Here in Ireland, we have one of the largest Claas dealers in Europe. This is according to the CEO of Claas UK and Ireland, Trevor Tyrrell.
The dealer concerned, is Kellys of Borris in Co. Carlow, with a second depot at Abbeyleix; both of which carry the same farm equipment franchises.
This year marks 30 years of the company’s association with the German tractor manufacturer and to celebrate the occasion, a three-day open event was held at the Borris head office.
Maurice Kelly, who now heads the family firm, was present to welcome visitors, and is very much a hands-on CEO, who had obviously spent a good deal of time and effort in putting the event together.
A proud legacy
It was Maurice’s father, Terence, who took a similar route back in the 1940s. Having moved over to England to join the Royal Air Force (RAF) as a mechanic, he found himself working on aircraft and tanks in Chester during the war.
His ability was recognised and he was promoted to a foreman’s position, before returning with his wife to the family business in Borris.
Having a yard full of used machinery soon led to his purchasing trips, becoming a full-time machinery business which, at its peak in the 1980s, saw up to 300 tractors cross the forecourt in a year.
This success saw Fiat come knocking at the door, and the partnership lasted until the merger of Fiat and Ford.
However, all was not lost, for in 1994 Kelly’s was appointed as Claas dealers and it was on the road to greater success.
Horsch drives sales
Today, it is now a thriving business – with the two major franchises being Claas and Horsch.
Naturally, it was Claas that took the spotlight at Kellys – with an impressive collection of tractors, harvesters and grassland machinery, yet Horsch is considered the second major string to the bow and this brand was also well-represented.
Horsch came to Borris in 2001, and has since proved to be a strong seller, with Kellys remaining the sole retailer in the republic.
Secondary cultivations, or primary in a min-till system, drilling and spraying are the areas of tillage farming addressed by the company – leaving ploughing and harvesting to other manufacturers.
Maurice noted that during the event, there was particular interest in drills, while sprayers have suddenly returned to fashion thanks to the delay in pesticide bans.
Stephen Burcham, director at Horsch UK, concurs. He believes that the drive to organic and minimal cultivation will only have a limited impact, certainly in the short-term.
“Agriculture generally is just not ready for organic farming”, he notes, adding that there isn’t the market for the produce and consumers are unwilling to pay the premium, as household budgets once again come under pressure.
Another concern expressed is that of pest and disease pressure curtailing the choice of crops that may be reliably grown.
The flea beetle having a large impact on oilseed rape plantings in the UK is one example, and with the reduction in the number of chemicals that are available to counter such threats these trends, will continue to adversely affect optimal conventional farming.
Service through training with Claas
The ability to service the machines once out on the farm is perhaps the most important factor in a buying decision, often taking precedence over price.
The increasing complexity of machinery dictates that service and repairs are also becoming more demanding of the mechanics and technicians – a challenge that is recognised by Claas.
Traditionally, machinery repairs and servicing was attended to by time served mechanics and apprentices with little scope for advancement and personal development, not the most attractive proposition for school leavers who are constantly channelled towards a full-time college education.
As the pool of potential apprentices has dwindled, manufacturers have reacted by putting more structured career paths into place.
There are now four levels of mechanic recognised by Claas: apprentice, service, master and then at the top, master technician.
The apprentice and service levels represent the long-accepted arrangement, while the master mechanic level denotes a degree of specialisation – such as harvesters, tractors or digital systems, and a master technician is required to have a full grasp of all the machines across the board.
Grange go light
If Horsch represent the forward looking but still conventional face of tillage machinery, then Grange Machinery is typical of a new wave of thinking, where the plough is not considered the primary tool.
The brand is a recent addition to Kelly’s portfolio, along with Shelbourne Reynolds, indicating that Maurice still has ambitions for his company, and the continually evolving farming landscape requires new ideas to be made available to his customer base.
After three days of intensive work, Maurice Kelly was delighted with the result.
There were big crowds each of the days, with strong signals from tillage customers that they were out to update their implements despite the clouds hanging over the sector.
Kellys kindly appreciate the support that it’s customers showed on the day. Maurice noted that he would like thank all those that attended the event, along with the company staff, who put so much effort into making it such a success.