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New Holland has announced the winners of its 2018 Dealer of The Year Awards, which celebrate excellence in performance and service quality across its extensive UK and Ireland dealer network. The 2018 awards include new product-line categories that reflect the further expansion in product line up, with the successful introduction of the new T5 and T6 DCT Tractors and New Holland Agriculture-branded grass and cultivation equipment.
With tens of thousands of tonnes of plastic waste being generated by the farming industry every year there is an increasing pressure, from the supply chain and consumers, for the industry to take immediate action to address the issue.
“Under current legislation, farmers are required to minimise waste and ensure it is collected by registered waste carriers, as well as ensure any waste that is contaminated is received by a permitted facility. However, more can be done, and needs to be done if farmers are to meet tightening legislation concerning waste plastic,” advised Chris Vasey, Transfer Operations and Polymers Divisional Director, for Avanti (a Tradebe Company), who presented in the Innovation Hub at this year’s Dairy Tech event, held recently at Stoneleigh Park in Warwickshire.
OPICO Ltd has expanded its partnership with C&O Tractors to include HE-VA cultivation machinery and SKY grain drills. C&O Tractors serve customers across Dorset, Wiltshire, West Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
Commenting, Charles Bedforth, OPICO Sales Manager said, “We are delighted that the OPICO, HE-VA and Sky brands will be represented by C&O Tractors in the south of England. Operating out of four branches, with a sales team of ten, a fully trained network of service engineers and backed-up by a knowledgeable parts team, I’m certain they will do an outstanding job.”
Dick Spencer, Sales Director, C&O Tractors added, “We have been selling and servicing OPICO grain dryers and grassland machinery for a number of years and have always received excellent backup and service from OPICO. OPICO has product specialists dedicated to the HE-VA and Sky brands who will provide our team and customers with first-hand technical knowledge and support and we look forward to introducing our local customers to these excellent product ranges.”
Photo caption: (left to right) Charles Bedforth, Sales Manager, OPICO with Dick Spencer, Sales Director, C&O Tractors.
As part of the company’s continued focus on providing the highest levels of customer service, sales and aftersales support throughout the UK and overseas, Tong Engineering has announced a number of new representative appointments in its home and export markets.
Currently exporting to over 50 countries worldwide, Tong has recently appointed sales and engineering professional Eddy Deschuymer to develop sales of the company’s advanced range of potato and vegetable grading, washing and handling equipment in the French, Belgian and Dutch markets.
The UK Government continues to provide guidance to businesses in the event of the UK leaving the EU without formal trading arrangements after the end of March 2019. Here, Newmac Ltd summarises the priorities which businesses that have commercial interests in marketing machinery across the current European member states, need to review and have ready in the “backup plan” file, should NO DEAL become a reality. Further information is available at; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/trading-goods-regulated-under-the-new-approach-if-theres-no-brexit-deal/trading-goods-regulated-under-the-new-approach-if-theres-no-brexit-deal#after-march-2019-if-theres-no-deal
The Land Drainage Contractors Association (LDCA) has merged with the National Association of Agricultural Contractors (NAAC) to form a stronger political voice for land drainage contractors. Forming a new section of the NAAC, the contractors will reap the benefits of being part of a larger organisation, whilst retaining and consolidating their lobbying power.
Originally part of the NAAC, the LDCA broke away in 1984 but, as the industry has changed, positive agreement has been reached to re-unite the sector and go full circle back into the NAAC fold.
OPICO Ltd has announced the appointment of Agriplus Limited to their Strautmann dealer network.
Established in 2005 by Rob Stevenson and his uncle Richard Winter, and based in the Stokesley Business Park in North Yorkshire, Agriplus has grown from a small agricultural engineering business into a major dealership.
Commenting Charles Bedforth, OPICO Sales Manager said, “With a strong engineering background, Rob and his team are ideally placed to grow the Strautmann franchise in North Yorkshire and the North East. OPICO has known Agriplus, as Maschio Gaspardo dealers, for the last few years and we have been impressed with the company’s enthusiasm, experience and the portfolio of farmers they deal with. We couldn’t be more excited to have them on board.”
Rob Stevenson added, “As a proactive and forward-thinking company, we are always looking to improve our range of product offerings and strive to ensure our customers get excellent service every time. The Strautmann range of forage and feeding wagons is a perfect product fit for our customers and the support we have had from OPICO over recent years has been excellent, giving us huge confidence we can continue to provide our customers with a first-class s
Crop Production Specialists Hutchinsons has appointed Keith Norman as an external consultant to its technical and training teams.
