Trying to remain positive in the face of the news cycle is becoming increasingly challenging. Tiers, firebreaks, levels and prospects of new lockdowns are incredibly trying for us all.

Thinking back to March and April, I made a real effort then not to constantly monitor news sources for every single update or opinion and to just take on board the main developments of the day. Like many others I found that simply concentrating on what was in my power to control, such as my own work, was helpful.

Of course external factors will impact on what we do, just look around your own showrooms for a physical representation of what 2020 has inflicted on us - but it is important to try to remain upbeat. As we've discussed lately, compared to many sectors we shouldn't forget that the markets that Service Dealer's readers serve, have kept reasonably buoyant this year.

I was speaking to Service Dealer founder Chris Biddle this week for his Inside AgriTurf podcast, and the trips-off-the-tongue subject of disintermediation came up. Chris and I both thought that whilst this is a phenomenon that is both unwelcome and undeniable for garden machinery dealers on certain products, dealers still do posses that potent USP that they have always had - their specialism. The expert knowledge, help and service which the network provides is a valuable commodity which customers will always desire.

It's interesting just this week in fact, to see this concept of the value of a personalised service reflected in a new advertising campaign that has begun both online and on TV, from Google. Famous faces are being used to encourage the public to leave a Google review online for their favoured high-street independents, pointing out that doing so will raise the store's profile locally and hopefully help them thrive. It's an intriguing move by the corporate giant, until now perhaps seen as the bête noire of the bricks and mortar independent, forever directing potential consumers to the Amazons and online-only retailers of this world.

Similar in principal to Garden Trader's philosophy, if this campaign of user-reviews can help steer potential customers towards an independent dealer that they may not have considered before, that must be an encouraging move. No one can deny that for many customers, looking to the internet is their first port of call on their journey to a purchase - therefore dealers need to turn that to their advantage.

Garden Trader can help with this, encouraging customers to leave a Google review can help with this, and as discussed both on here and in the Dealer Digital Toolkit, your own websites and social media activity can help with this. 

Pushing the tech

So if we're looking for much-needed positives at the moment, let's look at the technology we all have at our disposal, and what they can do for our businesses. I'm well aware from listening to dealers over the years, oftentimes speaking passionately at our Service Dealer conferences, the notion of "the internet" has been cited by some as a threat, as the enemy even. But hopefully that idea is being turned around. Dealers shouldn't be getting involved in a reductive online race to the bottom in terms of price - rather they can use the internet as a tool to entice and to promote all the extras they have to offer.

These extras of course include the incredible array of technologically advanced products they have on offer. Many of which are very much on trend with the modern consumers' desire for products which tick environmentally aware boxes.

Perhaps we don't shout enough about this aspect of our sector? With advances in battery and robotic tools, there's a wide choice available for consumers who are concerned about the use of traditional fuels - and manufacturers in our sector are going even further than this.

I read with interest an announcement from Husqvarna Group about their intention to launch 50 circular innovations by 2025. This idea of a circular economy is one that is aimed at eliminating waste and the continual use of resources. Husqvarna say they are going to do this by "making smarter use of the materials that comprise our products" - which is a fantastic and admirable innovation, as well as one which will appeal to the modern consumer.

In their statement Husqvarna go on to say "We’re challenging our teams to launch new solutions that help us be smarter about materials, with consideration of all product phases, including design, use, and repair." This is a great message and an exciting prospect for the future. 

Hopefully we'll hear more about this from Husqvarna in due course and no doubt other manufacturers will be developing their own technologies along similar lines. All of which is a great story to tell your customers and potential customers - who let's not forget are buying products from you to enhance the natural world and presumably would want to achieve this in the most sustainable way possible.

Looking for positives right now is of course challenging. But with the digital tools at our disposal to promote the exciting products coming our way, there can be reasons to be (just about) cheerful!

New Holland Agriculture has signed a supply agreement with Maschio Gaspardo.

