Focus_Kramp_UK

Focus CUSTOMER MAGAZINE EDITION 3 | 2018

Wtrysk cieczy - niewykrywalna, ale groźna rana

SUPPLIER PORTRAIT

Kramp and John Deere Partnership

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KNOW HOW

Customer Journey

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KRA FOCUS 0318UK

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE

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HIGHLIGHT

Smart Agri-Systems

EDITORIAL A little time and 2018 is behind us. Although our focus is already fully focused on 2019, I like to take some time to look back on the past few months.

2018 was a difficult year for Kramp.

The cold spring and the hot and dry summer in northwestern Europe caused many problems in our sector.

Moreover, we had to deal with problems with the implementation of the Knapp shuttle system in the new warehouse in Varsseveld, delivery problems in

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Kramp and John Deere Partnership

our warehouses and delivery problems at some of our suppliers. Closing our branch in Hamminkeln also had a greater impact on our customers and employees than we had anticipated.

Because of this we could not offer the service our customers, so you, are used to from us. You have made this known to us and we offer our sincere apologies for this. We know the causes and even though we do not always manage these ourselves, we have worked hard on improvements, so that you can rely on the service you can expect from us now and in the future.

The year 2018 certainly also had highlights that we are proud of. In particular the purchase of Raico in Italy, the expansion of the partnership with John Deere to the rest of Europe and very recently the beautiful acquisition of Recinsa in Spain. These three highlights contribute to our goal of being the essential partner in the agricultural market in Europe and, in partnership with our dealers, to

18|TRENDS

Dealership Challenges

support the farmer as well as possible.

I want to thank you for the confidence you have placed in us in 2018, despite the poor service of last summer. I hope you can close this year in a beautiful way and wish you a very nice Christmas, a nice new year and a nice start of 2019.

Eddie Perdok CEO Kramp Groep

22|CUSTOMER PORTRAIT Alkmonton Tractors Ltd

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CONTENTS NEWS | Products

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SUPPLIER PORTRAIT | Kramp & John Deere Partnership

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COVER STORY | Looking to the Future

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FOOD | Trends

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KNOW HOW | Customer Journey

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ASK SPECIALIST | Camera Systems

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TRENDS | Dealership Challenges

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COLUMN | Smart Farming

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CUSTOMER PORTRAIT | Alkmonton Tractors Ltd

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HIGHLIGHT | Smart Agri-Systems

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ACADEMY | One Step Ahead

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CUSTOMER NEWS | Local News

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MOSAIC | Drone Technology

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QUIZ | Pictogram

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COVER STORY

Looking to the Future

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NEWS

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NEWS

Kramp Hand tools Perfect grip, ergonomic design and easy to use; Kramp offer a complete range of hand tools for professional use. The webshop carries a comprehensive choice of over 700 items to meet all your customers' needs in terms of functionality, ergonomics, durability, reliability and width of assortment. This includes tools such as spanners, multiple socket sets, adjustable or fixed wrench sets, pliers, hammers and screwdrivers.

Toys • Model tractors available in a range of brands and sizes as well as a vast range of farmyard accessories, buildings and animals • Remote control toys from drones to tractors, diggers and dumpers • A wide variety of mini Bosch tools that make realistic actions and noises • Outdoor toys such as pedal tractors, trampolines and go karts

3M - Protective equipment for all jobs and tasks Kramp offers a wide selection of 3M respirators for numerous work-related tasks; all designed to provide comfort, convenience and value whilst helping to protect against both particles and/or gases and vapors. 3M’s broad range of hearing protection devices in a variety of styles and materials provides solutions to many of the challenges facing workers in various environments.

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SUPPLIER PORTRAIT

KRAMP AND JOHN DEERE EXPAND STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP IN EUROPE Strong partnerships play a crucial role in providing the best possible service to you as dealer, whether that is partnerships with tractor manufactures, or with OEM’s like Kongskilde.

Therefore we are delighted that Kramp and John Deere have signed a partnership agreement for the whole of Europe.

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SUPPLIER PORTRAIT

As leading companies in their industries, Deere and Kramp share similar values and a common purpose: to ensure the success of their dealers. This was the starting point for the partnership in Germany.