Keith will provide consultancy support to the technical areas of the business including helping to develop the Hutchinsons technical activties across the UK and, in particular, helping to develop the industry-leading Foundation and Academy agronomist training programmes already in place within the company.
Keith recently retired from his previous role as Technical Director for Velcourt Ltd where he supported a team of 45 farm managers responsible for farming in excess of 50,000 hectares of commercial crops. He was responsible for the planning and delivery of technical research and knowledge transfer in all aspects of crop management, including crop protection, seed and crop establishment, crop nutrition, precision farming technology and farm management.
Keith graduated from Newcastle University with a degree in agriculture, specialising in crop production, followed by a career in practical farm management before moving to a technical role. This has also included working overseas for Velcourt in Spain, France, Germany, Zambia, Russia and Ukraine.
“Agriculture is going through a revolutionary period, both technically and politically, with regulation and resistance presenting key challenges, yet at the same time, there is a very exciting “technical horizon” with new technologies being developed.
“I will be working with the technical team at Hutchinsons, to help them identify and develop these new technologies for the benefit of their agronomists and farming clients. The level of investment in terms of technical training and personal development that they are providing for their agronomists is very impressive and I am also really looking forward to having an input into the Hutchinsons Foundation and Academy training programmes,”says Keith Norman.
“Our customers are facing a changing business landscape as a result of rapid technological developments, as well as the need for greater environmental engagement and the likelihood of significant political influence. This means that requirements for agronomic expertise, support and advice are continually evolving and we believe that this will continue to be the case for the forseeable future. “
“Keith Norman’s knowledge and practical experience in these and many other areas, will be invaluable in supporting our plans and commitment to meet the needs of our customers over the years ahead,” says Managing Director, Andrew McShane.
There was lots for visitors to see at a packed Yorkshire Agricultural Machinery Show (YAMS) at the York Auction Centre on Wednesday 6th February 2019.
YAMS, now in its 6thyear, has grown again with over 200 exhibitors and is becoming an influential date in the annual machinery show calendar.
Once again AgriMachinery Trade News was delighted to sponsor the trade stand awards. Editor and publisher Andy Newbold commented that ‘As ever, the quality of trade stands was excellent, with a number of strong contenders. Choosing the winners and the highly commended in each category was very difficult and all the winners should be very proud of their efforts.’
He continued ‘ YAMS continues to go from strength to strength with strong support from the agricultural machinery trade across the whole region, and we are really pleased to encourage and acknowledge the hard work which the trade puts into this show’.
Best Outdoor Stand winner– Central Platform Services L-R Andy Newbold, editor of AgriMachinery Trade News with Paul Debnam and John Burton from Central Platform Services [Read More…]
Massey Ferguson has announced that Joe Whelan Ltd is expanding its trading area to include Limerick. Thanks to continued hard work and performance on behalf of the company and major investment from Massey Ferguson, Whelan’s continues to gain momentum.
The Dealership was formed in 1967 by Joe Whelan Snr in the Old Railway Station in Kilrush and is now managed and ran by brothers Joe and Kevin Whelan. County Limerick joins Whelan’s already well-established regions operated from Kilrush, Ennis and Loughrea.
As I write, in early February, there are just over 50 days before the UK leaves the European Union, unless the withdrawal process is extended or reversed, and we’re still not much closer to knowing what kind of Brexit we’re going to get. That must mean that the risk of no deal being done with the EU is rising all the time. So, what would that mean for the agricultural machinery industry?
In answering that question, there are two parts to consider: the direct impact on the industry and the impact on its customers, UK farmers. In truth, the latter is likely to be far more significant than the former. EU tariffs on many agri-food products are very high. Most meat and dairy products have duties equivalent to 40% or more of their value (often much more), as do wheat and barley, outside limited quotas. That means exports of these products to the EU would effectively be choked off overnight.
Leading Crop Production Specialists Hutchinsons have appointed David Neale as a specialist consultant to their seed business.
David will provide consultancy support across several areas of the business, including the development of new opportunities for the fast growing Hutchinsons seed business within a rapidly changing sector for the breeding, production, treatment and marketing of seeds.
David will also support the development of business opportunities with Hutchinsons agronomy teams in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and surrounding areas and will provide the business with insight and updates on activities in the grain marketing sector.
A 5th generation Cotswold farmer David who still lives on a farm in the Cotswolds, started his career with a family merchanting business, before successfully running the UK’s largest seed plant and then moving to a central management role, where he was responsible for all issues related to seed varieties, seed treatments, crop nutrition and end-markets.
