It's tough out there at the moment.

This is something we're hearing anecdotally on a regular basis from dealers we speak to. Last week meanwhile, confirming what's being said, we had some pretty stark facts from the AEA regarding recent registrations of agricultural tractors. In short, it's not ideal!

The Association's figures showed that the "substantial downturn" experienced by ag dealers during the second half of 2019 had continued into the first month of this year. The monthly total of 477 machines registered, was 31% lower than in January 2019, making it the slowest start to a year since 2001.

Stephen Howarth, agricultural economist at the AEA told us, "Total registrations over the last year were the lowest for any 12-month period since December 2016 - November 2017. The wet autumn is likely to have contributed to a reduction in orders, which would be reflected in the latest figures."

Pretty grim reading if we're being honest. 

But as Chris Biddle convincingly argues in his opinion piece today, ag dealers of all sizes are well equipped to adapt quickly to changing markets - they always have. With the disruption that increased automation and advanced technologies will inevitably bring to the tractor sector, they will need to prove this once again.

Therefore it's with this in mind that the whole industry, dealers and manufacturers alike, need to be armed with all the market information at their disposal, to offer themselves the best advantage possible in these periods of challenging trading conditions.

There is a survey launching today, run by TAP who own Service Dealer, which is designed to offer genuine market insight for the benefit of the whole industry. They ran a similar one last year, gauging dealers' opinions on tractor brands, which was very well received. Today a revised survey is kicking off and once again they are looking to hear from the independent UK dealer network. The aim is to really grasp a sense of how tractor brands are perceived through dealers' eyes.

As they say knowledge is power - and during times of uncertainly it's vital to take a barometer of opinions from across the market. From customer to manufacturer - and, incredibly importantly, from that element which brings those two ends of the spectrum together, the dealers.

Having an understanding what everyone throughout the tractor supply chain feels about the brands within it, will allow informed decisions to be made regarding future choices and directions.

TAP stress they are not monetising this survey in any way - it's purely a fact finding mission. A mission which will benefit greatly from as many dealers as possible taking a few moments to participate in. So to this end they've added an incentive of a £200 cash prize draw to be won by one randomly chosen respondent. 

It would be great if as many of our readers as possible were able to give a few moments over to competing the survey. Last year some fascinating insights were gained. I imagine with trading the way it has been just lately, there will be some strongly held and well informed opinions to be shared.

TAP will publish the findings of the survey later in the spring.

Click here to take the survey.

TAP, the owners of Service Dealer, are launching a survey today designed to canvass the opinions of agricultural machinery dealers regarding tractor brands.

The survey will take you through a series of questions about yourself, your dealership, and the tractor market.

Shaun Cooper who heads up insight and strategy at TAP said, "Insight is at the heart of everything we do at TAP. We have made it our business to understand the world of agriculture and to stand out as an agency with compelling content at its heart."

The results of the survey are intended to offer a better understanding of the current market, for the benefit of all in the industry

As well as asking some general questions about dealership performance, the survey is designed to drill down into what dealers think about various facets of tractor brands. Questions on quality, innovation, value for money, after sales support, training and marketing are all considered. There is also space to leave your thoughts on automation.

The survey is free to take part in and as an incentive to participate, one randomly chosen respondent will win a £200 prize draw.

Take the survey here.

The results will be published by TAP later in the Spring.

Returning to the Double Tree by Hilton Oxford Belfry this November, the Service Dealer Conference & Awards will once again benefit from Etesia as Gold Sponsor.

The date of this year's event has been confirmed as Thursday November 19th 2020.

Les Malin, managing director of Etesia UK (second left) presenting the Professional Turfcare Dealer of the Year award to Andrew Melville, Scott Grieve and Mark Lewin of Gibsons Garden Machinery with Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke (l) and comedian Charlie Baker (r) at 2019's ceremony

Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke said, "We are delighted to once again be announcing Etesia as Gold Sponsor for Service Dealer's Conference & Awards.