The partnership made it easier for John Deere dealers in Germany to order, stock and sell parts and accessories which complement the John Deere portfolio. In the upcoming period, other European John Deere dealers will also have access to a broad range of John Deere accessories, the Vapormatic range and the extensive Kramp product portfolio, all ordered via a unique online platform and supported by leading edge logistics.

Dealers will also benefit from technical, marketing and retail expertise to increase sales via John Deere retail showrooms.

extraparts.deere.com

After Germany, the John Deere dealers in France, Poland, Portugal and Spain will be first to have access to a range of over 500.000 products from the Kramp portfolio, John Deere accessories and the Vapormatic range via extraparts.deere.com.

Easy for the customers

“In 2017 I said that I was very proud of this next step for our company”, reflects Eddie Perdok, CEO of Kramp Groep after the cooperation in Germany. “This agreement makes me even more proud. In everything we do we aim at making the process of ordering parts from Kramp as easy as possible for our customers. With this agreement we can offer John Deere dealers a one-stop-shopping solution for all complementary parts.”

John Deere and Kramp share a mutual set of values that put quality and customer service first. “Providing a distinctive customer experience throughout the lifecycle of our products is critical”, says Christoph Wigger, John Deere Vice President Sales and Marketing Region 2. “Both companies are committed to upholding these values and our expanded partnership with Kramp in these new markets will provide that.”

‘It saves us time’

Sebastian Habeck is director of Hawart OMV Landtechnik GmbH. As a John Deere dealer in Germany he has worked together with Kramp in the new John Deere partnership since 2018. "Because of the large Kramp assortment, with currently around 500, 000 products we can offer a very wide range of agricultural machinery parts. Because we use Kramp as preferred supplier, we save a lot of time which we can now use for our customers in other fields."

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COVER STORY

LOOKING TO THE FUTURE This is not the first time that Focus has turned its attention to the future of the agricultural sector.

The arrival of GPS, drones and big data, plus the increasing use of smart technology in machinery, has really put 'smart farming' on the map. Our cover story will focus on three specific examples from this field.

We'll also hear from Grow Bristol, who are already seeing the benefits of using new technologies.

Considering that the sector is generally perceived as being somewhat conservative, there seems to be a lot happening right now — but then insiders have long since been aware that the agricultural sector is anything but conservative. Farmers tend to embrace new technologies as soon as possible in order to both keep pace with the increasing demand for food and keep costs down. Let's turn our attention to three specific examples.

Digitalisation The trend towards Industry 4.0, also known as smart industry, is changing production capacity across all industries, and agriculture is no exception.

Industry 4.0 comprises various digital developments, including the Internet of Things (IoT), big data and Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Digitalisation makes it possible to network tractors with each other and with other machinery, bringing benefits such as fuel savings and more precise operations — which in turn reduces the use of pesticides. This is the epitome of precision agriculture, and a large proportion of machinery has already been configured to make use of the new technology. Some 70–80% of new agricultural machines sold are equipped with some kind of precision agriculture technology.

Other examples of 'Agriculture 4.0' include process automation and new measuring methods. Automation applications can range from autonomous tractors that dispense with the need for a driver right through to the use

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COVER STORY

of robots, and both of these examples lead to reduced manpower requirements. The numbers speak for themselves, and we can use big data to quickly gather reliable information — be it about soil quality, moisture or the presence of insects. Estimates suggest that using big data in this way can boost income by 20% as a result of increased productivity and savings on fuel and pesticides (-20%).

The complete integration of IoT is key to achieving these gains, and it will also be necessary to create new standards that are comparable to ISOBUS. Lastly, collecting the data is just one aspect; it must also be correctly interpreted and used, which gives dealers the perfect opportunity to share their knowledge with customers.

Agroforestry

Agroforestry is less about using new technologies, and more about developing a whole new kind of agricultural model. In agroforestry systems, vegetables, potatoes or gains are cultivated in the same area as trees.

This approach to agriculture is beneficial both for the natural environment and financially. Trees and shrubs contain natural insecticides, which means that farmers have less need of chemical insecticides — bringing benefits both for the environment and the farmers' bottom lines. Agroforestry has been in use in South America and Africa for some years now and has achieved a great deal of success. It is now starting to become more common in Western Europe, and Wageningen University & Research considers it the new standard for sustainable agriculture.

