The time is almost upon us. The Service Dealer Conference & Awards is taking place next Thursday - and the organising team couldn't be more excited!

Housed at the same place - albeit sporting a fancier name this year -  the DoubleTree by Hilton Oxford Belfry is venue to the event which this time out will be addressing the subject of Turning A Profit. The day is set to offer valuable insight of benefit to businesses large and small and to dealers of all machinery specialisms.

As ever, the intention by the organising team is to put together a programme of presentations and interactive sessions, which offer our dealer delegates relatable, practical and useful information. Information which they can take away with them and put into practice back at their own dealerships.

The event is tackling the issue of profitability this year as there can be nothing more fundamental to running a small business. As Service Dealer owner Duncan Murray-Clarke put it, “Turning A Profit is at the heart of what all independent dealers must be about. Be they large or small companies, domestic, professional turfcare or agricultural specialists, maintaining profits in all areas of the dealership is essential.”

To this end there is a cracking line-up of experts who will be approaching the subject from their own unique perspectives.

I’m personally absolutely fascinated to hear our keynote speaker’s take on the matter. Dr Eliza Filby is described as a ‘generational intelligence specialist’. She’s a writer, speaker and consultant who specialises in helping companies and services understand generational shifts within politics, society and the workplace. You may have seen her cropping up on TV discussions as a pundit, dropping phrases like Millennial, Gen Z, Boomer etc. Next week she’ll be offering her expertise on how dealers might think about connecting with these various societal groups in their own places of work.

Her keynote address in the morning will consider how we might go about communicating with these groups. Later in the day she will be leading one of the popular breakout sessions where, split into smaller groups, the delegates can interact more easily with the discussion. In these seminars (which all delegates will take it in turns attending) Eliza will be specifically concentrating on Recruitment, Retention and Client Engagement.

Recruitment and retention of staff has a been a hot topic in the industry this year (when isn't it?!). It’s an area which we're aware that many of our readers have ongoing difficulties. So to hear Eliza's take on the subject, coming from this very specific angle, will be most interesting.

Tackling the notion of profitability head on, we are privileged this year to have Bob Clements of Missouri-based dealer development company Bob Clements International joining us from the States. Bob is a sought-after speaker who loves to challenge and motivate owners, managers and salespeople to reach new levels of success. I had the honour of seeing Bob speak to huge room, absolutely packed with American dealers at the GIE+EXPO just a couple of weeks ago in Louisville and I have to say I’m so excited that our delegates are able to benefit from his wisdom and fantastic presentation style too.

Bob’s main address to the Conference will be on the subject of Structuring Your Dealership to Maximise Profit. His content will be specific and entirely relatable for our delegates, based upon his years of experience, working side-by-side with independent machinery dealers across America. Bring your notebooks and pens along for this one, because I have a feeling Bob will be dishing out plenty of advice and nuggets of gold that you’ll hopefully be able to apply in your own dealerships.

Bob will also be running a breakout session, this time with the very enticing title of Turning Your Service Department Into A Cash Producing Machine!  He will be aided in this session by Sara Hey, also from Bob Clements International, who readers will know from her regular column in Service Dealer magazine and of course, her appearance at the Conference last year.

Also returning from last year is Pete Harding of PFW Consultants. Pete will be joining Sara on stage once again to run another of their sessions which many attendees told me was one of their highlights from last year. Their UK vs USA seminar this year will be generating a dialogue around recruitment issues and best practices in hiring. It’ll be fascinating to hear the different approaches to a common problem faced by dealers on both sides of the Atlantic. 

The Conference will round off with a panel debate, with our speakers and some invited guests, discussing issues which have cropped up during the day and taking questions from the floor.

And all this is before the excitement of the Dealer Of The Year Awards ceremony in the evening! As mentioned before, the standard of entry this year was incredible and the volume and enthusiasm of the customer feedback received in favour of local dealers, was breathtaking. So, as ever, it has been an incredibly tough job for the judges – but decisions had to be made. All will be revealed next week!

It’ll be great to see as many of our readers there as possible. If you haven't already nabbed your spot there might be some last minute ticket availability. There's details on the Service Dealer website – or you could call the office on 01491 837 117.

