Kverneland has emerged from the ravages of the past two years with a vigour and enthusiasm for getting on with the job of selling machinery that has not always been matched by its competitors.
This year has seen the company hold a series of events, both in Ireland and abroad, that has kept its products and company developments well to the fore, the latest of which was a joint field demonstration day held in conjunction with Donohoe Agri Machinery of Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford.
New Holland fills a gap
Earlier this year Donohoe Agri made the headlines by taking on the New Holland dealership for much of counties Wexford and Carlow, a partnership which the company is confident will prove hugely beneficial to both parties according to its general manager, Tom O’Leary.
Tractor sales have been strong his year and, like all dealers, the problem of supply has been greater than lack of orders.
Yet the industry as a whole appears to be adapting to the situation with advanced ordering for stock now taking precedence over the custom configuration of machines on the production line.
This does not mean, however, that customers have to simply accept whatever the dealer happens to have ordered from the factory.
A new approach to buying new
The key point point to take on board when ordering a new tractor is that the two core items are its engine and transmission.
Once that combination has been decided upon, then it cannot be changed during the production process, which starts with the assembly schedule.
There is, however, some leeway with many other items and options, and a dealer may alter these to suit the customers requirements as the time for the tractor’s assembly draws near.
New Holland is by no means alone in taking this approach, and as a working solution during this period of restricted component supply, it has its merits.
Six cylinders save fuel
Tom notes that the model presently gaining the most interest amongst farmers is the New Holland T6.180, a tractor that has the the low rpm performance of a six-cylinder engine, yet remains compact enough to function in the yard.
Contractors, on the whole, are looking for at least 250hp and one great advantage of New Holland is that in both these power brackets they have a much wider range of transmissions than their rivals, he told Agriland.
Besides the demand for ever more power, another change he has seen over the years is that both farmers and contractors are getting a lot more savvy; they are looking at their operations a lot more closely and are getting clued up on just what is available and how it might take them forward.
This does not mean to say that they are wholeheartedly embracing the whole range of digital technology that is out there.
Tom’s customers are looking at whatever will make a job quicker and more efficient at ground level, an interest which is driven by the shortage of manpower.
Donohoe Agri loyal to Kverneland
Donohoe Agri Machinery built up its name and reputation with Massey Ferguson before taking on Deutz. The latest move to Massey’s old rivals would not have been possible without the involvement of a neutral manufacturer in between, to act as a buffer, Tom explained.
During this period they have kept and developed the Kverneland franchise, a manufacturer they hold close as a valuable part of their range of farm machinery.
Kverneland too, is keen to emphasise the strong working relationship it has with Donohoes, and this particular demonstration day was a feature of that partnership.
Robust kit for Irish soils
Although there was no machinery that was particularly new to the scene, the two companies were taking the opportunity to show off the premium equipment in the Kverneland range.
Thankfully, the field chosen was of a light soil that drained freely, meaning that wellies were not actually required despite the storms of the previous days.
The downside of this happy situation was that the implements were not unduly tested and they proceeded over the ground without any great effort, not a typical scenario for Ireland, yet there was still a tremendous interest from the large number of people attending.
Farmers focused on benefits
This went to confirm what Tom was saying about customers becoming far more focused on what machinery can do for them. This was not a crowd of tyre kickers but operators who wanted to get to grips with what was on offer.
Kverneland is synonymous with the plough in Ireland and that provides a good base from which to sell other cultivation equipment, yet it is not an automatic progression for all farmers and contractors, so Donohoe Agri Machinery still has its work cut out to convert interest into sales.