Massey Ferguson has given young farmers from South West England the opportunity to boost their knowledge of farm machinery maintenance and safety in a special workshop held at Alan Snow Agricultural Engineers in Cornwall.
28 members from Callington Young Farmers Club gathered at the Launceston premises of the MF dealer for Cornwall and West Devon in the first of a series of workshops set to be held for Young Farmers’ Clubs (YFCs) in England, Wales and Scotland this year.
“Following the great success of our pilot workshop in Wales in 2018, our plan is to roll out the programme across the three nations,” says Lindsay Haddon, Massey Ferguson Advertising and Sales Promotion Manager. “As a leading manufacturer of agricultural equipment, MF is committed to the promotion of safety and the correct use and maintenance of machines. These workshops are an excellent way of building awareness, sharing good practices and communicating a strong farm safety message to young people.”
Farmers really need to invest in their people skills as well as their machinery, according to speakers at a recent Crediton Milling meeting. All businesses thrive by getting the most from their staff – but working with family, as many farmers do, can make people management more difficult.
According to Paul Harris, managing director at Real Success, the first step is to categorise your own personality and the personalities of those around you.
He introduced the VITA profiling method – which stands for Visionaries, Investigators, Team Makers and Adventurers.
An exciting new career opportunity has arisen with a leading and most respected manufacturer of agricultural machinery, exporting worldwide.
Our client is looking to appoint an enthusiastic and highly motivated Agricultural Sales Manager to expand existing business and develop new accounts in the Southern region of the UK, which includes the Midlands, Wales and South/South West England.
The successful candidate will be responsible for managing dealer accounts, pro-actively supporting dealers to achieve agreed sales targets and generating sales through the dealer network. You will be required to assist dealers in relation to demonstrations and open days.
You will possess drive and ambition and will have excellent communication skills, be computer literate and have the ability to prioritise your workload in an efficient and flexible manner
Candidates must be based within the territory, be prepared to travel and work flexible hours and occasional weekends as required.
The role and Responsibilities:
Candidate Requirements:
Remuneration:
The attractive remuneration package includes a competitive salary, performance bonus scheme, company car, and phone and business expenses.
To apply for this new career opportunity:
Please e-mail your CV and covering letter (in Word or RTF format please, not PDF) to amandalatham@delacyexecutive.co.uk
For more information please call: Amanda Latham on Office: 01885 483440, DDI: 01885 485524, Mobile: 07730 218934
Please be assured that all calls are treated in complete confidence
Thank you.
De Lacy Executive will upload your CV to our database and retain some data about you in order to process your application. More information about our processing activities can be found at www.delacyexecutive.co.uk/privacypolicy. Please be assured that all contact is treated in complete confidence and your details will not be passed to a third party without your prior permission.
Please note that this advertisement is not a job description and you should satisfy yourself about the full details at interview.
Väderstad Group’s turnover exceeded 300 million Euro for the first time in the company’s history for the financial year 2018, increasing by 27 percent. Net profit amounted to 11.8 million Euro.
The company also hired more than 150 new employees to keep pace with demand and continued to invest in product development of new and existing products.
Despite some challenging weather conditions – mostly drought – in northern Europe, resulting in lower yields, investment in soil cultivation machines and drills remained high.
A pallet fork mounted brush for cleaning up in farm yards and buildings is being added to a new line of farm cleaning solutions from Spaldings, along with a powered sweeper conversion kit for grain and general purpose loader buckets.
Available from the direct sales specialist online, by telesales and through the company’s field sales team in the UK and Ireland, the new sweeping solutions from Spaldings join a range of Padagas sweepers and sweeper-collectors already introduced.
The Padagas Push-Broom is a new design with simple parking stands that eliminate the permanent bristle distortion that can result from leaving the implement standing on them when not in use.
Hinckford Farming in Halstead has praised Michelin’s support after replacing a rubber tracked crawler with a Claas Xerion 5000 fitted with a set of the manufacturer’s Ultraflex high volume AxioBib tyres.
The arable farm had been using tracks for many years for its heavy cultivations but had recently struggled with grip in wet conditions, and suffered damage to the soil structure on headlands when turning.
After taking on the 5000 series, specified with four IF 900/60 R42 AxioBibs, Michelin came on site to help optimise tyre pressures to ensure Hinckford Farming got the best out of its new tractor.
Tim Chadney, Operations Manager at Hinckford Farming, says: “Michelin spent a day with us on the farm, weighing each corner of the tractor, working out our ideal tyre pressures and giving us a complete guide to perfecting the set up.”
AGCO has announced that Crawfords will extend their area of trading for Fendt and Valtra from mid-January 2019.