"To be partnering for the third time on the event, which is already shaping up to be of great value for our independent dealer readers, is excellent news."

Les Malin, managing director of Etesia UK, who have been part of the UK professional grounds machinery landscape for 30 years, said, “Etesia and Pellenc are delighted to once again be supporting the Service Dealer conference and awards, and in particular, the professional turfcare dealer of the year award.

"Based on the success of the past two events that we have been involved with, we could not not be a part of it. The conference is essential for dealers to understand, adapt and remain relevant to their customers, while the evening awards brings together the best of the industry.”

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

Bobcat has added two new authorised dealers for the company’s telescopic loader range for the agricultural market in the UK.

A&M Group is now responsible for sales and service of their telescopic loaders in South and West Wales and Powys. Meanwhile, Truckmasters Handling Limited is now representing the range in Norfolk and Cambridgeshire.

Ewen Gilchrist, network development manager UK & Nordics for Doosan Bobcat EMEA, said, “Both companies are very well established and well known in the agricultural sectors in their respective areas. Combining their familiarity with the local market and their dedication and passion for the Bobcat range, I am confident they will be successful in increasing market share for Bobcat in the farming market.”

A & M Group company director, James Atherton, said, “With our successful track record in the farming market in South and West Wales, we are very pleased to be a new dealer for the Bobcat telescopic loader range in these areas and in Powys. We have already sold Bobcat TL30.60 Agri telescopic loaders to two large dairy farmers in South Wales, who are both very happy with the performance of their new machines.”

Graham Elsam, managing director and sales director at Truckmasters, said, “We deal with all sections of the agriculture market in Cambridgeshire and Norfolk from the field and animal farming to packaging and processing and telescopic loaders have a role in every type of activity in the sector.”

On Monday this week (February 14th) Allett Limited welcomed the Lord-Lieutenant, Mr Ian Dudson, the Queen’s representative in Staffordshire to meet the staff and present a commemorative vase and ‘Grant of Appointment’ deed for the Queen’s award for Enterprise.

In April 2019 Allett won the Queen’s Award for Enterprise: International Trade 2019 in recognition of its growth in exports and contribution to the British economy.

Lord-Lieutenant, Mr Ian Dudson, the Queen’s representative in Staffordshire making the presentation to the Allett team

Allett won this award after the company had demonstrated exceptional and year-on-year growth in export sales over a five year period and had made a minimum of £100,000 in export sales in the first year of entry.

The Russia World Cup was an important factor in Allett’s overseas sales success however the company has also seen a huge rise in sales to other countries such as America where sales into the top baseball and football clubs has been a strong and growing market.

Export Manager Dave Allett played a major role in partnership with Allett’s Russian distributors, Moscow based Unisaw, before the world’s biggest football tournament to supply host stadiums, training grounds and contractors with a range of Allett machinery.

Dave Allett and James Till (Allett Director) were invited to attend a Royal Reception at Buckingham Palace last summer.

“We’re very honoured to receive the Queen’s Award,” said Austin Jarrett, Allett’s managing director, “This prestigious award recognises our achievements and team efforts in bringing innovative developments in our mowing systems to meet challenges in overseas markets with large potential.

"Because of increased export sales the business no longer subject to the seasonality of sales cycles in the UK. Our mowers and turf maintenance systems are used throughout the world where they maintain sports surfaces and lawns to the highest standards. The groundsmen in the UK are acknowledged to be the best in the world and these customers demand the highest standards from their equipment suppliers.

"This relentless demand from our UK customers over the years have driven our engineering team to improve and develop our mowing systems which subsequently help to produce near-perfect sports surfaces and garden lawns. Allett have benefited from this and we are confident that we can deliver higher standards to the stadiums and lawns using our systems in the rest of the world. Every one of our machines proudly bears a Union Flag decal, and this really helps us in our export markets where the UK is revered for their lawns.