'Agroforestry has the potential to develop into a new agricultural standard within 15 years, bringing benefits for the environment, consumers and agriculture. It is a sustainable and regenerative production system that incorporates nature, and these features make a significant contribution to achieving more sustainable agriculture models', writes the leading university. According to researchers, new technologies such as drones, satellite imagery and GPS-controlled and self-driving lightweight tractors would make it relatively easy for the agricultural sector to transition to agroforestry in the current climate.

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COVER STORY

The robots are coming Robots are already commonplace in many branches of industry. You would be hard-pushed to find a major automotive manufacturer that does not use robots during its production process. The robots used in this scenario are generally programmed to complete the same action over and over again, so from this perspective they are not yet suitable for use in the agricultural sector. However, the emergence of high-speed data connections, GPS technology and other new developments brings the large-scale use of robots ever closer.

Major manufacturers are investing heavily in new technologies. One such example is John Deere, which not so long ago purchased a company that manufactures robots for use in arable farming. These smart machines are used for weeding and spraying and can cut pesticide usage by

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90%. And it is not just the large manufacturers that are getting involved; the number of start-ups is also increasing sharply.

Despite the growing interest, there are still a few key steps to complete before the large-scale use of robots becomes a reality in the sector. Firstly, the sector must be ready to embrace the technology. In many cases, people still need to get used to the idea that a robot can complete the work — and this applies not just to small machines, but also to tractors. Are farmers actually ready to give up the driver's seat? Secondly, we need to be certain that the technologies are safe. This point notwithstanding, current estimates suggest that there are already around 5000 autonomous agricultural robots in use, and this number is expected to increase exponentially in the coming years.

COVER STORY

Grow Bristol Grow Bristol are a vertical farming and urban agriculture business based in two shipping containers next to the main rail station in Bristol, Temple Meads. They use hydroponics, which is a method of growing without soil, in order to produce ‘micro greens’; quick growing, nutrient dense, leafy greens. These salad leaves and herbs, such as pea shoots, coriander and kale, are sold to both restaurants and whole foods shops within a couple of miles from where they are grown.

Founded by Dermot O’Regan and Pete Whitling in 2015, the main aim of their project was to take a fresh look at growing food in an innovative and sustainable way. They built their irrigation and climate control systems themselves and now grow 10 different types of micro greens; and now with new business partner Oscar Davidson, Dermot has further plans to scale up their business quite significantly due to having more demand than initially expected.

One of the biggest environmental impacts of food production is the packaging and transportation of the food itself, a key benefit of Grow Bristol is that they are growing next to the point of consumption, harvesting and delivering their produce on the same day for optimum quality.

Another benefit is that hydroponics uses 80-90% less water than you would in a traditional field, as you are able to be much more precise in your watering; this is significant in an economy that is predicted to outstrip the supply of fresh water that is required for food production in the near future.

Looking towards the future, environmental pressures and climate change are driving agriculture to be more sustainable. The heatwaves this summer devastated quite a lot of salad crops, however Controlled Environment Agriculture (CEA) can combat this and be more resilient. In addition, the public are becoming more health conscious, and Grow Bristol are able to grow their crop without using any chemicals therefore

producing a healthier, cleaner food. It is important that people re-engage with where their food comes from, how far it has to travel and what chemicals may have been used in production. Grow Bristol do not claim to be able to feed the city, or the country but they believe they are one part of the solution to create a more sustainable food system.

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FOOD

OVERCHOICE: LOCAL, ORGANIC OR BOTH? Consumers are becoming increasingly more aware and more discerning when it comes to the food they choose. Food safety and animal welfare are becoming much more important, and consumers are also keen to buy organic, locally produced food.

But is it actually possible to meet all these criteria? And if so, at what cost?

People often have a subconscious belief that organic food is always locally produced, but this is frequently not the case. It is entirely possible for organic food to have been produced in Africa, for example, and then shipped to the European mainland by boat or plane. And while locally produced food certainly can be organic, there is no guarantee that it always is. If a consumer's main concern is the environmental impact of their food choice, in some cases they may be better served by opting for locally produced food cultivated with the use of pesticides than by choosing organic food transported by plane.

