Over The Fence #24 - June 2023

VIEWPOINT

Message from your CEO, Richard Wilson

The first half of 2023 has gone incredibly fast as we’ve continued to grow.

In this issue we celebrate the new Christchurch site, Katanning and Esperance upgrades, welcome Helen Drijfhout to the new General Manager – Technology role, and profile two apprentice techs in our ‘5 minutes with’. It’s all part of continuing to gear up our network, systems, and people for our customers’ needs and our ongoing growth.

As we set budgets for the new financial year (starts 1 July) it’s about understanding what the coming year (and beyond) looks like for our customers.

With New Zealand in an election year, farmers are tuned in to any announcements that could affect their livelihoods. So there’s a bit of ‘wait and see’ showing up in forward orders.

Our Australian customers continue to focus on yield to meet increasing global food demands. While forward orders remain strong, inflation and long-range weather predictions for the coming season are high on their radar.

Overall customer conversations remain positive - thank you for your ongoing commitment to help them overcome challenges and maximise opportunities. Your efforts really do matter.

And finally, an In It Together shout-out to everyone working hard to successfully transition our five Canterbury branches into Landpower ownership in July. I know the strengthening of relationships during this time will provide long-lasting benefits for our team and customers.

GROUND-BREAKING CEREMONY KICKS OFF NEW SITE

With nearly 50 years under our belt (that’s right, we turn 50 in 2025!), we celebrated yet another major company milestone on 19 May. It included a spade, a muddy paddock, and the rain.

The weather didn’t stop an enthusiastic crowd from Landpower and CLAAS Harvest Centre Canterbury gathering for the official ground-breaking ceremony to kick off the construction of our new purpose-built site at Yaldhurst, Christchurch.

So much larger than our current locations, the new facility brings together our local CLAAS Harvest Centre, New Zealand Support Office and South Island parts distribution warehouse.

Ground and foundation work has now started and we look forward to moving into our new home mid-next year. Before ‘breaking the ground’, Richard Wilson thanked everyone for coming

together and enthused about how important the site is to support our future growth.

Richard

WHAT’S INSIDE 4

ON SYSTEMS

Gearing up for growth.

5 11 SPOTLIGHT

RACK ‘N ROLLERS Warehouse success in Esperance.

NAILING THE DEMOS SIAFD champions share their tips.

Click here to watch a video of the work underway.

NEWSLETTER FOR LANDPOWER | CLAAS HARVEST CENTRE TEAM

FARM WORLD

The CLAAS Harvest Centre Gippsland team went all out to put on an exceptional display for their customers and other show-goers at the recent Farm World event. The team took out ‘Best Agribusiness Exhibit’. Farm World is Victoria’s premier agricultural Field Day and lifestyle event. It has been running since 1963 and attracts over 500 exhibitors and 25,000 visitors.

WHEELY WHEELY AWESOME EVENT

If it’s got wheels or tracks, then chances are it would have been at New Zealand’s largest machinery eventWheels at Wanaka. Held every second Easter on a 50 acre site, CLAAS Harvest Centre Otago had a prime spot as sponsor of the show’s highlight - the Tractor Pull competition.

Regional Branch Manager, Michelle Nicolai says it provided “phenomenal exposure for CLAAS Harvest Centre. Our sponsorship secured us such fantastic visibility with our marquee right there and our name constantly broadcast as sponsor.”

Our Otago and Southland teams had connected with customers through their sites at the recent Waiau A&P Show and the Wanaka A&P Show, so enjoyed catching up with them at Wheels at Wanaka.

Michelle thanks everyone who helped make such a success of our site, including Peter Henderson, Sales

Manager, CLAAS Harvest Centre Southland. CLAAS tractors featured in some great Tractor Pull competition wins:

Standard Over 11T - 2nd to Steve Woodhead driving a CLAAS AXION 870

Standard Under 11T - 2nd to Murray Miller driving a CLAAS ARION 660

Monster Class (over 16T) – 1st to Jonty Collins from Dalmore Farms driving their CLAAS AXION 930 TERRA TRAC

Pete Collins from Dalmore Farms – won Best Tractor in Class with his CLAAS AXION 930 TERRA TRAC.

You’re never too young to test-drive a CLAAS tractor! Theo Hughes (his Dad is John Hughes, Workshop Foreman, CLAAS Harvest Centre Otago) looks right at home.

