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.

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.

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

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

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

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.