Organic food is no longer solely the preserve of the little farm house around the corner; since everyday supermarkets began stocking organic produce on a mass scale, it has become a definite business proposition. In order to meet demand, a significant proportion of organic food is mass-produced, frozen and then shipped over long distances. So what impact does

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FOOD

this have on the nutritional value? And what about the carbon footprint generated by diesel-powered heavy goods vehicles travelling thousands of kilometres? There has been a lot of research into these factors in the US, revealing that the average organic product travels 2000 miles (3600 kilometres) before making it onto the supermarket shelf. One undisputed fact is that organic food is produced without the use of pesticides or liquid fertilisers. The result of this approach is that the harvest is more susceptible to disease, and farmers also need to find alternative fertilisers. And compared with intensive agriculture methods, a larger area of land is required to produce the same amount of food.

Local The trend is gradually shifting away from organic produce and towards locally produced food. Consumers value the idea of supporting their local economy and forming a relationship with the people who produce their food. In addition, locally produced food is generally fresher because less time passes between the harvest taking place and the product reaching the supermarket shelves.

So what actually constitutes 'local'? Produced within 10 kilometres? 25 kilometres? Or maybe 250 kilometres? The definition varies from country to country and there are not always clear rules. For instance, in Belgium the distance involved may mean that a product cannot be considered local, while in the US that same distance may be considered 'nearby'.

Urban agriculture has long been popular across the pond, and the trend is now making its mark in Europe. It brings with it some major benefits, including the fact that it gives city dwellers a better picture of where their food is actually coming from, farmers can sell directly to consumers without any middle men, and biodiversity is increased. However, there are also risks with this approach: There is potential for the soil to be contaminated in urban areas and traffic can be severe, both of which could lead to the presence of heavy metals in food.

Careful attention must be given to ensuring food safety and following the associated procedures. Vertical farming is a close relation of urban agriculture, and previous issues of Focus have already reported on this topic. It is mainly vegetables that are produced using this approach; the crops are usually cultivated in former office buildings, although new buildings are also used. Although there have been some successful results in several cases, the approach is not yet in widespread use — though it seems all but certain that growth in digitalisation and robotics will see vertical farming take off on a much larger scale.

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KNOW HOW

ENHANCING THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY Every company wants to support its customers to the best of its ability. This is certainly a good starting point for the relationship in any case. However, to make this goal a reality, we need to know what kind of help customers actually want and what challenges they are facing. Mapping out the customer journey can help us to find the answers.

Step 4

Step 2 Observe and ask questions. Notice how customers act in your shop or warehouse.

Are they able to find what they are looking for quickly? Are they kept waiting for a long time before someone offers assistance? Try to gather information by speaking to customers too.

Execution. Do customers like the fact that they can reach you via WhatsApp? Perhaps someone is on hand to make coffee if they have to wait? These are just two scenarios that can leave a positive impression.

Step 3 Evaluate the results and note the areas to be improved. Then think about whether improvements can be made and how to do so.

Step 1 Spend some time with colleagues from various departments and reflect on the customer experience. What works well? What aspects might customers look upon less favourably?

The customer journey at Kramp Here at Kramp, we have been busy in recent months mapping out the customer journey. We have conducted dozens of interviews with customers in various countries. Friederike Niehoff was closely involved in the project: "Kramp is constantly growing as a company, but maintaining personal contact is incredibly important to us. We want to be standing right there beside our customers. Mapping out the customer journey helps us to achieve our goals. It allows us to see 14

what is going well, and where we still have some work to do. And we can apply this knowledge not only to our interactions with new customers, but also to those with customers who have been loyal to us for many years already."

"We are currently hard at work turning the results of our research into tangible improvements. For example, we have improved our returns process and we are currently taking additional steps to provide our customers with even better support."

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ASK SPECIALIST

‌talks about the benefits of using camera systems on machinery

Smart Technology in agriculture is on the rise, enabling machine users to be more efficient and precise . Camera systems allow the user to vie w hidden are as of their machiner y, such as front link age, or vie w behind the machine when reversing.

The cameras can be fit ted to a range of different t ypes of machiner y, quickly and e asily. Having them installed can improve safe t y, by seeing behind your machine from the cab, and save you time by monitoring your machiner y and crop, so that you can work with gre ater speed and precision.