"We will be hosting Pitch Maintenance training seminars in China this year,” added Austin, “to help set standards and expectations for the playing surfaces in this huge country which is growing rapidly as a footballing nation. Allett is more than just a machine. We’re strengthening our technical support and embarking on a plan of new product development to concentrate on a wider range of grass and sports turf maintenance products.”

As part of the Award ceremony at Regal House, Allett’s manufacturing facility, Allett held a celebration this week to celebrate their success. The Lord-Lieutenant of Staffordshire was on hand to present the Directors with a ‘Grant of Appointment’ (an official certificate) and a commemorative crystal trophy. After a factory tour, the Lord-Lieutenant took the opportunity to talk with Allett employees over lunch.

Lord Lieutenant Ian Dudson said, “Another Staffordshire manufacturing company leading the world in product design, performance, quality and reliability which has driven outstanding continuous growth in overseas sales over the last six years to achieve this well deserved prestigious recognition. It was great to be able to meet the entire workforce to offer congratulations and continued success.”

Honda UK has promoted Lee Stern to Power Products PR manager effective immediately.

Lee Stern

Lee who joined the Bracknell-based business in September 2018 on the graduate programme, is responsible for publicising products under the Honda Power Products banner.

Since joining Honda, Lee has worked across the Car, Motorcycle and Internal Communications divisions, helping to regularly deliver PR activity, which he will continue to do as the first point of contact for all Power Product media enquiries going forward.

Lee says he will look beyond the traditional Power Products pages to generate coverage on new platforms, in a bid to bring new demographics to the company, by building new relationships with outlets in different media sectors.

Steve Morris, head of Power Products at Honda UK, said, “Calling on the experience and skills Lee has cultivated over the past 18 months, we have every faith he’ll maintain and broaden the brand’s favour in the Power Product market sectors.”

Lee added, “The last eighteen months with Honda have been fantastic and opportunity-filled. Honda delivers intelligent engineering solutions and I can’t wait to see what shape these take on the Power Products side of the business so I can share them with the media and public.”

STIHL has announced a series of Product Expert Days which are set to take place around the UK in March.

The company says the events are designed to demonstrate and discuss the importance of merchandising for dealerships.

Simon Hewitt, head of marketing at STIHL UK said, "Our expert retail trainers will share their knowledge and equip our dealers with valuable hints and tips which can be brought to life in their own dealerships. There will also be the opportunity to experience Virtual Reality and understand STIHL’s commitment and dedication to new technologies."

Each venue will include the following four areas:

• Virtual reality
• Proactive merchandising
• Hands on products
• Retail experience

Dates and venues for the events are:

• 17/3 - Leicester Racecourse
• 18/3 - Lingfield Park Racecourse
• 19/3 - Westonbirt Arboretum - NOW FULL
• 24/3 - Perth Racecouse, Scotland - NOW FULL
• 25/3 - Newton Rigg College, Penrith
• 26/3 - Pavillions of Harrogate

To book a place, complete the booking form and send to productexpert@stihl.co.uk

On the 30th January, 150 service staff representing Massey Ferguson dealers from all over the United Kingdom and Ireland gathered at the Heart of England Conference and Event Centre near Birmingham, for a Massey Ferguson Service Experience.

In the first event of its kind, service technicians were able to receive product updates and service information from the UK Massey Ferguson service team and AGCO product experts. The format involved groups of 20 technicians rotating around several workstations, with product and parts displays available, along with presentations on the company's latest innovations.

Michael Butland, Massey Ferguson field service manager said, "We wanted to deliver the latest service information to technicians who are the key interface between our product and our customers. It’s important that they are up to speed with the latest diagnostic techniques and service information in order to minimise any potential downtime which is all important to the end user".

Will Giles from MF sealership Lister Wilder said, “Thank you to Massey Ferguson for an excellent event - the information provided to our technicians has already been put into action”.

