham and are looking to appoint an experienced service technician

Your duties will include:

• Service and repairs to all makes and models of grass cutting machinery and associated equipment
• Carrying out Pre-Delivery Inspections (PDI)
• Examination and fault finding
• Determining repair method and identification and fitting of replacement parts
• Advising customer of repairs required
• Using the computerised systems to identify parts and service info
• Describing in written format the work carried out
• Undertaking work both in a workshop and on site

Experience:

• Proven knowledge and experience using methods, materials, tools and techniques in the repair and maintenance of grass cutting machinery and associated equipment including 2 stroke engines
• Good level of literacy
• Ability to work on own initiative
• Competent in the use of computerised systems
• Ability to diagnose problems and find solutions
• LTA level 3 would be an advantage (and reflected within salary)
• Ability to diagnose and repair both electrical and hydraulic faults

We offer:

• Competitive salary based on experience and knowledge
• Excellent working conditions
• Full support and development
• Contributory pension scheme

Interested applicants should send their CV and covering letter to:

Martin Edis
P S Marsden (Lawnmower Services) Ltd
Private Road No 8, Colwick Industrial Estate, Nottingham NG4 2JX

martin@psmmowers.co.uk Tel: 0115 9615431

For a free demonstration contact Evopos on Tel: 01202 795900

Evopos UK Ltd are the producer of the Dealer management software which service dealers are taking a serious look at. This all-in-one solution with friendly and effective telephone support may be worth checking out, if you are a new service dealer or are currently unsatisfied with your current system.

The latest version includes quick and easy point of sale software, comprehensive stock control, workshop organiser, hire contract module, accounting package and state of the art automated SMS and email marketing, all of these features are available in specifically designed dealer packages.

"What makes Evopos streets ahead of its competitors?" asks Denis Bullen (MD). "Evopos is perfect for the Service Industry; everything about the customer is tracked, sales of parts, whole goods and all vital contact information."


Denis Bullen, Evopos md

Denis continues, "The workshop module is of particular interest to most service dealers. Evopos will fulfil the main three requirements that make any busy workshop successful.

• 1. Easy to use; this minimises mistakes making sure correct time is billed for and all the information is correct.
• 2. Maximises sales and repeat custom using the excellent time management and service reminder tools built into Evopos.
• 3. Helps to provide the very best customer service; by providing engineers and salesman with all the necessary information to make the job or the sale as easy for the customer as it as easy for you.

"As far as I can see the workshop process is fairly straight forward

• Step one: Book the job in, providing the customer with details regarding the job.
• Step two: Book parts and labour to the job.(Evopos will automatically remind the customer to drop the machine off and when the job is finished, let the customer know when to pick it up via an SMS text or email alert.)
• Set three: Produce a professional looking invoice for when the customer picks up their machine.

"A comprehensive history is retained within the Evopos system. For example for each machine you can see who has previously owned it and what work it has had done to it.

"Evopos offers a very competitive pricing structure, where costs are kept to a minimum. A standard dealer package can cost as little as £75.00 per month, there are no hidden extras. If you are concerned about losing your old customer database, this shouldn't be a problem. The helpful support team can convert most databases into workable Evopos data at no extra charge.

"Evopos is a low cost way to help make your business more controllable and profitable. It's a total business management solution."

Whether you are a new start-up or run an existing business, why not contact Evopos and arrange a no obligation free demo and see what Evopos can do for your business.

Contact them direct on telephone: 01202 795900 or register online at Evopos.com and they will call you.

Software that does more and costs less.

The following organisations have confirmed their sponsorship of the 2017 Service Dealer Conference and Awards. We’d like to welcome them on board and thank them for their support and input. 

PRINCIPAL SPONSOR

PLATINUM SPONSOR




GOLD SPONSOR




SPONSORS

Want to become a sponsor? Email: julie@theadplain.com