Finally the team at Service Dealer would like to thank all our sponsors, without whom the day would not be possible.

The companies supporting the event this year are:

PRINCIPAL SPONSOR
Kramp

GOLD SPONSORS
Husqvarna

Etesia/Pellenc
Honda
Kubota
Catalyst Computer Systems

Ibcos

NETWORKING SPONSORS
BAGMA

uni-power

Hitachi Capital Business Finance

Service Dealer has announced that some select moments from next Thursday's Conference will be available to stream live online, via Twitter.

The Conference which is taking place at the Double Tree by Hilton Oxford Belfry, has as its theme this year, Turning A Profit.

Check out Service Dealer's Twitter feed next Thursday at the following times to catch a taste of the following sessions:

• 10.00am – Opening with Duncan Murray-Clarke
• 10.15am – Live streaming from keynote speaker Dr. Eliza Filby – Communicating with the Different Generations
• 13.35pm – Live Streaming from Bob Clements – Structuring Your Dealership To Maximise Profit

Service Dealer will also be posting throughout the day across our social media channels.

Follow #ServiceDealer19 on Twitter to keep up with the developments - including live updates from the Dealer Of The Year Awards in the evening, revealing who has triumphed in each category.

Longer highlights of Conference sessions will be posted after the event.

Twenty one students recently made their first step towards a career in agricultural machinery service and support, at Induction Days held at Reaseheath College in Cheshire and SRUC Barony near Dumfries having been offered the opportunity to join the Claas Agricultural Apprenticeship scheme.

The new intake of students come from Claas dealerships throughout the UK and Ireland. Of the new intake, 20 of the students will be training to be machinery service technicians, with one joining the Claas Parts Apprenticeship.

For over 10 years Claas has offered apprenticeship courses in both England and Scotland. Of the new intake, six students from dealerships in Scotland and Ireland will study at SRUC Barony with the remainder training at Reaseheath College near Nantwich.

For the 20 students joining the Landbased Service Engineering Apprenticeship courses at Reaseheath and Barony, their time will be split between blocks at college, where they will receive comprehensive technical training, and working for their sponsoring dealership gaining experience in the field. Apprentices will also attend additional Claas Product training which will be delivered across the whole four years at the Claas Academy in Saxham.

Also based at Reaseheath, the Claas Parts Sales & Marketing Apprenticeship is a three-year course, again with the student’s time split between formal block training at the college, balanced with practical time back at their supporting dealership. Upon completion of the course, successful students will be awarded a Level 3 Diploma in Vehicle Parts Operations, which is the equivalent of three ‘A’ Levels.

For all the students, the completion of their apprenticeship is just the start of their training with Claas. Following graduation, working with their dealership and Claas UK, they will have access to ongoing training and development, with the opportunity to move into more senior management roles within their dealerships should they so wish.

Reaseheath College 2019 CLAAS Apprentice intake

• Adam Cross EASTERN, Brigg (Parts)
• Jack Swift EASTERN, Catfoss
• Willem Jefferson EASTERN, Sinderby
• Charles Smith EASTERN, Sleaford
• Sebastian Moore WESTERN, Cirencester
• Max Swain WESTERN, Frome
• James Stickells MANNS, Kent
• Obi BrinkleyMANNS, Saxham
• Nicolas Searle MANNS, Saxham
• Jack Arnold MANNS, Thursford
• Jack Sainsbury HAMBLYS, Redruth
• Ryan Fleet MORRIS CORFIELD, Chester
• March Chisholm-Renals OLIVERS, Luton
• Toby Willmer OLIVERS, Petworth
• Archie Jenkins OLIVERS, Winchester

SRUC Barony 2019 CLAAS Apprentice intake

• Scott Briggs RICKERBY, Cornhill
• Sam Dixon RICKERBY, Dunbar
• Martin Young SELLARS, Old Meldrum
• Iain Scougall SELLARS, Perth
• Leon Cleary BREENS, Ennis
• Padraig Fitzgerald McCARTHYS, Cork

CNH Industrial has joined DataConnect, the data interface project recently announced by CLAAS, John Deere and 365FarmNet.

With the addition of CNH Industrial brands Case IH, New Holland Agriculture and STEYR, the cloud-to-cloud solution now includes five major farm equipment brands and their respective telematics platforms.