The conference was all part of the initiative for Massey Ferguson to work closer to their dealer network and customers, with future events already being planned.

Kuhn Farm Machinery says their investment in technical personnel continues with the latest recruits to the company’s regionally deployed product support team including Paul Jennings, Will Fowler and Alex Birchall.

Having joined as a product specialist, Alex Birchall has now taken on the role of product support engineer for the north of England

The company says these appointments maintain the expanded product support function that has now been in existence for 10 years and complement the wider recruitment drive that has in the past three years seen a 25% increase in the headcount for Kuhn.

Will Fowler now covers central England as part of the regionally deployed team of product support engineers

“We’re continuing with our commitment to deliver the very best engineering back-up to our customers,” explains Sian Pritchard, managing director of Kuhn UK.

Paul Jennings now covers Wales and the West Midlands as a product support engineer

“Having more people on the ground is being noticed by our dealer network and is becoming an important differentiator for the business. It’s a crucial factor in ensuring we achieve our goal to push UK sales figures to new heights and to provide a more complete, efficient and thorough service to our UK customers.”

The Royal Highland and Agricultural Society of Scotland (RHASS) is inviting agricultural and rural innovators to apply for its Technical Innovation Awards.

The organisers say the 2020 awards will encourage and recognise innovation in the design and manufacture of machines, equipment and appliances which advance the effective and efficient practice of either agriculture, horticulture, equestrian, forestry, renewable energy or estate services.

2019 Gold Technical Innovation Award winners, Kverneland Group UK Ltd

The RHASS Chief Steward of Technical Innovation, Christo Shepherd, said, “Continual innovation and development is key for maintaining the growth of Scotland’s agriculture and rural industries. Every year we are impressed with the quality and range of products presented for the Technical Innovation Awards, which provide a unique opportunity to promote new inventions to farming and rural communities at the Royal Highland Show.

“I look forward to seeing the products that are leading the way in securing the future of the industry, whether that’s by making farming more efficient, safer or simply making operators lives easier.”

Entries must be machine, appliances, technical components or important ancillary equipment and should be commercially available or prototypes in development. All entries are judged and benchmarked on individual merit.

One Gold, six Silver and four Certificates of Commendation were awarded last year. Gold awards are presented to previous Silver award winners for continuous outstanding merit and last year the only Gold award was presented Kverneland Group UK Ltd for their Kverneland 2500 i-plough, while Silver winners included Can-Am, Case IH Agriculture, Oran Oak Engineering, Easyfix, Penderfeed Livestock Equipment and Pollock Farm Equipment.

The closing date for entries is 10th April, with judging taking place before May. Successful entrants will be notified and will be invited to attend a special presentation award ceremony on Saturday 20th June 2020 at the Royal Highland Show.

Full details about the entry process can be found on the Royal Highland Show website where an official entry form can also be downloaded.

The Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) is giving one lucky reader plus their guest, the chance to visit GIE+EXPO, the international landscape, outdoor living, and equipment show in Louisville, USA, in October 2020.

The winner of this amazing free to enter competition, who must currently work at a dealership, will win two tickets to the show as well as travel to the US, transfers and accommodation.

SUPPORTED BY

Between the 21st-23rd October, GIE+EXPO will showcase the hottest products and technological innovations in the global outdoor power equipment industry - and you could be immersed in the latest developments plus be able to network with peers from across the world.

Throughout the three days you will be able to visit over 1000 exhibitors across the showfloor. There is even 20 acres of outdoor space for demonstrations and test-driving, so you can put the equipment through its paces.

You’ll also be able to attend a raft of insightful seminars aimed at boosting your efficiency and bottom line.

This really is an incredible opportunity to get away from the business for a few days and to come back with a wealth of new ideas from across the globe.

To enter the competition and for full terms and conditions click here.