Herby Whyte dropped into say G’day –a real highlight for the team.

RIVERINA AND FNQ FIELD DAYS

It was another great showing from NQ Agricultural Services (above right) at the recent Rotary FNQ Field Days held in Mareeba, North Queensland. Owner, James Fisher and the team are recognised as “true legends” by the Field Day organisers for their commitment to the success of this important local event. All money raised from the event is donated to charities and community groups.

Each year, the Riverina Field Days showcases the best of agricultural machinery. JJ Farm Equipment (above left) put on another great display for the over 11,000 visitors to this much-enjoyed annual Griffith, New South Wales event.

SOUTH ISLAND FIELD DAYS

Mud, rain and wind didn’t stop us taking home a hat-trick of wins from the recent South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD): ‘Best Large Site’, ‘Best Overall Site’, and ‘Best Overall Demonstration’. The Landpower Vegetable Centre also wowed visitors with the impressive GRIMME Varitron 270 on display. The SIAFD is one of the oldest and largest agricultural events in the South Island. Thanks to all the team members from right across the country (some in the above photo) for such a great result.

GOODBYE SPAGHETTI JUNCTION

If there’s one thing that Covid’s done for us, it’s brought video-conference meetings out of the future and into the everyday for everyone to be able to ‘e-meet’. A huge step towards getting the right people from far-flung corners of the Tasman (and world) together to get stuff done.

Following the success of MS Teams in Australia, our IT team is now rolling it out site by site in New Zealand. It’s getting everyone on the same page with the same tools to make it easier for us to work together. It’s also part of Our Compass Goal: ‘Easy to Use Systems’.

MS Teams is already well used for chat and meetings. This step is connecting everyone to the phone calling feature. Desk phones and old telephony systems will be replaced by late this year. And with some on their last legs, the change can’t come soon enough.

HELP... THE PHONE JUST DIED!

Rodrigo has put together a carefully scheduled roll-out plan with Spark for site-by-site changeovers and training. But that went out the window one Friday morning when CLAAS Harvest Centre Hawke’s Bay sent an SOS to say their phone system had completely died. Rodrigo, his IT colleagues, and the Hawke’s Bay team dropped everything to team up for a quick solution. That afternoon the branch was switched to MS Teams with phone calls up and running for that essential customer contact. Nice job everyone!

TELL US YOUR STORY.

SYSTEMS GETTING GEARED UP FOR FUTURE GROWTH

Helen has come into this new role from PGG Wrightson (New Zealand’s leading farm supplies company) where she was Chief Information Officer.

Throughout her career, Helen has designed and managed significant system changes for branch network teams and customers. It’s that level of experience that will move us forward for our people, customers, and suppliers.

Helen says she enjoys working with a wide range of people making the complex world of IT simple to understand and delivering real value to the business.

“We have some serious talent across our teams leading innovative and value-adding technology improvements. Our people are passionate about what they do and committed to growing the business. I’m looking forward to helping unlock the opportunities technology can bring.”

We love to hear and share your stories. Email marketing@landpower.co.nz with what you’re up to along with photos for the next issue.

We’ve experienced significant growth in recent years, and to get ready for the next round of growth, our systems need to be ready. That’s the challenge for recently appointed General ManagerTechnology, Helen Drijfhout.

Rodrigo Haro (Senior Business Analyst) is on the road visiting branches to switch them over to MS Teams. He’s seen here with some of our CLAAS Harvest Centre Waikato team: Tiersa Wiens (After Sales Administrator), Nakita Stevenson (Administration Manager), Campbell Peake (Parts Interpreter), Vess Geldenhuys (Acting Branch Manager).

Helen with her boys Jenne and Casey – both excited from having just been for a tractor ride (see back page).

RACK ‘N ROLLING IN ESPERANCE

Welcome to the newly revamped parts warehouse in CLAAS Harvest Centre Esperance. The team has seen considerable growth during the past few years, increasing revenue from strong sales and growing the stock holding to over $3M in 2023. With this in mind, it was time to overhaul the parts warehouse.

Working In It Together, a combined Landpower Australia and New Zealand team joined the Esperance team recently to complete the refit.

It included new racks, high-density storage cabinets, fully barcoded shelves, a new layout and a separating wall between the workshop and parts. Topped off by relocating 5,243 part numbers. End result? Improved workflow, efficiency and setting up the team for what it was all about – providing even better service to our customers.