DataConnect enables the exchange of essential machinery data between the different platforms to allow users to view all of their mixed-brand fleet information within the single platform of their choice. Previously, viewing such information required duplicating effort by using each manufacturer’s separate and corresponding platforms or web portals to view such machine information.

DataConnect say the structure of the direct cloud-to-cloud solution enables a seamless and automated dataflow. Real-time data exchange allows a live overview of the whole machine fleet. With this new approach, customers can view their current machine fleet in one portal. The solution will apply to hundreds of thousands of already connected machines.

The addition of CNH Industrial means that users of AFS Connect, the telematics platform of Case IH, MyPLM Connect for New Holland and S-Tech for STEYR will have the option of real-time, cloud-to-cloud exchange of data with both the John Deere Operations Centre and CLAAS TELEMATICS or 365FarmNet portals.

Like CLAAS, John Deere and 365FarmNet, CNH Industrial is a member and supporter of the Agricultural Industry Electronics Foundation (AEF) and its ongoing efforts. As the participating companies develop their cloud-to-cloud solution, they plan to share their experience and knowledge with the AEF in order to support industry standards.

Manufacturer of professional wood chippers, Timberwolf, has been recognised as a member of the Made in Britain organisation.

Accredited to businesses selling goods that have been manufactured or have undergone a final substantial change in Britain before sale, Made in Britain is the official collective mark for British manufacturers.

From its manufacturing facility in Stowmarket, Suffolk, Timberwolf specialises in the design and manufacture of professional wood chippers for the arboricultural and horticultural sectors.

Chris Perry, manging director at Timberwolf, said, “Everyone at Timberwolf works incredibly hard to deliver unbeatable power and performance from every machine and to be a part of a collective promoting British engineering is very important to us.”

According to a recent Make UK report, manufacturing in the East of England contributes £17.8bn to the UK economy and employs over 244,000 people in the region. Recognised for their contribution to the regional economy, Timberwolf were awarded the Large Business Award and Business of the Year Award in the 2019 East Anglian Daily Times Suffolk Business Awards.

The company say they are committed to helping support local suppliers with more than a quarter of suppliers located within 25 miles of their Stowmarket base, and 50% of suppliers within 75 miles. In addition, almost 90% of externally sourced components are supplied by British-based companies, with over 60% of components from within a 100-mile radius.

Chris Perry explained, “We have seen strong growth in our export markets over the last 5 years and we now export nearly 50% of our machines outside of the UK.

“British Manufacturing and Engineering excellence is valued highly in international markets and the addition of the Made in Britain mark, which our products will wear with pride, will help strengthen our ambitious international trade goals and let any customer know that their machine is made to the very highest of standards.”

AGCO has announced changes in its Fendt management board.

At the end of this year, Peter-Josef Paffen, vice president & chairman of the Fendt Executive Board together with Michael Gschwender, managing director finance & IT, will resign from office and retire.

The successor to Fendt CEO, Peter-Josef Paffen, who is retiring after ten years at the helm, is named as Christoph Gröblinghoff, who has been the vice president distribution management for dealership development in Europe and the Middle East (EME) AGCO International GmbH, in Neuhausen, Switzerland for five years.

The successor to long-standing head of finance, Michael Gschwender, will be Ingrid Bussjaeger-Martin, whose most recent role was director of controlling at Fendt.

Dr Heribert Reiter, vice president and managing director of research and develpment, purchasing and customer service, and Ekkehart Gläser, vice president and managing director of production, will remain managing directors at AGCO/Fendt.

Martin H. Richenhagen, chairman, president and CEO of the AGCO Corporation, said, "Together with his team, Peter-Josef Paffen has led the cutting-edge brand of Fendt to new heights in the last ten years. With the Fendt 2020 Strategy and bold progression plans, Fendt has achieved profitable growth, fully expanding the Fendt Full-Line range and significantly driving forward the brand's progress in terms of globalisation.

"On behalf of myself, the AGCO Board, the Fendt Supervisory Board, the Works Council and every AGCO employee around the world, it is with the deepest sincerity that I'd like to thank Peter-Josef Paffen for his outstanding work. We wish him all the best for the future."