Under the agreement, selected disc harrow and subsoiler models will be manufactured by Maschio Gaspardo for New Holland. The blue products will be sold under the New Holland name and will be available exclusively at the brand’s dealerships.

Currently in the UK, other Maschio Gaspardo products are distributed by Opico Limited. Speaking to Service Dealer this week, Opico's marketing manager, Helen Selkin, confirmed, "The recent announcement does not affect Opico’s distribution of Maschio products in the UK."

Carlo Lambro, brand president of New Holland Agriculture, said, “We are very pleased with our new partnership with Maschio Gaspardo. At New Holland, we are constantly looking at improving and extending our offering to provide our customers around the world with innovative and complete solutions to their farming needs. In Maschio Gaspardo we have a partner with a long-standing experience and a leader in its field, so that with this agreement, we are bringing their first-rate products to our customers, further widening the choice of implements to meet their tillage requirements with high-quality equipment.”

Mirco Maschio, president of Maschio Gaspardo Group, added, “Maschio Gaspardo already has a consolidated OEM supply partnership with New Holland. We are proud of this new prestigious project as it also confirms the high-quality standards achieved by Maschio Gaspardo for its products and the offered customer service. It is another important building block for our growth.”

New Holland will introduce in season 2021 the first products to be supplied under the agreement: the SDM and SDH Compact Speed Disc Cultivators, and the SUM and SUH Subsoilers. The manufacturer says the new product lines will be  ideally suited to  their tractor ranges from the T5 Series up to the 300hp T7 Heavy Duty.

The new products will first be launched in key European markets in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, The Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and the UK.

New Holland say they will present the new implements in detail later in the year.

Fendt has appointed Johnston Tractors Ltd as a new dealer in north west England and south west Scotland.

This will see Johnston’s become official Fendt stockists and service support dealers from their three branches in Carlisle, Dumfries and Penrith.

L to R: Tom Johnston, company secretary Lorna Johnston and managing director Howard Johnston

Johnston Tractors was established in 1962 and has always been a family run business. Howard Johnston, who leads the team with his sister Lorna, said, “We welcome the opportunity to work with and represent Fendt in our territories. We believe the Fendt brand will be popular with our customers and we are looking forward to introducing them to the wide range of machines available.

“At the same time, we are able to offer existing Fendt customers the wealth of experience and customer support that we deliver on a daily basis,” he added.

Martin Hamer, Fendt national sales manager; UK, IE, NL said, “It is a pleasure to welcome Johnston’s to the Fendt dealer family. This long-established business has the experience and knowledge to represent Fendt and offer excellent customer service and support. We are looking forward to a long and successful partnership that will see Johnston’s work with us to offer a broad range of Fendt products.”

Johnston Tractors became a Fendt dealer on 1st October, joining over thirty dealerships throughout the UK. This change to the Fendt dealer network is set to be fully effective by April 2021 to allow for a period of transition. Johnston’s say they are now preparing to take on responsibility for the brand with the necessary staff training and are working with Fendt to make it a smooth transition for existing and potential customers.

Balmers GM have been announced as the latest dealer for the Infinicut and TMSystem ranges.

With depots in Wakefield and Burnley, the dealership will deliver sales and support to professional customers across Yorkshire, Lancashire and Manchester.

Established over 40 years ago, with immediate effect Balmers GM will be stocking the full Infinicut range of floating-head, fixed-head and rotary mowers together with the complete range of TMSystem cassettes.

Balmers GM sales director, Darren Barker, said, “It is fantastic news for Balmers to have Infinicut on board - a huge asset to have in our professional golf and turf machinery portfolio."

Oliver Hall, Infinicut territory sales manager, added, “We are extremely pleased to be working with Balmers GM and have certainly hit the ground running with a series of demonstrations and orders placed in the first few weeks! They have a fantastic reputation for sales and aftercare which is so important for us, as we look to work with both new and existing customers in this area.”

From 1 April 2021, Dr Martin von Hoyningen-Huene will join the Claas Executive Board, having assumed responsibility for the Tractor Business Unit and Claas Industrietechnik GmbH.