KATANNING KAN’T WAIT!

There’s a huge amount of building action happening in WA, and the CLAAS Harvest Centre Katanning team can’t wait. For now they’re working out of temporary portacoms watching the action as their brand-new facilities are being built.

The site upgrade started in May with the office building demolished. The new build is now underway with plans to shift in around July. Also on the plans are a new carpark and large concrete works due to be completed around September / October this year.

Job done! Great work team. Top photo (left to right) Lily Has (Parts Manager, Esperance), Jamie Walker (Parts Store Person, Landpower NZ), Dave Cookson (Warehouse Manager, Landpower NZ), Pino Tassone (Workshop Foreman, Esperance), Daniel Nadolski (Warehouse Assistant, Landpower AU), Greg McKay (Warehouse Manager, Landpower AU).

SPUDTASTIC STUFF!

Next time you open a bag of Bluebird potato chips, you might be tucking into a product harvested by New Zealand’s first GRIMME Varitron VA470TT.

The first 4-row potato harvester arrived in New Zealand in May, hot on the heels of four operating in Australia. This one was specially built for the three-generation potato/onion growing family business of ST Growers in Pukekohe (one of the largest vegetable growers in the country).

One unique feature is the picking table fitted to help clean the product before it goes directly to the Auckland Bluebird factory. Some more facts:

Weighs in at 33,000 kg.

16 metres long but ‘turns on a dime’ thanks to the 15 deg track steering and 68 deg front wheel steering.

Has a powerful 460 hp Mercedes IIIA engine.

The large 7 ton nonstop bunker is designed to unload on the go.

SPLATTER FUN AT PAINTBALLING

It was Gippsland vs South Gippsland at their recent annual (post) Christmas outing. Camoed up, the teams enjoyed a paintball competition ducking and diving around the woods with plenty of laughs and ending the day completely exhausted. Result? Team Gippsland came out on top (this time…).

Congrats to Service Technician Ben Meets from CLAAS Harvest Centre Waikato who is undertaking further training as he Keeps Growing his role and skills to support the new Varitron.

Before: Ready to go.

After: Is it time for drinks?

The new GRIMME Varitron fresh off the boat and being unloaded at CLAAS Harvest Centre Waikato.

5 MINUTES WITH… SAM RASMUSSEN

Sam’s been in Dalby pretty much most of his life where he currently lives with his family on a farm. He started his apprenticeship with CLAAS Harvest Centre Dalby almost four years ago – so a qualification is just over the horizon. Outside of work Sam likes to go hunting for feral pigs, help on the family farm and hang out with his mates.

Tell us about yourself –why did you apply for an apprenticeship with us?

I’ve always liked the agricultural industry and farming. I enjoyed the work experience I did while I was in school, so I applied for a school-based apprenticeship. What’s the best thing you’ve learnt during your apprenticeship?

The best thing is probably learning how to communicate better with farmers and working together with them to fix problems.

As you’re heading towards being qualified, what are you most excited about as your next step?

I’m looking forward to learning more and getting more experience to try and help customers easier and faster, as well as getting out and seeing different places.

Which of our three Our Way (Front Up, In It Together, Keep Growing) do you most like, and why?

My favourite would be In It Together. It’s good knowing you have a team and farmers behind you, all working towards the same goal.

3 SUMMERS FOR 3 CANTERBURY SERVICE TECHS

It’ll be three back-to-back summers for three CLAAS Harvest Centre Canterbury Service Technicians who’ve just started work at CLAAS UK. (Left to right below) Bryn Rogers, Nathan Douglas, and Lachine Hazlett were selected to take part in the Canterbury team’s long-standing Technician Exchange Program.

Lachie and Nathan have been placed at Bury Saint Edmunds and Bryn at Halesworth where they’ll be until early September. Then it’s back home ready for summer #3! Huge congratulations and we look forward to hearing all about their learnings and experiences.

Aside from necessities, what’s one thing you couldn’t go a week without?

I never go for a week without talking to my mates. If I’m away, I’ll often give them a call. Where’s your happy place?

My happy place would probably be at home with the dogs and other animals.

If you’re a Service Technician keen to grow your skills and future through an exchange with a Northern Hemisphere CLAAS dealership, it’s never too early to have to chat with your Manager.