The team behind the distribution of Spider slope mowers in the UK have launched a new website dedicated to showcasing the range to industry professionals.

The new website enables users to view details on all the Spider machines available to the UK market and learn more about the benefits of use on dangerous, challenging or steep terrain.

To book a free, on-site demonstration, an online form is available on every page which sends requests straight through to the team. Alternatively calls can be placed to a Spider representative in the UK, with contact numbers available for the team.

For those seeking to contact their nearest Spider dealer, the ‘Find a Dealer’ page provides addresses and telephone details for each of the UK dealers - a list which will continue to grow with new dealers sought to increase support and sales coverage for customers in new areas.

Bill Johnston, Head of the UK Spider distributor business Machinery Imports, said, “The new UK based website creates a hugely useful resource for Spider owners, dealers and customers looking for a suitable slope mower. Home to a wealth of information about the brand and the specific models available, as well as current and former user manuals, the website will be an asset to our business in promoting the benefits of Spider mowers for customers across the country.”

Visit the website at www.spidermower.co.uk

Following the initial announcement of its development in 2017, the Claas Axion 900 Terra Trac has entered full production and launched at Agritechnica this week.

Two Terra Trac models will be available - the 445hp Axion 960 and the 355hp Axion 930.

The manufacturer says these will be the first half-track tractors on the market to have a fully suspended track system and the Terra Trac system developed by themselves for the Axion calls upon the company’s experience gained over 30 years of rubber track development for the Lexion combine.

To meet the specific power transfer needs of a tractor and to handle the high levels of torque, the drive wheel on the Axion Terra Trac unit is larger than that found on the Lexion and has spokes with attached rubber blocks to aid self-cleaning. The tracks use a force-locking drive and are maintained at a higher tension for even pressure distribution.

The new model is the first half-track unit to have full suspension. Combined with the front axle and 4-point cab suspension on the Axion, Claas says this not only aids ground contact and reduces wheelslip, but gives the operator an unprecedented level of comfort compared to other tracked tractors.

Sharrocks are an established agricultural and groundcare machinery dealership being a main dealer for Case IH. Due to internal restructuring we are looking to recruit an Agricultural Sales Person to join our team in North West England. You will be responsible for the selling & hire of agricultural machinery, on-site demonstrations and customer care / management.

The ideal candidate for this role would be someone that is ambitious and enthusiastic with some knowledge of the farming and agricultural sectors. Previous sales experience is not essential as you will be enrolled onto the Case IH structured Sales Training Program involving follow up assignments as well as on-going product training.

Duties

• Represent the company in the sale & hire of agricultural equipment to new & existing customers including the farming sector, local authorities and contractors etc.
• Organise & conduct machinery demonstrations
• Handling sales / hire enquiries, dealing with customers face to face, on the telephone & by email.
• Execute excellent after sales techniques through maintaining customer contact & liaising with the parts & service department.
• Organise marketing & promotional events including exhibiting at local events & agricultural shows

Skills

• Excellent customer service skills
• Excellent communication skills – both written & verbal
• Proactive & professional attitude
• Organised
• Computer skills
• Towing driving licence

Offering an excellent remuneration package for the right candidate, dependant on experience, qualifications & skills.

Applications: Interested candidates should email their CV along with a covering letter explaining why they feel they are suitable for this role to victoria.kay@sharrock.co.uk. All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence.

www.sharrock.co.uk

Sharrocks are an established agricultural and groundcare machinery dealership being a main dealer for Case IH, Ransomes Jacobsen, Iseki and other key brands. We are looking to recruit a Parts Sales Manager to join our successful parts team at our Wigan depot.

You will be joining a company where the continued growth of the spare parts business has resulted in some internal restructuring and created the need to recruit a dedicated person to take full responsibility for the sales, operation & logistics of this busy department.

Duties

• Lead & manage the parts team including sales, purchase, stocking & dispatch
• Ensure the efficient function & running of the department
• Identify & maximise opportunities to increase sales
• Inventory & stock level management using max & min levels within stock management software
• Identify key suppliers and negotiate discount levels.
• Manage the parts team by example by taking calls, answering queries, producing quotations etc.
• Maintain efficient processes for the ordering & supply of parts to the Service Dept
• Ensure a high level of customer service is maintained & identify areas of improvement.
• Organise marketing & promotional offers
• Provide regular feedback to management on achievements & forecasts.