Dr Martin von Hoyningen-Huene

“We’re delighted that we’ve been able to recruit a manager for our tractor business with such formidable industry experience as Dr von Hoyningen-Huene,” says Thomas Böck, chair of the Claas Executive Board.

After studying Mechanical Engineering at the University of Karlsruhe and the ENSAM Grande Ecole in Paris, von Hoyningen-Huene completed his PhD at the University of Siegen. He began his professional career as a business consultant and project manager at McKinsey & Company in Stuttgart.

From 2004 to 2008, he worked for the Freudenberg Group; most recently as managing director of Freudenberg IT. After joining John Deere in 2009, Dr von Hoyningen-Huene was responsible for its global 6B and 6D/E tractor range, holding roles such as head of development.

In 2014, he was initially appointed factory manager and then sole managing director of Maschinenfabrik Kemper, which is part of John Deere. Since February 2018, Dr von Hoyningen-Huene has been managing the John Deere factory in Arc-les-Gray (France).

Väderstad has appointed Henrik Gilstring (35) as president and group CEO, effective from February 2022.

Henrik Gilstring

Henrik replaces current CEO Mats Båverud and represents the third generation of the owner family. He is the son of Christina Stark, owner of the second generation, and Gert Gilstring, who currently works as senior design engineer at Väderstad.

Henrik has worked at Väderstad since 2012 and currently serves as vice president for business development and is a member of group management. 

“I’m looking forward to continuing to drive Väderstad forward sustainably and to ensure that, as a company, we are able to adapt to the challenges and opportunities ahead, both with regard to agricultural development in general and in terms of new political and global ground rules,” he said.

Prior to his present role in Väderstad, Henrik served as business controller of production, sales and marketing, and product development. He also worked on issues related to product management and strategy and served on the board. 

Crister Stark, chairman of the board of Väderstad Group said, “The decision gives us good conditions for an efficient and smooth handover, and a rejuvenation of the CEO role.”

Kioti UK Ltd, the importer for Kioti compact tractors, UTVs and zero-turn mowers, has announced that from October 2020 they have moved to a new single location.

The new premises is centrally located, just outside St Neots, Cambridgeshire on a spacious farm based industrial estate.

Patrick Desmond, general manager, said, “This represents an exciting step forward in the evolution of Kioti UK. Despite the trying circumstances of 2020 the Kioti products have sold well in ever increasing numbers. This location is ideal for us and has space available allowing us to grow further in the coming years. We look forward to being able to give to our customers old, new and future an increased level of service."

The new address is, Kioti UK Ltd, Unit 11, Eltisley Business Park, St Neots, Cambs. PE19 6TB.

The telephone number remains unchanged 01480 401512.

North-West based Gathurst Golf Club have invested in a brand-new fleet of machinery, facilitated by dealers GGM Groundscare, with a retail value of circa £200k to futureproof the club.

L-R: Chairman of Greens, Eddie Cunliffe with Peter Mercer, GGM sales manager

The prestigious 18-hole parkland golf course is a private members-owned club located in Shevington, Wigan. The club say their ageing fleet, with machines that were up to 20 years old, had started to become both problematic and costly and were failing to deliver the standard required. The team realised that a sizeable investment in an entirely new fleet was essential.

Chairman of Greens Eddie Cunliffe called upon local dealers GGM Groundscare, having purchased a machine from the business two years ago and being impressed with the service received. Several considerations had to be taken into account when selecting the best machinery for the job, with reliability and productivity of equipment being key. Being based in the North West of England, it was key for the machinery to perform well in all-weather conditions and operate well on clay surfaces. In addition, the 9th hole has a large dip which the previous machine was unable to get up, proving time consuming for the greenkeeping team to manage.

The club trialled a range of products from Baroness and Kubota and the greens team instantly pleased with the results.

“The new machines have been absolutely brilliant so far and our team have already noticed a huge difference in terms of ease of use and providing a truly outstanding quality of cut," said Eddie Cunliffe. "More so, this new fleet is far more efficient and cost effective”.