The Landpower | CLAAS Harvest Centre People & Culture team’s 2023 program is closed but planning is underway for 2024. So raise your hand!

CONNECTING WITH GLOBAL AGRICULTURAL LEADERS

Some of the world’s top agricultural thought leaders and influencers descended on New Zealand in March for the prestigious Nuffield Triennial Conference. And we were there front and centre as Platinum Sponsor with CLAAS every step of the way.

Spending time with these global leaders increased the visibility of CLAAS and reinforced how we’re gearing up our customers with solutions for their challenges and opportunities.

Our team members who joined the delegates enjoyed powerful and insightful conversations around the hot topics of: regulations/ legislations, irrigation, productivity, climate change/emissions, trade agreements, and public perception.

Since 1947, Nuffield has awarded over 1000 scholarships to global food and rural innovators. Around 200 of these scholars from Australasia, North and South America, the UK, Europe and Japan attended this event. And

as part of our sponsorship, we also presented alongside top international speakers at the Conference Summit day. Having spent time with the delegates, Bruce Rankin, Branch Manager, CLAAS Harvest Centre Bay of Plenty reinforced how valuable the conversations were. Particularly around the implications of changing farming practices to meet consumer demands, along with environmental and regulatory requirements.

LEXION KNOWLEDGE GOES UP A NOTCH

Keen participants from Victoria, Queensland, Western Australia and New South Wales got all over the CLAAS LEXION during their recent training session.

Dieter Thresh, Technical Specialist – LEXION says they covered structure, function, adjustment, operation and maintenance including:

Introduction to the current CLAAS LEXION product range available in Australia

Understanding crop flow

Basic maintenance tasks

Setting up for different crop types

Main hydraulic and electric systems components

Machine settings and adjustments using CEBIS (ie, setting up the auto contour / pre-set height, machine adjustments/learning procedures)

Using the CLAAS hydro tester for basic pressure checks, logging / saving / reading graphs in CDS

“It’s important we stay up with how the industry is changing to meet society’s needs for today and tomorrow.”

Thorough pre-delivery and post-harvest inspection Big shout-out to Chris Radford, Kent Arthur and Jack Jordan-Hill for helping with the set-up and training delivery.

Dieter with some of the training participants.

Nuffield Triennial Conference Committee Chair, Michael Tayler welcomes delegates.

CLICK ON THE IMAGES ABOVE TO WATCH THE VIDEOS See some of the world’s top agricultural thought leaders visiting local farms.

OUR SUMMIT PRESENTATION VIDEO FARM TOUR VIDEO DIARIES

SAFETY MATTERS

Thank you for helping keep each other safe and well.

MANGO ON THE GO – GET ON THE APP

Remember those recent Mango Moment emails showing you how to check your login and download the Mango App on your mobile device? If you haven’t done it yet, take a Mango Moment to learn:

How to log in to Mango – check your emails from 28 March.

How to find and download the Mango App from the App Store –check your emails from 4 April.

Mango is where we capture our hazards, incidents, injuries, and near misses. It helps us understand what can harm our people an d improve what we do to keep our people safe.

Need help? Email natalie.lilley@landpower.com.au and she’ll guide you through the login and App download process.

Once you’ve got the Mango App, it’s easy to simply submit a rep ort on the go. Answer just six quick questions, and even take a few photos of what you’re reporting. They attach to your report whi ch saves you writing a whole bunch of words trying to explain things!

LEARN MORE ABOUT MANGO ON OUR HARVEST HUB INTRANET.

AVOID A SERIOUS RING FINGER INJURY

Serious finger injuries are common for people wearing wedding bands (or other rings) when working outdoors, on mechanical stuff, doing electrical work, playing sports or at the gym. Strains, dislocations and even loss of fingers can happen if your ring catches on something, particularly under force.

Did you know – there’s a safe way to keep wearing a wedding band / rings while looking after your fingers. It also stops you r ‘real ring’ getting knocked about.

Google ‘silicon wedding ring’ and you’ll see a bunch of low-cos t options in different colours (including metallic), designs and widths. They’re tough, long-lasting, but most importantly, tear if they get caught to prevent finger injuries. Get one for yourself and your loved ones.

SAFER TOGETHER WORKERS’ FORUM – WHAT HAPPENED?