In addition to their existing territory of Essex, Kent, and East Sussex they will take responsibility for Fendt/Valtra sales, service and after sales support for West Sussex, East Hampshire and South Surrey.
This change will transition the territorial responsibilities of A J Seale Ltd to Crawfords.AGCO wish to thank John Seale and his company for their valued support in this area over many years.
The Institution of Agricultural Engineers (IAgrE) is looking for a confident, motivated and resourceful person to drive forward its strategic vision from its headquarters at Cranfield, Bedfordshire. There has never been a better time to be an agricultural engineer. Global food security is at the forefront of government thinking, and more and more resources are being channelled into research and development.
We are a small, friendly and supportive membership organisation looking forward to welcoming someone with strong leadership skills, a passion for excellence and professionalism, with a sprinkling of innovation. You will have the backing of a small, experienced Secretariat to work with you to meet and exceed planned targets and goals.
The role includes:
• Acting as an ambassador and inspirational figurehead dealing with a diverse range of audiences and the media
• Development of the IAgrE brand
• Leading initiatives to increase membership
The candidate will need to have:
• Experience of leading organisational change
• Understanding of commercial development
• The ability to run a tight, focused organisation
• The ability to motivate staff for future challenges
An attractive salary is available for the post (currently on a 4 days per week basis, but full time employment would be considered by the selection panel). Click here if you would like to view the candidate information pack and if you would like further information please contact Professor Jane Rickson, President of the IAgrE
STARCO will be displaying in-house designed, developed and manufactured wheel solutions for the agricultural industry at SIMA.
STARCO sees France as an important market and anticipates more than 10% growth in turnover during 2019 in the French market.
“Two years ago, we changed our strategy in the French market. Back then, our focus changed from the traditional aftermarket to becoming a strong partner for the OEMs. This is still our focus, and we see significant progress in regards of customer relations and numbers,” states Thomas Ballegaard, Chief Commercial Officer in STARCO.
Veenhuis Machines BV, distributed by Agri Industry Solutions have won the IVEL award from the Institution of Agricultural Engineers for its Nutriflow real-time slurry analysis system.
The system allows the monitoring of NPK and ammonia levels in real time during application, thus giving growers accurate applications of nutrients to the crops with liquid manures and digestates, moving away from volumetric spread rates based on samples from lagoons or tanks.
Midlands based agricultural parts and accessories supplier, Bepco UK Ltd, now offers more than 8,000 glass products developed specifically for agricultural and off highway applications.
Glass products offered by Bepco are supplied under the Glassinter name, the company’s own brand for premium glass. Bepco’s parent company, TVH Group, purchased GDI – the leading independent supplier of glass, in 2017 to ensure full control of product development and to develop revenue opportunities through its worldwide customer base.
Tillage-Live is heading to Northamptonshire in 2019 with the event being held at Deenethorpe Airfield by the kind permission of Brudenell Estates.
The event, which is being held on Wednesday 4th September 2019, will include working demonstrations, a static machinery display, and a knowledge trail which offers in-depth information on areas such as cultivation and soil structure.
Kayleigh Holden, event organiser, explained ‘the AEA are extremely pleased that Tillage-Live will be taking place in Northamptonshire in 2019. The site near Corby offers excellent facilities for manufacturers to showcase their machinery to potential customers and visitors. We would like to thank Brudenell Estates for hosting the 2019 event’.
Tillage-Live is organised by the AEA on behalf of industry exhibitors and has been held since 1992.
The German association, LandBauTechnik e.V., has carried out its annual opinion survey of German specialist businesses, and one thing is for certain – German Fendt dealers have complete confidence in their brand.
“The excellent results of the Dealer Satisfaction Barometer reflect the great partnership and cooperation we enjoy with our sales partners. It’s also a key prerequisite for overall market success in 2018,” says Andreas Loewel, Head of Fendt Sales Germany, delighted about the dealers’ ratings.
Last year we informed our sales partners about new products and strategies professionally and well in advance, so they were able to plan and prepare their retail strategy in a way that’s best for business. Then in August we used the grand Fendt Field Day in Wadenbrunn to make direct contact with Fendt customers and dealers, exchange information and of course enjoy a fun day out.”
The survey asked about 12 different aspects of the dealer/manufacturer relationship. Fendt scored the highest of all the brands in Image and Public Presence, with 17.4 out of a possible 20 points. Fendt also came top when dealers were asked about Tractor Sales, Aftersales Service and Warranty, Processing and Payment Terms, Contribution to Profitability, Training, Management, Change Strategy and Theft Prevention.
