It's Service Dealer's 30th Anniversary year in 2018 and the magazine will undergo a modern freshen-up, but with its ethos very much informed by its heritage.
This week the team at Service Dealer have been hard at work, beavering away on the next issue of the magazine - which should hit your desks during the first week of the new year.
2018 is a special one for Service Dealer as it's the 30th Anniversary of the magazine.
As such when you receive the new issue you may notice a few tweaks and improvements here and there. Nothing too radical, just a little freshen up to celebrate the fact that we've hit this significant milestone. Basing our decisions on the very positive reader feedback which received from you recently, we could see that you didn't want us to make big changes.
It was 1988 when Chris Biddle walked into Salisbury Printing with a pile of papers and the idea of making an independent magazine for the UK dealer trade. It's been fascinating for me this week as I've been looking though old editions to compile a new regular feature which we'll run throughout 2018 called Flashback.
Each issue next year, we'll take a 5-year period chronologically and have a look at the news stories, the products and most importantly the people who have shaped this industry during the course of the magazine’s lifetime. Any nostalgic manufacturers out there who feel they'd like to support this feature commercially, please feel free to get in touch with Susan in the office!
When reading through archive material it's quite easy to laugh at superficial things which strike you as funny or antiquated immediately such as haircuts, fashion, technology, even the machinery. However, the heart of the magazine has remained the same. Providing a forum for the industry to come together and share news, views, ideas and information.
Also as crucial today as it was then, the magazine has always held as its core value to act as a champion for the dealer network and to offer a platform for dealers’ voices to be heard.
In an issue from June 1991 which I have been reading this week, there's a Comment piece from Chris entitled 'Harnessing Togetherness'. In those days it was the 'sheds', the B&Qs and Homebases of this world, who were perceived as the biggest threat to dealers - rather than the not yet invented internet!
Chris wrote, "The doom and gloom merchants have been serving notice on specialists for years, but they ignore the place that the independent specialist can have in the retail economy.
"The battle - if there ever was such a thing - with the multiples is 'old hat'. Their boom days are over as their coverage is virtually complete. The multiples' battles in the future will be amongst themselves.
"They would like to be specialists and do their utmost to provide added value. But they never will be of course, because the name of their game is volume."
Wise words as ever from Chris there. And of course those sentiments of an independent dealer network offering a true and viable alternative to the mass channels is just as relevant today. It’s what Service Dealer has always reflected and will always continue to do so.
When you receive your freshened-up edition in January, along with this Weekly Update, I hope you'll see the ethos of that heritage built up over 30 years continues apace.
At the same time as this of course, we shall be diving headlong into the current trends and latest issues to effect dealers - whilst looking ahead to what should be a prosperous future for this vibrant industry.
Directors of East Yorkshire Machinery Ltd made a similar promise to Trading Standards last year.
A director and sales executive of East Riding-based agricultural machinery dealers East Yorkshire Machinery Ltd have made a promise to York County Court not to make misleading statements when selling their goods.
Director, Alan Farrow Junior and sales director, Duncan Sharp, both appeared in court on Friday 17 November following an investigation by trading standards officers from East Riding of Yorkshire Council.
The Pocklington Post reported that at the hearing the men both gave undertakings to officers that they will no longer make false or misleading statements when selling tractors or other forms of agricultural machinery.
Readers may remember that East Yorkshire Machinery Ltd avoided a court appearance last year when they made a promise to Trading Standards officers not to make misleading statements when selling their goods.
Despite having made these promises last year, investigations continued after complaints were received from small businesses from across the UK as well as countries such as Nigeria and Bangladesh.
Tina Holtby, interim public protection group manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, is quoted by the Pocklington Post, saying, “The activities of this company have caused some concern for some time.
“The action taken by officers will hopefully mean anyone dealing with this company in the future will not be misled into buying something which turns out not to be as described.”
Anyone who has had dealings with East Yorkshire Machinery Ltd and has any concerns should contact Citizens Advice Consumer Bureau on 0345 050506.
Service Dealer are really happy to announce that Maggie's raised £2,340 through being the nominated charity for this year's Service Dealer Awards.
Service Dealer are really happy to announce that Maggie's raised £2,340 through being the nominated charity for this year's Service Dealer Awards.
£1,162 was raised on the evening, with that figure rising to the magnificent total following the event.
A charity raffle was held for Maggie's at the Awards. Here Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke and Trish Biddle present a prize to Emma McArthur
A spokesperson for Maggie's said, "Thank you so much for choosing to support Maggie's as part of your Awards evening. The incredible amount raised will make a huge difference to people here at Maggie's.