The Australia and New Zealand Forum meetings were held late May / early June. So catch up with your local rep to get an upd ate on what was discussed and continue the conversations with your teams. CLICK HERE and go to page 8-9 in the last Over The Fence to see who your local Safer Together Workers’ Forum rep is.

Kylie Petronio Safety & Wellbeing Business Partner

an eclipse!).

QUIZ: WIN, WIN, WIN

Think you know your H&S? You could win one of three awesome prizes. Email natalie.lilley@landpower.com.au by end of Friday 30 June – entries with all three answers correct go into the draw. Prizes will be sent out in July.

1. I need to report a hazard to help keep my workmates safe, so I:

a. get an Apple iPhone

b. put it in Mango

c. go bananas

2. Our Safer Together Workers’ Forum is mainly to:

a. organise safe social gatherings

b. just keep an eye on how people drive around here

c. help share information to improve health, safety and wellbeing practices across the network

3. The most common body part injured as reported in Mango is:

a. hands

b. legs

c. heads

During recent team catchups in Western Australia, Kylie happened to be at CLAAS Harvest Centre Geraldton in time to join the team to watch the total solar eclipse. The best viewing location in the world was in Exmouth, north of Geraldton. One of the only places on earth to experience a total solar eclipse it attracted 1000s of visitors for the event. Kylie says while they didn’t get the full blackout experience like Exmouth, the light did dim a little for an hour or two midday. (Safety Tipprotect your eyes by not looking directly at

5 MINUTES WITH... TAHLEE GLASGOW

Tahlee’s a relatively new member of our team and is in the first year of her apprenticeship with CLAAS Harvest Centre Waikato. Joining as a new apprentice has opened up a whole new world to her.

Tell us about yourself – why did you apply for an apprenticeship with us?

I applied for an apprenticeship with CLAAS Harvest Centre because I really wanted a mechanical job and to learn about agricultural machinery and how they function. Now that I’ve been working as an apprentice for these past few months I have really enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would.

What’s the best thing you’ve learnt this year so far?

Working with different people on different jobs I’ve learnt all types of useful techniques from every person working on the machines. Also learning how to use tools in more ways which is pretty handy.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever been given?

The best advice anyone has given me is to take my time and don’t rush things. And it’s OK not to know everything straight away because everyone started at square one at some point and time in their life.

Which of our three Our Way (Front Up, In It Together, Keep Growing) do you most like, and why?

It’s too difficult for me to pick one when they’re all very important and equal to me.

Aside from necessities, what one thing couldn’t you go a week without?

Food - because I love it so much!

Where’s your happy place?

My happy place is at home in bed sleeping in on a Saturday.

GEARING UP FARMERS (DESPITE THE HEAT) TO SUCCEED

It was 39 degrees by 10am in Coonawarra, South Australia. And the much cooler workshop was off limits because of a new concrete floor that had been poured the day before.

But that didn’t stop Workshop Technicians – Operations, Thomas Glaves and Rodney Bourke getting stuck into modifications to the second pintle web stripper rollers on Topfield Farm’s two GRIMME EVO 290. Topfield Farms owner Greg Gartner couldn’t have been more appreciative and happy with the pair for Fronting Up to get the job done. The Gartner family have been customers for over 20 years with extended family members also purchasing equipment from us over that time.

Greg’s three EVO 290 harvest potatoes for McCains. And this year they’ve also successfully harvested onions with their EVO. The family has a new EVO on the way with a brush type windrow intake and multi leg vege share for direct harvest, both options for onions next season.

POWERING UP THE DEMOS

A good demo can make the difference between a ‘yes’ and ‘I’ll think about it’ for customers considering if what they see will be a good business investment. Our skilled demonstrators take a lot of pride in working with sales teams to showcase our machinery at their best.

After their recent South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD) ‘Best Overall Demonstration’ win, we asked Luke Wheeler (Product Manager – Greenline, JAGUAR and LEXION) for insights on how they do it.

We’ve won the SIAFD trophy in 2011, 2013, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2023. How?

We make a big commitment to be there with the demonstration machinery and do it well. Other importers don’t take it to that level.

How many demos did you do at the SIAFD?

We ran three individual demonstrations: CLAAS DISCO 9200 CAS mowers with with CLAAS LEXION, AXION 930, CLAAS LINER 4900 BUSINESS with JAC FASTRAC iCON, and a JAGUAR 960 for maize harvesting. Who was on the demo team?

