When it comes to farm machinery, nothing beats a dealer that is not only knowledgeable about the basics of the product that they are selling, but educated on every facet of the machine.
We all know salesmen can talk the talk, but few can back that up with experience in both sales and service of the machinery that they have on the market.
However, Leitrim based Wilson Machinery is one business that certainly know what they are talking about as they provide an excellent service to an ever increasing customer base.
Established four years ago, one may think that Wilson Machinery may be vastly inexperienced compared to other companies in this field, but despite being only 34 years of age, company owner Richard Wilson has had the best of training.
The Leitrim man deals in second-hand tractors, as well as having the main dealer agency for Krone, Amazone, Quicke, Conor and Trioliet.
His business has grown quickly over the last four years, as he has built up a reputation for “good product knowledge” and “service back-up”.
Before setting up the business, Richard trained as a technician with Farmhand – the Irish distributor for well-known brands, such as Krone and Amazone.
Over the years Farmhand has represented several leading machinery makers including Kuhn, Mengele, Pottinger, Niemeyer, Howard, Kongskilde and Overum. However, the core partners have always been and still are Krone, Alo(Quicke) and Amazone, all family companies with whom the Scrivener family still maintain close personal and business ties.
“I was with Krone for four years and I trained as a technician with them. To learn from such an experienced company like them has been invaluable for me in developing my own business,” said Richard.
He added that the selling a machine is only part of the service that they provide. “In my opinion the back up and service is just as important as the sale. I would spend a lot of time on the road myself doing service work.”
As a second hand tractor dealership, Richard brings in 25 New Holland tractors and six JCB teleporters from the U.K and this is an area of the business he is hoping to expand.
“Year on year, we have brought more and more second hand units in from the U.K and if the interest is there we will bring in more. Our customer base has certainly expanded and hopefully that will continue.”
Richard’s rise in the business world has not gone unnoticed as he has been named Leitrim’s county final winner of the ‘Ireland’s Best Young Entrepreneur‘ awards. He has won awards in the ‘Best Established Business’ and overall ‘Best Young Entrepreneur categories.
“We were absolutely delighted to win these awards; it was a great achievement for the business. We are looking forward to building on this success and continuing to serve our valued customers,” he added.
“Thorugh my training, I have been trained to an international level of technical support and machinery diagnostics”.
The business is located on the main Carrick-on-Shannon and Cavan thoroughfare – at Ballinamore. Already offering Farmhand’s full product line, the dealership is in “active discussions” with other importers and manufacturers – with a view to expanding its line-up further.
Richard revealed that where sales are concerned, the months of April, May, June and July are a particularly busy period with their catchment area taking in Leitrim, Cavan, Longford, Sligo and other parts of the country.
“Through social media, ie facebook, website etc, we have managed to sell our products all over the country. People are not afraid to travel if they know they are getting a good deal.
“Already, we would have a lot of repeat custom and that is great to see as it shows that people like the service that we provide. We are building a reputation for quality, value for money and service.”
Wilson Machinery stock an extensive range of parts ie PTO shafts, Hydraulic hose repair, filters, oil, batteries, tractor parts, mower and baler parts, slurry parts, etc.
For the moment, the focus is on upgrading their workshop to allow them do more work for their customers.
“We have put in a three-phase lathe which will enable us to skim fly wheels, repair rams, pins and bushens. We can now do all this work in-house and it cuts out the middle man, which suits both us and our customers. It is all about a quick turnaround when it comes to service and repair. Farmers are under pressure to get work done and by doing it ourselves, we cut down on the time that they need to wait for their parts.”
Richard is looking forward to the future and bringing the business onto the next level over the coming years.
“At the moment, we are in the process of becoming a Limited company. Our aim is to increase sales and expand the customer base, while also enhancing the service that we provide. If that can be achieved then there is no reason why we can’t achieve all our goals over the next few years.”
Wilson Machinery
Kilrush
Ballinamore
Leitrim
Tel: 071-96-45-954
Mob: 086-026-4016
Taken from Irish Tractor & Agri magazine Vol 6 No 3, May 2018