He continued, “It was a huge step for the club to move away from the previous manufacturer, and particularly when it came to making an investment of this size, however GGM Groundscare made the process so easy and we have already received outstanding after sales service care. It’s fantastic to know that we’re heading into the future with the very best fleet for our club.”

Chris Gibson, managing director at GGM Groundscare said, “We are absolutely delighted to supply this fleet of machinery to Gathurst Golf Club. There are no better machines for golf clubs to use to maintain one of their biggest assets - their course”.

OPICO has appointed Charlie Wilson as a new territory manager to cover western, central and northern Scotland.

Charlie Wilson

Charlie will take responsibility for all the Opico, Sky, HE-VA, Strautmann and Maschio Gaspardo brands in this area.

Commenting, Charles Bedforth, Opico UK sales manager said, "Charlie has a wealth of experience with a background in farming and more recently on the dealer side. I’m delighted to have taken on such a knowledgeable individual."

Charlie added, "I’ve followed the Opico brands for a while and this opportunity was too good to ignore. It felt the right time for me to move from dealer area sales manager to machinery distributor. I am looking forward to being part of this forward-thinking company and I can see new opportunities for the Opico brands in Scotland." 

Charlie will be based from home in Cupar, Fife and his contact details are, email: charlie.wilson@opico.co.uk mobile: 07860 729659.

Founded in 1889, Royal County Down is one of the oldest golf clubs in Ireland and features two 18-hole links, the Championship Course and the Annesley Links.

(Standing, left to right) John Deere turf strategic account manager Richard Charleton, Royal County Down links manager Eamonn Crawford and Johnston Gilpin dealer sales manager Ricky Neill with (seated on mowers, left to right) greenkeepers Jon Crawford and Mark Kennedy, first assistant Gary Crawford and mechanic Sam Scott

Eamonn Crawford has been links manager at Royal County Down for 10 years but has worked here for 45, maintaining not just his beloved links to the highest standards but also a consistent approach to the purchase of new course equipment.

“Every golf course is different,but I like to have a mixture of machinery and if it’s good enough I’ll use it,” he says. “My approach is very much horses for courses, and I aim to buy the right make for the jobs that need doing, to get them done properly.”

As a result, one of the club’s most recent investments has been in a fleet of four new John Deere 7500A E-Cut hybrid electric fairway mowers, delivered by local dealer Ricky Neill of Johnston Gilpin & Co at Lisburn. These have joined seven of the company’s TH 6x4 Gator utility vehicles as well as two vintage 1200A bunker rakes, which are approaching 15 years old and still doing a good job.

“I’ve dealt with the dealership for nearly 20 years,” says Eamonn. “Service and back-up are very important to us, and Johnston Gilpin have always proved their worth on that score, particularly with loan equipment. Generally, we need demo machines for more than just one or two days, preferably three or four weeks so we can test them properly in all conditions, and that’s what happened last year with the 7500AE mower.

“We get a lot of rain here and cutting in the wet is just the worst job. Fairway mowers in particular can leave a lot of mess, but the collection on these new machines is very good, the grass gets thrown right to the back of the boxes. We box off all the cuttings on the Annesley Links, which we’ve never done before, and people have been commenting how good the fairways are playing there now.”

Six of Royal County Down’s 17 full-time greenkeeping staff are dedicated 7500AE operators. All four mowers are set to cut the fairways at 9mm on both 18-hole courses every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, plus all the pathways. Nets have been added to the mowers’ roll-bars for protection, as there are a lot of blind tee shots around the courses.

“One of our greenkeepers, Mark Kennedy, is very mechanically minded and has done a lot of product training with Johnston Gilpin learning about the machines and how to set them up, so he looks after them all,” says Eamonn. “All the operators know their machines well too and are very good at their job.

“We’re very pleased with these new John Deere fairway mowers, and I’m very confident that they will be with us for a long time, particularly with Mark looking after them so well.”

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