Imagine being in the middle of crucial soil preparation when losing your best tractor in a crash.
Pente Litharia Ltd., one of Cyprus’ biggest wine producers, was facing serious potential losses to their harvest this summer when exactly this happened to them.
When E-FARM, Europe’s platform for used farm machinery, got involved, the team knew they were up for a race against time.
When E-FARM’s Fanis Potka got a message from one of his customers, he could not believe his eyes.
“Hey Fanis, look at the John Deere we got from you two years ago,” it read.
The sturdy John Deere 6210 R was a total write-off. The country manager for Greece and Cyprus called immediately, making sure everyone was okay. Only then, he learned about the immediate risk this incident put the winery at.
Harvest at risk
Pente Litharia Ltd. bought the John Deere 6210 R with E-FARM in 2020. Then on July 1, 2022, while crushing stones, the machine’s front axle got damaged beyond repair.
Not only was this an immediate financial and organisational hassle for the company, it was also a threat to future harvests.
With Cyprus’ rough climate conditions, the soil needs extra care and attention before putting out new plants to ensure future output. While there certainly never is a good time for losing a machine, this moment was especially critical.
“Looking at the John Deere, I knew my customer had to get a new machine – and they had to get it now. However, the current market conditions aren’t in favour of buyers,” said Fanis.
Crisis after crisis has led to a decline in the production of new farm machinery, thus, also limiting the availability of reliable machines. This is especially true for urgent requests or specially equipped machinery, that local dealerships no longer can provide as thoroughly as before.
Looking beyond borders
That is where the German online platform’s innovative concept comes in. With a Europe-wide network of trusted partner dealers and a multi-national team of over 60 people, the scale-up enables customers and dealers alike to buy machines outside their local range.
What makes buying abroad feel like getting your farm machine from the dealer next door is the pre-purchase inspection in cooperation with DEKRA, as well as a full transport service including paper handling and customs.
“I got in touch with E-FARM because I knew they’d have the capacities to find what I was looking for fast,” said Aris Theofanous of Pente Litharia Ltd.
With more than 50,000 machines of all brands at hand, E-FARM can cater even for specific needs. A clear advantage over local dealers with increased waiting times and limited offers.
E-FARM
Pente Litharia had bought with the platform before, and they trusted their services again. E-FARM’s team was set to work immediately to find a suitable machine to suit the winery’s needs: Another large and strong John Deere at a good price with prompt availability.
As chance would have it, the exact same German dealer who provided Pente Litharia with their JD 6210 R back in 2020, had a John Deere 6215 R available for E-FARM.
Fanis Potka made sure the machine got inspected within days to avoid any surprises for his customer.
“We got the inspection report via e-mail and had a full overview of the machine’s condition, pictures and videos included,” said Theofanous.
It’s a match
Even though the winemakers were under a lot of pressure, they still did not want to compromise and they did not have to, as they liked what the inspection report told them and decided to go for it.
On July 8, only one week after the initial call for a new machine, the John Deere 6215 R then left Germany for Cyprus, where work in the vineyard could immediately continue.
“Personal, fast, reliable” – that’s how the Pente Litharia team sums up E-FARM’s work.
Check out E-FARM’s machines and service offers by clicking here.