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Kramp have t wo different monitors available, one which allows you to vie w an image from up to 2 cameras, only 1 camera on the screen at a time, and another than allows you to vie w up to 4 images from 4 different cameras. Here the Quad version is available in 7inch or 10 inch versions

ASK SPECIALIST

Our Kramp Product Specialists are always happy to help with any queries you have. This edition is all about the range of camera systems available and the benefits of using them.

The kits include; a monitor, 20m of connecting cable, a camera, a remote control, a connecting cable for monitor, fasteners and bracke ts. This is ever ything needed to ge t started, additional cameras may be purchased to vie w up to four different images simultaneously.

The Kramp Camera Systems can be used wirelessly with a sender and recei ver unit sold separately.

All products have manuals that can be downloaded from the website, but if in doubt feel free to ge t in touch with one of our Kramp product specialists by calling 01767 602 630

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TRENDS

DEALERS — THE TECHNICAL NERVE CENTRE The agricultural sector is changing.

There are now fewer farmers and dealer companies, set against the backdrop of an increased demand for food that means production is required to grow.

This situation places considerable demands on famers and mechanisation companies.

Following several years of pressure on turnover, we are now seeing signs of recovery. Many agricultural machinery companies have full order books, a situation that brings its own problems — such as a shortage of well-trained staff. And although things are looking up again for the economy, there are still questions about what the future holds.

Many mechanisation companies, and along with them the dealers, are experiencing increasing pressure from the major tractor manufacturers. Industry association Climmar

describes the situation like this: "The chasm between the global perspective of manufacturers and the local focus of dealers is becoming ever greater...". Manufacturers are striving to get to the point at which a complete range of products is marketed under the banner of a single brand, something that is commonplace in the US. In contrast, Europeans are a little more 'stubborn' and prefer to use various brands, only because the major manufacturers do not always offer all of the machines they require.

Mechanisation companies appear to be facing a choice between staying a dealer and scaling up their business by means of mergers or acquisitions, or saying farewell to the dealership and continuing as an independent brand specialist. A third option is to become a niche player in the market.

The role of mechanisation companies is also changing. The market is becoming increasingly transparent and farmers are now able to purchase their parts from a variety of sources, which means that agricultural machinery companies need to be more than just a machinery workshop and a parts supplier.

Knowledge is becoming more of a commodity, not least owing to the rise of smart farming. Agricultural machinery companies can play a key role here; for instance, there are already companies that commission agricultural experts to provide arable farmers with advice on cultivating their crops.

Knowledge and smart stock management are more important than having a large market share. As a result, tomorrow's dealers look set to become the technical nerve centre for farmers — somewhere to obtain advice and have data analysed.

HR policy will also need to change to reflect this new strategy, tomorrow's dealers will no longer employ all-rounders; instead, they will have genuine specialists for each area, including cultivation. It is telling that John Deere CEO Samuel Allen has referred to the company as being in the software business rather than the tractor business. So when should we expect to see the first Tesla tractor on the market? Or maybe we will be using an Uber-esque solution to rent an agricultural vehicle for a set period?

The sector is definitely changing, perhaps more now than ever before. The challenge facing dealers is to move along with the sector.

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TRENDS

Russell Group Technology in agriculture continues to grow, with the uptake of precision technology on farms increasing yearly.

The market value of precision farming is set to double from 2018 to 2023*, but what does this mean for Agricultural dealerships? Focus Magazine spoke to Chris Morley, Group Parts Manager at Russell Group, to ask his opinion on the future of the industry.

Russell’s are a group of agricultural dealerships who have been serving the Yorkshire farming community since 1921.

You will find Russell depots in Malton, Northallerton, Boroughbridge, Leyburn and Eggborough. They also have specialist groundcare depots in Gilberdyke and Rotherham.

Hallmark Tractors joined the Russell Group in early 2016 and are a fully integrated part of the Russell operation.

Hallmark operate from an established base near Ashbourne in Derbyshire and a newly opened facility near Kettering.