"As you know without your support and commitment we wouldn't be able to deliver life-changing services to people effected by cancer. Thank you for making a difference."
All Maggie’s Centres are based in the grounds of NHS cancer hospitals, providing free practical, emotional and social support to people with cancer and their family and friends. This support is delivered by professional teams, in homely, calming environments, following the original suggestions of the charity’s founder, Maggie Keswick Jencks.
The first Maggie’s Centre opened in Edinburgh in 1996 and since then Maggie’s has continued to grow, with 20 Centres at major NHS cancer hospitals in the UK and others abroad. Maggie's also has an Online Centre which supports people regardless of their location. Many more Centres are in the planning with the aim being to have 30 Centres in the near future.
Maggie’s receives no government funding, and therefore relies on voluntary income to continue being there for people affected by cancer.
There is just one month to go until the subscription deadline for Garden Trader is reached
There is just one month to go until the subscription deadline for Garden Trader is reached.
The site's owners have announced that in fairness to all, any dealer listings that remain unpaid will be removed from the site at the end of December.
Ron Miller, Dealer Communications at Garden Trader said, "The annual subscription is just £95 + VAT, which works out at £1.82 per week. We sincerely hope that all users will realise the value in this platform dedicated solely to skilled servicing dealers in the UK.
"Dealers who have been trialling the service for free so far this year can login, click on Statistics under MY ACCOUNT and be able to see how their current promotional listing has been performing.
"To pay takes a couple of minutes. Simply click on the payment option and your credit card payment will be taken through to secure PayPal."
Company say they have made the investment to enhance operational performance and to continue to set high health & safety standards at Thame HQ.
Kubota UK has invested £1.2 million to enhance operational performance and continue to set the highest health and safety standards at its UK headquarters in Thame.
The investment includes expanding its office and meeting room space by renovating a previous storage building into state-of-the-art office facilities. The Thame site has also had groundworks resurfacing completed to enhance traffic flow around the site, as well as refurbishment works carried out to its Training Academy and Research & Development (R&D) centre.
The improvements also include a new cantilever racking system that will help streamline its inventory, offer more space to hold stock and help maintain its ‘first in, first out’ (FIFO) supply method. In turn, the company says customers will experience an even better service, ensuring they receive the required machinery parts exactly when they need them and in the best condition.
Supply Chain Manager at Kubota UK, Solly Wilson, said, “The investment into our operations at Thame is a great example of our commitment to future proofing our business, ensuring the right infrastructure is in place and that we are always operating efficiently and safely. By doing so, we can maintain the highest levels of service that we provide our customers.
“The new office and meeting spaces for example give us the opportunity to continue to grow and evolve as a business. In the last 12 months, staff numbers at Thame have increased, highlighting the need for additional capacity.
“The new cantilever racking system also means we are far better equipped to allocate, monitor and transport products more effectively. FIFO is a widely-known supply chain method where stock is rotated quickly so that no item sits in the warehouse for too long. If this process isn’t maintained to the highest standard, stock can spend significant periods of time on the shelf, taking up valuable space and potentially becoming obsolete, causing cost issues. It’s simple in theory, but each product has its own unique characteristics that will affect the overall operation depending on how well it’s dealt with.
“With this in mind, it’s vital that we’re able to operate at maximum capacity, not only from an operations point of view, but also from customers, who need their orders delivered in a timely fashion and in first class condition.”
Nicky Warren will work closely with Gold users and internal teams to ensure that the features the development team produces meet the company’s business requirements.
Ibcos Computers Ltd has announced its recent hire of Nicky Warren, who has joined the team in Poole as the Product Owner for the company’s core offering – dealership management software, Ibcos Gold.
As the Product Owner, Nicky will work closely with Gold users and various internal teams to ensure that the features the development team produces for the core offering meet the company’s business requirements. In addition, Nicky will help Ibcos improve internal best practices and focus on release readiness.
“I’m excited to join the Ibcos team, and I’m looking forward to getting to know the system and building relationships with dealers and manufacturers,” said Nicky. “There are many interesting challenges and opportunities for me to get involved in, and I think that my experiences will help influence the way Ibcos works in a really positive way.”
After studying fashion design, Nicky went on to become a merchandiser for a number of large fashion retailers in the UK. While working for one of these retailers, she took on the role of an IT Project Manager, delivering IT projects for the organization’s overseas franchise department. Due to her success in the role, she decided to move into IT permanently, and has since held the roles of a consultant, project manager and business analyst.
Despite working predominantly for fashion retailers, Nicky has recently headed up a team of business analysts at Kingfisher, a home improvement group that includes companies like B&Q and Screwfix in the UK as well as Castorama and Brico Depot in the rest of Europe.