Garden Trader is helping send quality leads to specialist garden machinery dealers in the UK.  It has been designed to  promote our dealer industry to consumers who are specifically searching for garden machinery products and services.

It is easy and quick to register and costs just £96 + VAT per year to be listed and all revenues in 2020 will be reinvested into promoting the site online.

Garden Trader

Join the country’s only independent specialist website, created by the team that bring you Service Dealer. Join our subscribed Garden Trader dealers now by clicking on “Register Dealership” and let's fight back against the zero value retailers.

Map of dealerships registered with Garden Trader

FIND OUT MORE

Last week, Steve Gibbs asked about the future for ag dealers as more and more robotic agricultural equipment is developed. He referenced the rapid progress of the Small Robot Company who have just crowdfunded a further £2 million to support future development and manufacturing plans. SRC have now raised £4.84million from investors.

Commenting, lead investor 7percent said “we will never be interested unless we view an investment as a billion-dollar opportunity” adding “change is not an option, we need to fundamentally disrupt existing practices.”

Current initiatives such as the Hands Free Hectare project at Harper Adams, the work that Lincoln University is doing on robotic solutions to harvesting and fruit picking - plus dozens of other specialised R&D developments aimed at providing robotic answers to farming operations – and it is clear that change is all around.

Global investment in new agri-tech/agri-food technology is running at record levels. According to AgFunder, current annual investment is annually at over $17 billion and growing at more than 40% year-on-year.

So, it’s all kicking off! Hail the fourth agricultural revolution.

Of course, not all these projects will see the light of day. There are too many clever inventions in search of an application! Very few, if any, will become stand-alone suppliers. Well-funded, independent technology companies will be supplementing the work of tractor and machinery manufacturers R&D departments, allowing them to carefully cherry-pick the most appropriate acquisitions to add to their portfolio.

In recent times we’ve seen Deere introduce its Farmsight programme and add Blue River Technology’s smart spraying solutions, AGCO has launched its Fuse platform with subsidiary Fendt working on small swarm robots. CNH has introduced its AGXTEND precision farming technology brand, whilst Kubota recently unveiled an extraordinary looking concept electric autonomous tractor.

So how will this impact on the ag dealer of today? We are already witnessing a consolidation of the dealer network. Multi-branch dealerships set up and equipped to handle and support new technologies, often staffed by graduate-level staff.

These dealers will continue to support new machine technology as it is introduced by their suppliers. They will be well-versed in understanding and implementing ‘big data’ in order to maximise yields etc. They will act as a partner to their customers in achieving farm efficiencies.

However, a rapid transition to new technologies will not be the revolution that many predict. At the recent Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) conference speaker after speaker admitted that the majority of farmers were not yet convinced by precision farming. 

The best farmers have always had an empathy for their profession, they live and breath it, they cope with the uncontrollables, such as weather. Agriculture is rarely an exact science, human intervention will always trump automation.

Likewise, ag dealers have always been at the forefront of implementing change. Over the years, they have professionally responded to advances in hydraulics, power units, electronics, transmissions, guidance systems. They have acted as the essential go-between. Ensuring new technologies developed by global manufacturers are used to best effect by local farmers.

In today’s world, the farmer needs fast diagnosis, predictive and proactive maintenance regimes. Analytics to provide this are becoming increasingly common within dealerships. As are robotics in dairy parlours, and in feeding operations. Change is all around, but it will be evolutionary rather than revolutionary.

So, what about the smaller dealers? They will also have an incredibly important role to play where localised service is important to support small and mixed farming. Alongside agriculture, there is an important role for dealers to play in the care of the countryside, forestry, water management, sports and recreation areas.

In summary, todays ag dealer is arguably more important than ever in implementing and supporting new technologies. But they need to be proactive. There will be an increasing need to recruit new skills to support this new digital, analytical and automated age – and the dealer network must sell itself to attract high calibre staff with skills virtually unknown just a few years ago.