With the nominations closing on Thursday, hear what the award means to some of last years winners:
I was very surprised but pleased to be the first recipient of the Agri Machinery Trade News Excellence award for parts manager of the year in 2018. a warm welcome and the experience of exploring Concorde made for a great day. many thanks to all concerned and of course all of the team at Arwels Agri Services.
Its a credit to Agri Machinery Trade News for creating the award and understanding that the parts department is very often overlooked when awarding stores operatives for the part they play in the running of an agri machinery dealership.
As well as supplying the sales and workshop departments with their needs, the parts department is also responsible for many other dutys include deliveries,purchasing, shipping, and the selling of parts to the trade and general public. parts is normally the customers first point of contact when telephoning or visiting an agricultural dealership. customers depend on you to source and supply parts for all makes and models of tractors and machinery,old and new, and rely on stock being at hand when needed.
Knowing the product, your customers and how the dealership operates around you is all part of a stores persons job ….so yes! I am delighted for this years nominees for the award, that they have been recognised for their efforts in an often very demanding role. well done! you deserve it.
thanks again and good luck to all at the 2019 awards.
Justin Thomas, Store ManagerArwel’s Agri Services Ltd
The high level of sales, service and support offered by CLAAS dealers in the UK and Ireland has been recognised by CLAAS UK in their annual Dealer Awards.
Announced at the recent Dealer Council meeting held at the CLAAS Tractor factory in Le Mans, France, the awards recognise overall dealer performance for both CLAAS products in general and also specifically for tractors. At Le Mans the dealers were able to see the substantial investment made by CLAAS both in its Le Mans tractor factory and also nearby in the state-of-the-art testing centre at Trangé.
One Platinum and two Gold Dealer Excellence Awards were announced at Le Mans. These Awards recognise the considerable investments made by the dealers in Training, Parts and Service Support, as well as Sales, Finance and Management. They take into account all aspects of the dealer’s business, and the company’s commitment to its staff and to the CLAAS franchise.
It’s a one-day show that you can do a huge amount of business in – Thomas Sands
Next months unique one-day fully working demonstration of self-propelled sprayers has become a hotly anticipated annual event, not least because it lets suitably qualified visitors get into the driving seat and try the sprayers for themselves.
This year’s event takes place at the Churn Estate, Blewbury, Didcot, Oxon OX11 9HD on Wednesday 20th February 2019, 8am – 4pm
One farm, a central location in Oxfordshire, plenty of kit from the key sprayer manufacturers, specialists on hand to answer any questions and good links from the motorways all add up to this year’s working self-propelled sprayer demonstration being an excellent and informative day out.
In addition to the field-based working demonstration area there will also be a small exhibition of precision farming suppliers showcasing all the latest technology.
The AEA recently reported that overall 2018 registrations of agricultural tractors (over 50hp) were up by less than 1%, compared with 2017.
Growth in registrations was primarily at the top end of the power range. Over 600 more tractors over 180hp were registered in 2018 than in the previous year, an increase of 18%. Below that level, the number of machines declined, with most of the drop in the 140-180hp and under 100hp ranges; between 100 and 140hp there was little change. The 140-180hp range performed well in 2017, which may explain some of the fall in 2018, although some changes in specification moving models from one side of the 180hp boundary to the other may also have contributed.
Continuing the historic trend, the average power of tractors over 50hp registered during 2018 rose to 166.6hp, up from 162.2hp in 2017. The total power sold was just over 2 million hp, the first time we have reached this level since 2012.
At regional level, the market was stronger in the North of England than in the South, although the best performing region was the East Midlands, where nearly 200 extra machines were registered. There were declines in the Southern regions and East Anglia, as well as in Scotland. Wales and Northern Ireland saw increased registrations, though, as well as those in the Northern regions of England.
AGCO has announced that it intends to further expand its Beauvais site.
The plans are part of Massey Ferguson’s long-term growth strategy that involves acquiring and transforming a neighbouring site, previously owned and operated by Froneri, which announced its closure on 10th October, 2018.
This proposed acquisition was announced at the opening ceremony of Beauvais 3, an 8ha site with a 30,000m² building that houses Massey Ferguson’s new logistics centre. Here, the two digit million euros investment has already created 103 new jobs.
The intended acquisition of the 15.7ha Froneri site, which includes 4.5ha of buildings, signals AGCO’s strong appetite for continued investment enabling Massey Ferguson to meet growing demand for its equipment. It will also support the integration of new activities through vertical integration, such as the re-integration of outsourced operations including pre-delivery inspections and a tractor customisation workshop.