Liam Anderson (Product Specialist – Greenline) drove both the DISCO 9200 CAS and the LINER 4900 while I introduced the product and talked on the microphone. The JAGUAR 960 was driven by Tom Denton (General Manager CLAAS Harvest Centre Canterbury) while I spoke. On the Friday, we also ran a JAGUAR 880 which I introduced and then drove myself alongside the JAGUAR 960.

Which is tougher – customer or Field Day demos?

Every demo is different, but Field Days are very challenging as you don’t get any setup / preparation time and you also have to talk about the product on the microphone in front of people.

GOOD-TIMES IN GO-KARTS

By the end of the maize season, the CLAAS Harvest Centre Waikato team were ready for some R&R. The social club organised a gettogether late April for Extreme Indoor Go Karting, followed by a BBQ and drinks. Everyone agreed it was so much fun that they’re looking forward to a repeat event. Top three places went to (left to right) Kelvin Bennett (Service Technician), Mitchell Nicolson (Apprentice Service Technician) and James Howe (exchange Service Technician).

What do (potential) customers most want to see in a demo?

Some are interested in the quality of the job done while others focus on performance and fuel economy.

What’s the best demo you’ve ever done (and why)?

Hard to say but I like the challenge of showcasing to the more demanding customers - especially when they’re running competitor machines.

Roughly how long does it take to prepare for a top-quality demo?

Depends on the machine. But there can be a lot of work in setup and optimisation. It can take a few days to get tuned into a machine then a couple more hours of setup prior to getting underway.

Luke (right) accepting the Best Overall Demo trophy from one of the SIAFD organisers.

AMAZONIANS HEAD THIS WAY

Two key AMAZONE representatives recently headed over to this side of the world to check out rural New Zealand and learn more about how we’re supporting our customers’ needs with their products.

Steve Gorman, Product Manager - AMAZONE hosted Joachim Glins, Export Manager and Andreas Heyemer, Managing Director Marketing, Aftersales for a week. This was the first time since 2008 Andreas had been to New Zealand. We asked Steve to tell us more about the visit: Where did you take Andreas and Joachim?

On the Sunday we caught up with Herby for a good long visit. This came as a great surprise to Andreas as I’d told him we were going to visit the biggest AMAZONE customer in New Zealand!

For the rest of the week, we visited several contractors and farmers as we made our way from Queenstown back up to Christchurch in time for the South Island Agricultural Field Days (SIAFD). They were able to see how we showcase our suite of products and walk through the mud(!) to look at other exhibitors. What was the focus of the farm visits?

To show how well the AMAZONE product copes with some of our challenging conditions. And to also check out some of the locally built products our customers use.

How did that go?

They could not believe the hours put on the AMAZONE Pantera Self-Propelled sprayers and the hectares they cover per year. In Central Otago they were impressed with how well the AMAZONE discs and cultivators handle the stoney conditions.

FUNDRAISER HELPING HAND

CLAAS Harvest Centre Katanning was pleased to donate a popular CLAAS ride-on toy to the annual Katanning Rotary Club Auction night. The Rotary held the auction as part of their International Dinner and to raise money for Multiple Sclerosis.

What did you take away from your time with them?

It was great to meet Andreas and spend some time again with Joachim who is my direct contact to the factory (we speak most weeks). But it also reinforced how intune AMAZONE is with world markets.

In terms of new technology, I’d say ‘watch this space’there are plenty of new exciting products being introduced into the world market in the next couple of years. For example, spot spraying and the Precea-TCC Trailed Precision Air Seeder.

(Left to right) Rotary President and Katanning farmer John Pepall, with Travis Menghini, Branch Manager, CLAAS Harvest Centre Katanning.

(Left to right) Steve, Andreas and Joachim enjoying the sun finally coming out at the SIAFD.