Nicky’s full understanding of the product lifecycle and customer experience across various platforms, along with her IT history as both a customer and software supplier, make her a perfect fit for the role say Ibcos.
“We’re extremely grateful to have someone as experienced as Nicky on our team,” said Greg Hepworth, the Product & Development Manager at Ibcos. “Our goal is to ensure Ibcos Gold remains one of the most innovative systems in the industry, while delivering even more of what our customers want - and Nicky will undoubtedly play a crucial role in that.”
The first SALTEX Innovation Award for the best in brand new grounds care technology resulted in a tie for first place recently.
The very first SALTEX Innovation Award celebrated the best in brand new grounds care technology when the show took place at the NEC last month.
The Award attracted 24 entries in total spanning a wide variety of products, services and equipment from various exhibitors from across the globe.
Fleet Line Markers’ MAQA line marking machine won joint first place in the SALTEX innovation award
The entries were judged by an independent panel of industry experts who based their decisions on a number of factors including what the entry offers the industry and how it makes life easier for the person using it.
The standard was incredibly high, resulting in a tie for first place.
Backed by unanimous support by all judges, during the first day of the exhibition, Rigby Taylor's Intelligent One autonomous robotic line marker and Fleet Line Markers’ MAQA line marking machine were announced as joint winners of the SALTEX Innovation Award 2017.
Rigby Taylor’s Intelligent One robotic line maker also won joint first place
The Intelligent One (iO) is said to be the world’s first fully autonomous robotic line marker. It can mark out a standard sized football pitch in 35 minutes, using just 3.3 litres of ready to use Impact XP paint. The iO eliminates the task of stringing out for the first markings and operates hands-free. Once the pitch template has been entered into the supplied tablet, the iO is placed at the corner of the pitch and will mark out all the outside and inside straight lines, the 'D', centre circle, corner angles and penalty spot without any direct operator involvement.
The MAQA line marking machine uses GNSS technology to reduce the time it takes to mark by 75 per cent. Initial marking that might have taken two men up to four hours can now be completed by one person in 20 minutes.
The standard of all Innovation Award entries were of such high calibre that the judges chose to award second and third place awards as well.
Second place went to Oregon’s Gator Speedload, which judges said was a quick and simple device which negated the need to dismantle the head each time to re-load/wrap new strimmer cord.
Third place went to the Etesia Hydro 80 MKHP4 E-Connect, due to its ability to set up multiple users and record data – allowing organisations or clubs to monitor the amount of use and user’s ability.
The Tractor Shop, located on the Fairfield Industrial Estate in Louth, has been appointed sales, service and parts dealer for McCormick tractors.
A Lincolnshire agricultural engineering firm say they hope that taking on a mainstream tractor franchise will secure jobs and help the business expand.
The Tractor Shop, located on the Fairfield Industrial Estate in Louth, has been appointed sales, service and parts dealer for McCormick tractors, covering North-East and much of North Lincolnshire, in a territory that extends from the Humber south to Ulceby and west towards the A15.
The Tractor Shop managing director Sam Plowright and salesman Marc Shepherd (left)
The new partnership between The Tractor Shop and McCormick distributor AgriArgo, based at Harworth near Doncaster, was launched at the Midlands Machinery Show where three examples of the McCormick range were displayed alongside established groundscare, ATV and agricultural equipment supplied by the dealership.
“We weren’t actively looking for a new tractor franchise but when the opportunity to take on McCormick came up it was too good to miss,” says Sam Plowright, managing director at The Tractor Shop. “It’s the perfect time to take on a mainstream tractor range to further expand the business because we’re just preparing to move into new and much larger premises.”
Sam Plowright, who is from a farming background, started The Tractor Shop nine years ago (in 2008) after the economic recession hit his tractor restoration business. He started refurbishing and selling ATVs before taking on a leading ATV franchise, and then added lawn mowers.
“Since then, we’ve taken on complementary product lines of ATV and groundscare equipment to gradually increase the customer base,” he says. “We’ve also worked hard to provide good service, and I like to think we handle all sales, service and repairs honestly and in a straight-forward manner.”
With the progressive expansion of The Tractor Shop business and the need to stock tractors, implements and equipment as well as parts, tools and accessories, plans are in place to move into new premises next Spring.
“We’re not moving far, just across the road from where we are now, into a building three times the size,” said Sam. “It will be ready for our expansion with McCormick and maybe other new franchises to come, which will build on what we’ve established with the business so far.”
Toro’s GreensPro 1260, will be headlining the Reesink Turfcare stand at BTME 2018 - which will be joined by a stand dedicated entirely to TYM tractors.