Looking to the future

Benefits “Often people are resentful of technology, but we know it can benefit

“The future of agriculture will be a combination of traditional

our customers and make their life easier, we are currently on the

farming methods and technology, of course the traditional methods

fringes of what is possible and the potential is huge. GPS systems

have been around for hundreds of years and they will not change,

have been around for a while, becoming very popular and for good

but we will see continual development through technology to

reason, as the inputs savings for farmers are huge.”

drive maximum efficiency. Over the next 10 years I think we will see further developments in precision farming with the merging

“Russell’s have already seen machine ‘intelligence’ appearing

of technologies so that the data source and farm machines work

on harvesters, where advanced sensors monitor engine load and

together in synchronisation.”

crop flow and adjust the machine to maintain pre-set performance

Staying up to date “As a dealer it is imperative that we stay up to date with the latest

characteristics. These are just a few examples of why we believe technology is so important to the agricultural industry.”

Communication

technologies and trends, we cannot just sit by and watch it happen, but must embrace and understand it. In order to provide our

“To keep our customers up to date, we need to be more proactive

customers with the best possible information, continual investment

with our communication across all channels- even utilising good

in staff training is key. We now have the ability to communicate

old fashioned print! We must also work in partnership with our

with the machines and run diagnostics remotely, so can anticipate

customers, to ensure their machines are at the top of their game

when services are due. Machine and component monitoring give

at all times; proactive, preventative maintenance is what we are

notifications when something is starting to fail, so we are able to be

striving for.”

more proactive and help customers reduce downtime.” *Statista 2018

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DUALMOTION

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COLUMN

Moving forward with Smart Farming Farming has always been smart – the landscape has been shaped by the ‘smart’ decisions of generations – hedgerows and field boundaries often traced the line between differing soil types for example, or ancient woodland planted on poor or difficult soils that couldn’t be farmed.

There is no doubt that farming, and the technology it utilises is changing. The term ‘smart farming’ is increasingly used to describe the trends towards collecting and using increasing amounts of data, carrying out operations with increasing accuracy or creating detailed maps to help with management decisions. Future wise it even goes one step further with autonomous vehicles and machinery undertaking the work remotely.

The building block of modern smart farming is most certainly GPS, without it a whole host of other technologies would not exist, at least not in their current form. Many were around before GPS, but were complex, expensive or impractical – think controlled traffic and the Dowler Gantry tractor as an example.

Whether it’s is a simple light bar guidance system being used for parallel passes across a field, or a fully integrated RTK guidance system giving 2cm repeatable pass to pass accuracy, the initial target is the same – to be smart and reduce overlap and increase efficiency.

But move away from simply steering a machine accurately and use GPS to record the location of something in a field and suddenly the possibilities are endless, and there’s the possibility of mapping pretty much anything you can think of – soil samples, soil type, yield, crop inputs, where the combine unloaded and in which direction, or even where the tractor

Matt Redman

Contractor from Bedfordshire www.mattredmanag.co.uk | @RedmanMatt

driver stopped for 10 minutes – the only thing it can’t tell you is if they stopped to change a shear bolt or have a quick sleep.

Suddenly, with all of the data that it is now possible to collect, the ‘smart’ part isn’t the ability to collect it or draw highly accurate maps; it is what do with all them and what do they mean.

To really utilise the technology we have available to us we need to stop and work out what it is we need to do, or know because the technology is now smarter than us and it can be easy to spend more than the technology will make in return. Simple technology such as GPS steering can have instant paybacks from efficiency gains, less machinery wear or operator fatigue, but the more complex technology such as yield and soil maps can leave us with more questions than answers.

One thing is for sure with modern smart farming – we can spend a lot of time to collecting data and producing colourful maps that dissect the farm up to how it would probably have looked on our ancestor’s farm maps, or to drive in arrow straight lines with little overlap – like they used to. The difference is we’re doing it over a larger area, faster, for longer and under increasing pressure to reduce inputs, increase yields and produce the end product cheaper.

Farm smarter, not harder – the horse was swapped for a tractor, is it time to swap the driver for a robot?

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CUSTOMER PORTRAIT

Alkmonton Tractors Alkmonton Tractors Ltd is a long established family business which began in 1969, when Jim Ayre converted an old blacksmith’s shop into a workshop and began servicing agricultural machinery, due to demand from local farmers to whom he was already well known. Whilst this is still predominantly the focus of the business, in 1984 they began selling machinery and are now a CLAAS dealer. Jim’s son, John, who is now Managing Director of the business, spoke to Focus about the company and their new Powered by Kramp Shop.

