Having established itself as a separate sales subsidiary 10 years ago, Pottinger Ireland has grown considerably and has its sights set firmly on strengthening its sales network throughout the country.
Diarmuid Claridge, CEO of the company, points out that turnover has doubled during the last six years and he intends to see that growth rate continue into the future.
Upping the game
Appointing new dealers, however, is no longer a matter of pottering around the countryside looking for likely lads with an oily rag and a penchant for fixing tractors.
Machinery, Diarmuid notes, has become vastly more sophisticated and expensive and nowadays there is so much more involved in selling and servicing the equipment.
He goes on to say that no what matter what the quality of the equipment a manufacturer produces, it won’t sell if there isn’t a good dealer nearby to back it up and keep the customer going when time is tight.
“Pottinger is a premium product, and we need the right dealers in the right place to back it up,” he said.
“This not only involves the knowledge and experience to service the machines, but also the resources and confidence to order months in advance to meet customers needs.”
There is, within Pottinger Ireland, a refreshed determination to move forward. The parent company is hoping to break the €1 billion turnover barrier within the next couple of years and Diarmuid and his staff want the Irish branch to be an active part of that growth, rather than just being dragged along on the coat-tails.
New landscape
As indicated above, one of the great changes over the last couple of years is the stretching of the supply chain brought about by Covid-19 and the turmoil within the shipping world.
The situation is not totally resolved and he doesn’t think it will ever return to what was considered normal. Components are now available; it is, though, more a question of when they will arrive rather than if they will come at all.
This has had the knock-on effect of delaying machine delivery times. Dealers and farmers have to be aware that they need to order months in advance; the days of cash-and-carry dealerships are gone he says, certainly for the larger items.
Pottinger Ireland to fill gaps first
The ambition to expand is one thing, actually finding the right people to work with is another. This covers the whole spectrum from appointing new dealers to recruiting staff closer to home.
The geographical gaps in the company’s dealership network will be the first issue to be addressed, yet Pottinger Ireland will be insisting that its new dealers have a commitment to the brand and the ability and willingness to support it.
As yet, no new dealers have been appointed under this latest initative, but it is Diarmuid’s intention to find those that Pottinger can build a long-term business relationship with, be they looking for a new franchise or moving on from an old.