Toro’s latest UK launch, the GreensPro 1260, will be headlining the Reesink Turfcare stand at BTME 2018.
It will also be the first year that Reesink will have two stands. Joining the Reesink stand in Hall M is stand C32 dedicated entirely to TYM tractors to accommodate the range as it expands and where the new T393 will be on show.
Reesink Turfcare’s marketing manager Holly, said, “There’s lots to be excited about this year. The show provides the perfect place to bring the latest launches from Toro to the UK market and showcasing the latest technology always generates a talking point.
"It’s great to have representation from all brands at the show and it’s right that TYM has its own stand to accommodate the range as it expands. We look forward to welcoming everyone to both our stands to see the line-up and share invaluable advice from our specialist machinery team.”
Toro’s latest launch is the new GreensPro 1260 which takes all the features of the previous GreensPro models and adds a hydraulic drive system to eliminate leaks and prevent potential contamination of the grass, plus overlapping heads for a consistent roll.
On the TYM stand will be the latest addition to the compact tractor range, the T393. It has been brought to the UK by Reesink Turfcare to bridge the gap between the compact utility range and the mid-duty range in the TYM line up.
Taking place at the East of England Showground it is described as the UK’s only national event for the professional land-based contractor.
Sponsored for the first time by John Deere, NAAC Contractor 2017 at the East of England Showground on Thursday 14th December is the UK’s only national event for the professional land-based contractor.
This combined conference and exhibition will address the important role that contractors play and examine how they may need to adapt to the changing needs of the farming industry post-Brexit.
As well as an exhibition of contractor specific machinery and services, the day will feature high profile speakers at a morning conference, with additional transport-focused discussion and debate in the afternoon.
The speakers include NFU president Meurig Raymond, secretary and adviser to the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers Jeremy Moody, John Deere Limited managing director Jonathan Henry, NAAC member and chairman of the Agricultural Operations section Matt Redman, Waitrose agriculture manager Duncan Sinclair and agricultural supply consultant Cedric Porter of Supply Intelligence.
The John Deere stand, situated next to the NAAC seminar area, will include an interactive tractor optimisation feature using models to illustrate tractor ballasting, tyre pressure, axle loading and overall weight, based on using a front loader, trailer and both mounted and trailed implements. Visitors will be able to complete a simple worksheet to calculate the correct weight and ballast requirements.
The company will also be demonstrating aspects of John Deere Connected Support, which is designed to help improve machinery uptime. A free Connected Machine remote health check can be carried out on the stand for any customer’s machine working on the day with an active JDLink subscription, which just requires the vehicle’s serial number.
A teenage farm worker has been fined for driving a tractor around a city, whilst "looking for women".
It was reported this week that an 18-year-old Donegal man told police he was 'looking for women' after he was stopped driving a tractor in Derry City Centre.
The Belfast Telegraph said Anthony Breslin from Gortnaskea in Burnfoot, County Donegal, admitted having no L plates on his tractor on August 16.
District Judge Barney McElholm said, “This is Don Juan - I was going to say Derry Juan but that would not be correct."
Defence solicitor Mr. Seamus Quigley said Breslin’s father had sent him to look for some cattle and after he had done that he had ‘taken the head staggers’ and gone to Derry to look for women.
The solicitor added: “We all know tractors are all about pulling power but this taking it to extremes.“
An Automower® Specialist is required to join the Husqvarna UK Sales team, reporting to the UK Field Sales Manager.
An Automower® Specialist is required to join the Husqvarna UK Sales team, reporting to the UK Field Sales Manager.
The primary focus for this exciting role is to support the Field Sales Manager and the Area Business Manager team to develop Automower business further.
This is a field-based role involving frequent travel around the UK dealer network within the following location areas as a minimum - South Midlands\Northern Home Counties.
The key areas of the role are as follows within the Forest and Garden dealer network:
Training Area Business Mangers and dealers on product knowledge and installation of the Automower®
Conduct product demonstrations and exhibits at various events and dealerships, being able to provide technical support and advice as required (by appointment, email or telephone)
Previous mechanical or electrical engineering experience / qualifications is preferred
We require the successful applicant to have the following skills:
Enthusiastic, outgoing and self-motivated with a strong desire to achieve
Excellent communication skills and a relationship builder
Previous customer service experience (garden machinery or other industries)
A team player who is able to work independently and has a self starter attitude
Commercially astute, with strong numeracy and literacy skills
As part of our continued growth, we are seeking to recruit an area manager to cover the South East Region.
Area Manager – South East Region Competitive Salary Company Car / Car Allowance, Laptop, Tablet, Phone and Pension.