CUSTOMER PORTRAIT

Located near Ashbourne, in Derbyshire, Alkmonton Tractors has expanded outwards and upwards from the initial Blacksmith’s shop where it all started; but their attitude has always remained the same - that they are always on hand to help 24 hours, 7 days a week. It was 1984 when they built their first shop counter from which mainly sold spares and oil. In 1997 they extended the workshop which quadrupled the size of their business overnight. Expanding their business further, in 2008 a local garage closed and they took this opportunity to become an MOT testing centre. Now the business has a total of 10 employees, including John’s son, James, proving it is still a very much family business.

With a vast array of capabilities under their belt, John insists that customer service is the single most important aspect in running his business, “work doesn’t stop on dairy farms at 5pm on a Friday, if you can’t feed or milk your cows we will be there to help. We would turn out on Christmas day if we had to, and we have in the past.” He explains that his main responsibility is to do whatever he can to get farmers back up and running, and if they haven’t got the part needed to do so, they will make it using whatever means they have.

It is evident that Alkmonton Tractors do not shy away from innovation, and they believe that staying up to date with technology is something that is necessary for any business.

James is responsible for the technological aspects of the business such as vehicle diagnostics and social media on which they post advertisements and updates regularly. As a large number of people have turned towards the internet to make purchases, John explains that, “online marketing is a lot cheaper and quicker; we once advertised a tractor on Facebook and it sold within 45 minutes.”

Alkmonton Tractors have worked alongside Kramp for over 20 years, dating back to when the company was Jack Ashurst, before the Kramp acquisition. The wide range of products, supply and the ability to call their account manager should they need to find a part or have any questions, is what has kept them using Kramp throughout that time.

In July 2018, Alkmonton Tractors opened its’ doors as the first UK Powered by Kramp shop, which is a retail concept planned, implemented and supported by Kramp, using years of experience in both Agriculture and Retail. Furthermore Kramp continue to support retail sales with targeted marketing communication direct to customers and continuous review of the performance of individual lines across the UK ensuring the optimum and most relevant range.

John explained that their old shop was “small, dark and dusty and sometimes you have to bite the bullet and make a move somehow.” Kramp understood that John wanted to expand his business and with their retail concept they could together enable Alkmonton Tractors to create the shop they desired.

“Our industry is very much based around people you know, and who is willing to help you. We knew that Kramp would not install the shop and leave us to our own devices. Powered by Kramp is a partnership and we have guidance available from the whole team at Kramp in order to reach our potential.”

So far the shop has surpassed expectations, customers have been amazed by the transformation, and in the first four that the shop has been open, sales generated are 40% above plan.

However, John notes that there is still room for improvement and the team are eagerly anticipating the arrival of an auto replenishment system, which automatically re-orders a product back into stock when they make a sale, using technology to their advantage.

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HIGHLIGHT

The Future of Farming Article courtesy of Professor Lisa Collins, Professor of Animal Sciences at the University of Leeds and Academic Lead of Smart Agri-Systems.

Farmers and agribusinesses face multiple competing demands: to increase efficiency and productivity, ensure food is safe and nutritious, adapt to climate change, maintain high environmental and animal welfare standards and manage fluctuating prices and trading patterns. Meeting these challenges, while still running a profitable and sustainable business, require complex decision-making, drawing on evidence from the whole supply chain.

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HIGHLIGHT

Smart Agri-Systems is a new research initiative at the University of Leeds, which offers an integrated, solutions focussed approach to tackling multi-faceted challenges across the food system: from the farm, through the supply chain, to the consumer.

On the farm, sensors – either fixed, or on drones or robotic crawlers – can monitor soil temperature and humidity, map crop growth and density, assess ground water composition, and track the weather, with data streamed at high speed and analysed to assess and project crop performance. For livestock, genomics data can be combined with real-time sensor outputs on environmental conditions, growth rates, individual feed consumption, behaviour and health to project performance at scale: from an individual animal up to the whole farm.

Beyond the farm gate, Smart AgriSystems combines data and expertise on supply chains and logistics, consumer behaviour, health outcomes, environmental monitoring, international law, trade and business to provide sustainable whole system solutions, from field to fork.

The University of Leeds is one of the largest research-intensive universities in the UK, and we have a vast range of expertise across the University that can be applied to agricultural challenges.

We combine crop and livestock specialists, environment, climate and soil specialists, sensor development, robotics, big data analytics, machine learning, business and logistics, artificial intelligence, communications and internet of things.