WELCOME ABOARD

New Starters

Adele Stryker, Accounts Team Leader, Christchurch

Aimee Hamilton, People & Culture Administrator, Christchurch

Antoine Derycke, Marketing Content Creator, Melbourne

Barry Morris, Service Technician, Bay of Plenty

Brian Jerome, Warehouse Assistant, Melbourne

Ciara McKay, Parts Assistant, Katanning

Charlie Davey, Apprentice Service Technician, Wagga Wagga

Cherie Crews, Talent Acquisition Business Partner, Melbourne

Corne Rossouw, Apprentice Parts Interpreter, Dalby

David Hanson, Service Technician, Esperance

David Phan, Management Accountant - Retail AU, Christchurch

Dennis Russell, Trades Assistant/Detailer, Northam

Ettienne Van Dyk, Service Technician, Bay of Plenty

Helen Drijfhout, General Manager – Technology, Christchurch

Paul Dymock, Systems Administrator, Melbourne

Linda Plower, People & Culture Business Partner, Christchurch (fixed term)

Malcolm Beeck, Yardman, Katanning

Mark Lay, Warehouse Assistant, Melbourne

Mark Le Page, Product Specialist - Väderstad & AMAZONE, Melbourne

Matthew Lockart, Apprentice Service Technician, Dalby

Ross Plumtree, Yardman / Parts Assistant, Taranaki

Shayne Cowan, Yardman, Wagga Wagga

Steve Culloton, Regional Technical Manager, Western Australia

Tyler Ahern, Apprentice Service Technician, Invercargill

Warwick Clark, Parts Interpreter, Gippsland

Welcome Back

Antony Dyer, Service Technician, Waikato

On the Move

James Harrison, transferred from Product Manager - High Horse Power Tractors (LPAU) to Branch Manager, Geraldton

Lynda Stewart, transferred from Machine Administrator to Machine Costings Business Analyst

Raymond New, Service Technician, transferred from Northland to Esperance

Sam Halliwell, Technical Specialist - CLAAS Tractors AU, transferred from Christchurch to Melbourne

LONG SERVICE

A huge thank you to the following team members. 10 years

Donna Rasmussen, Administration Manager, Dalby

5 years

Jamie Walker, Agricultural Parts Storeperson, Christchurch

Liam Deans, Service Technician, Dalby

BACK SLAPPING CONGRATS TO…

…OUR APPRENTICES WHO RECENTLY GRADUATED:

NAYLAN ALDRIDGE

Qualified in March 2023

CLAAS Harvest Centre Waikato

ADAM SMITH

Qualified in April 2023

CLAAS Harvest Centre Dalby

BRADLEY ROBERTSON

Qualified in April 2023

CLAAS Harvest Centre Southland

CLAAS GROUP APPOINTS NEW CEO

As of 1 April, Jan-Hendrik Mohr (above) has become the new CLAAS Group CEO. Jan-Hendrik, a graduate engineer, has been with the CLAAS Group since 1984. He has spent many years in various management positions including as a member of the Group Executive Board since 2008. The previous CEO Thomas Böck had been with CLAAS for 16 years, including almost four years as CEO. During his time as CEO, sales rose to over five billion euros with Thomas also recognised as a gifted technician and strategic entrepreneur. His outstanding achievements include in product development and the digital transformation of the CLAAS Group.

NOTICEBOARD

CLAAS TIME FOR SCHOOL BALL

Some go for moonlight, and others for tropical beaches. But for our CLAAS Harvest Centre Katanning team, you can’t beat a new CLAAS LEXION 8700 as a photo background before your daughters head to their School Ball!

Proud parents Garth Human (Service Manager) with daughter Madi, and Leeann Arthur (Administration Manager) with daughter Tiana are shown here ready to attend their Katanning Senior High School Year 12 Ball. Madi was later awarded ‘Belle of the Ball’.

WEDDING BELLS

Getting married was the best day of their life to date for Nakita Stevenson, Administration Manager, CLAAS Harvest Centre Waikato and new husband Brad. The couple’s wedding on 8 April was held at a friend’s house right on the beach at stunning Pukehina. Seventy of their closest friends, family (and two dogs Beau and Horse) shared the special day with them, which ended with a spectacular sunset. Congratulations and best wishes from the team.

SEND US YOUR PICS.

We love to see and share photos of what you’re up to - babies, weddings, families, fundraisers, and other special events in your life. Email marketing@landpower.co.nz for the next issue.

#1 MUM

Recently appointed General ManagerTechnology, Helen Drijfhout’s two boys – Casey (left) and Jenne (right) – have given her new workplace a massive seal of approval. During induction, Helen said how excited the boys were about their mum’s new job. So the induction team invited a thrilled Casey and Janne to visit and have a tractor ride.