As part of our continued growth, we are seeking to recruit an area manager to cover the South East Region.
Duties will include maintaining and developing the existing customers in this key region whilst expanding the customer base.
We are looking for an enthusiastic sales professional. The ideal candidate should have some experience within the garden machinery or small plant hire industries. A clean driving licence and a good working knowledge of MS Office.
Winter is a traditionally quieter time in the dealer calendar however it still presents opportunities to reach out to your customer base and drive footfall in stores.
Winter is a traditionally quieter time in the dealer calendar however it still presents opportunities to reach out to your customer base and drive footfall in stores. One such opportunity is winter servicing - a useful form of income for dealerships.
Sending out service reminders to your customers encouraging them to bring their machines in to the workshop is a helpful way of preparing them for the next season whilst also increasing the chance of in-store purchases for your business.
An annual service using genuine Husqvarna spare parts will extend the life of the machine and maintain its performance level. Any issue found during the service will become pro-active preventative maintenance rather than re-active ‘after it’s failed‘ repairs – a valuable involvement from a dealer perspective, stopping future downtime for the customer ahead of the next season.
Husqvarna offers diagnostics tools that enable simple and efficient servicing of Battery, Robotic and Autotune™ products from a laptop computer. Using Husqvarna diagnostic tools and specialist service equipment ensures a high quality service. This not only applies for customers but also improves the working efficiency in the workshop which leads to reduced service times, increasing profitability. Husqvarna also offer fixed price service boards, posters and flyers for your service area and service checklists for most product ranges, including our Battery Series that can be handed to the customer with the invoice.
Husqvarna provides dealers with service books on Riders and will soon bring this to Husqvarna Automower® to ensure the end user always has a premium experience, even after the product has been bought. Alongside service books, Husqvarna also provide Welcome Packs for Automower® and Riders. Together these ensure that the end-user is reminded about servicing their product regularly and are aware of ‘preventative maintenance’, driving more business to your dealership.
Helping to drive additional service revenue, selected Husqvarna products can benefit from extended warranty periods up to 3 years based on terms and conditions. The winter period is ideal for both customers, who will not be using machines, and dealers who are normally quieter in the winter season. Preventative maintenance is one of the easiest ways to secure customer satisfaction and retain their loyalty over time.
New for 2018: Husqvarna Connect App
Did you know? Husqvarna will soon introduce real-time ‘how to’ and maintenance guides for end users on a select range of Husqvarna Battery connected products, giving them notifications on when a machine should be serviced. As the battery market is growing at a rapid pace, the surrounding technology will only become more important.
Winter presents dealers with a chance to strengthen relationships with customers by being a sounding board for the seasons ahead – make sure you’re the ‘go-to’ source regarding preparation for 2018’s work.
CARLISE Did you know they also manufacture Agricultural tyres?
Carlisle’s Official UK Importer, Tyre-Line, are one of the UK’s leading Turf & ATV/UTV tyre suppliers, but did you know they also specialise in Agricultural tyres?
Carlisle’s Official UK Importer, Tyre-Line, are one of the UK’s leading Turf & ATV/UTV tyre suppliers, but did you know they also specialise in Agricultural tyres? With Carlisle’s range of agricultural tyres, which include fitments for Trailer’s, Hay Turners, Tedders, Skid Steer’s and Compact Tractors, Tyre-Line are able to supply many of today’s Agricultural tyre needs through their extensive customer base of tyre and machinery dealers.
Included amongst Carlisle’s Agricultural Tyre portfolio are the Farm Specialist® Flotation range of tyres. Designed from the ground up to offer many features suited for Heavy Duty trailed applications. Benefiting from High Load Capacity, Large Contact Area, Long Wearing & Low Rolling Resistance Compound and Excellent Self Cleaning properties, the Farm Specialist® Flotation tyres are the ideal choice for many of today’s busy farm estates, contractors and agricultural haulers.
“Adding the Carlisle Flotation tyres to Tyre-Line’s already extensive range of trailer applications and fitments was a natural choice” says Jacqui Jones, Tyre-Line Aftermarket manager. “Being able to cater for the Agricultural trailer market alongside our existing High Speed Trailer, Caravan and Horticultural Trailer markets means we can now offer our customers even more choices”.
Available in popular sizes 260/70-15.3 (10.0/75-15.3), 300/80-15.3 (11.5/80-15.3), 380/55-17 (15.0/55-17), 480/45-17 (19.0/45-17) and 500/50-17 the new Carlisle Farm Specialist® Flotation tyres are available now from Tyre-Line’s Aftermarket division, with further announcements to come over the coming months of expanded Carlisle Agricultural tyre ranges and fitments from Tyre-Line.