Skills

• Parts managerial experience, preferably within a similar business
• Knowledge of agricultural / groundcare machinery
• Good communication skills – both written & verbal
• Good customer care skills
• Proactive & flexible attitude
• Organised
• Computer skills

Offering an excellent remuneration package for the right candidate, dependant on experience, qualifications & skills.

Applications: Interested candidates should email their CV along with a covering letter explaining why they feel they are suitable for this role to victoria.kay@sharrock.co.uk. All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence.

www.sharrock.co.uk

Sharrocks are an established agricultural and groundcare machinery dealership being a main dealer for Case IH, Ransomes Jacobsen, Iseki and other key brands. Due to our continued expansion we are looking to recruit a Field Service Engineer, to support our varied and valued clients across South & West Yorkshire, Derbyshire & Nottinghamshire.

The position requires a person with high integrity and the ability to work without supervision, on and around clients’ sites, servicing and repairing both customers’ equipment & our own hire fleet.

Candidates must hold a full driving licence & have excellent mechanical skills with previous workshop & field based engineering experience on groundscare, plant or agricultural machinery. Duties include general servicing/maintenance; PDI’s & warranty repairs and responding to breakdowns.

The successful candidate must have a good level of basic literacy as they will need to keep accurate job and time sheets on a daily basis and be able to communicate with our clients in a professional manner on every level at all times.

As a forward thinking company, we ensure our staff have every opportunity for skill development and actively promote training courses at every opportunity; these are sourced direct from our key suppliers.
Offering an excellent remuneration package for the right candidate, dependant on experience, qualifications & skills.

Applications: Interested candidates should email their CV along with a covering letter explaining why they feel they are suitable for this role to victoria.kay@sharrock.co.uk. All enquiries will be treated in the strictest confidence.

www.sharrock.co.uk

Ordering Period: from 1st October 2019 to 31st January 2020

Delivery Period: as soon as majority of items on each order are available from stock

Extended Credit Terms: no payment until 31st March 2020
FOC carriage for Parts to standard UK locations (Other areas charged @ cost)
Oil Products/Engines/Transmissions-standard carriage terms apply
Minimum Parts Order Value: £500.00rrp combined for all products

No minimum Engine/Transmission order value, but must be combined with a parts order
Multiple orders can be placed-clearly marked "Pre-Season/Winter Stock"
Orders can be placed via our Webcart, we will apply the additional discount prior to processing

Briggs & Stratton Parts & Engines
Special NET priced Excel Order Form & PDF Brochure (Including the most popular Parts & Engines)
Up to -25% off our usual Trade NET Prices (1st October 2019 £RRP list applies)

Items not shown on the Order Form: Up to an extra 5% Parts Discount on top of our usual Trade Terms (0% discount parts excluded). Additional 5% Discount off our usual Trade NET Engine Prices
NB: All Special Terms Accounts will receive their usual Discounts/NET Prices

Hatz / Honda / Kohler / Kubota / Lombardini / Yanmar / Kawasaki Parts & Engines
Extra 5% Parts Discount on top of our usual Trade Terms (0% discount parts excluded)
Additional 5% Discount off our usual Trade NET Engine Prices
NB: All Special Terms Accounts will receive their usual Discounts/NET Prices

Hydro-Gear / Peerless / Tuff Torq Parts & Transmissions
Extra 5% Parts Discount on top of our usual Trade Terms (0% discount parts excluded)
Additional 5% Discount off our usual Trade NET Transmission Prices
NB: All Special Terms Accounts will receive their usual Discounts/NET Prices

Honda / Kubota / Murray / Simplicity / Snapper Machinery Parts
Up to an extra 5% Parts Discount on top of our usual Trade Terms (0% discount parts excluded)
NB: All Special Terms Accounts will receive their usual Discounts/NET Prices

The full Offer can be downloaded from our Website www.uni-power.co.uk
Or requested via info@uni-power.co.uk / 01371 875331

Garden Trader is helping send quality leads to specialist garden machinery dealers in the UK. It has been designed to support and 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 2019 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.

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