We bring together a team of experts to fit the specific needs of each challenge and work with industry partners to develop innovative solutions. We have worked with representatives from across a breadth of agricultural sectors over the last 12 months to deliver an opportunity to the agri-food industry that we believe is unique.

We aim to be a global leader in systems thinking for food production. The approach is highly flexible to meet the needs of a wide variety of agribusiness challenges.

Many agribusinesses are interested in using smarter technologies to help them collect more data. But having lots of data isn’t useful unless you can also analyse and understand it. Developing the relationship between farmers and their technology is critical to the success of any smart technology being taken up and used routinely. We all use technology in our regular everyday lives and are comfortable with their role as something that enhances our lives – our mobile phones, dishwashers, and televisions allow us to spend less time on housework, navigate the quickest route to a new destination and have cinematic experiences from the comfort of our own sofas. The development of smart technology in agriculture is hugely exciting, as it offers the potential to make agriculture more efficient, more profitable, as well as producing crops and livestock which are of a higher quality for the food chain. It also offers an opportunity to change farmers’ quality of life, with technology and decision-support systems taking some of the strain and freeing up some time for other things. The next generation of farmers, who may be studying at school or university now, or beginning their careers, are likely to be considerably more tech-aware than their predecessors, and would naturally expect innovative approaches, data and systems to support the running of their farms, allowing them to be operated more efficiently giving more time for family and social life, a more attractive working proposition.

We want Smart Agri-Systems to have a real impact on the farming and the agrifood sector in the UK and internationally, so we have committed the University’s 317 hectare commercially run research farm to be a test bed. This is both to help us develop systems so they are proven before being

Lisa Collins applied to other farms, and for the sector to work with us on developing solutions and testing them.

The farm is being developed with advanced monitoring and sensing technology, data capture and Internet of Agri-Things. It can be used in commercially relevant and cuttingedge agricultural, ecological, Earth and environmental research.

The farm, which is primarily arable, is also home to the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock’s (CIEL) leading pig research unit, a £10 million investment featuring both indoor and outdoor production facilities as well as study and conference space.

In addition, it is home to the £2.1m PigSustain research project funded through the Global Food Security program which is already putting research into practise across several hundred premises across the UK. All these initiatives, together with the long-standing research results and our commitment to working with business and industry make Leeds one of the leading research and development centres for farming practice in the UK. For more information about the Smart Agri-Systems initiative, visit www.leeds.ac.uk/smart-agri-systems

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Optimized for performance without compromise SKF Explorer steel/steel plain bearings SKF Explorer steel/steel plain bearings are initially lubricated and sealed to eliminate the need for relubrication in applications with low to moderate levels of contamination, such as those in offhighway. This generates significant savings by reducing maintenance costs and grease consumption.

High corrosion resistance, heavy-duty sealing and the novel relubrication-free inner design makes SKF Explorer steel/steel plain bearings more robust than ever. Plus, extensive research and testing has resulted in % higher dynamic load ratings and longer service life for SKF Explorer steel/steel plain bearings compared to conventional steel/steel bearings.

For more information and other SKF Agri Solutions, please contact your local KRAMP distributor or visit: www.skf.com/plainbearings.

® SKF is a registered trademark of the SKF Group. | © SKF Group  Certain image(s) used under license from Shutterstock.com.

ACADEMY

Be one step ahead with Kramp Academy For over 60 years, Kramp has worked with our customers to share the best products, concepts and services. With our Kramp Academy training programme, we can share our technical and commercial expertise with you as well.

The Kramp Academy is another step forward in our role as your one-stop supplier. Created by dealers for dealers, Kramp Academy offers training across a wide and comprehensive range of subjects, including PTO and hydraulics.

On-site Training All of our courses can now be hosted on-site at your business. This is designed to be cost effective, practical and convenient, reducing your employees time away from the business.

Kramp Academy benefits: • Quality training in a wide range of technical and commercial subjects • Practical skills which can be used immediately in the workplace • The perfect way for employees to continue their personal development

Kramp Academy 2018/19 Courses: • Excel training for business • Introduction to PTO • Hydraulics Part One • Hydraulics Part Two • Retail, Sales and Merchandising • Sprayers and Nozzle Identification

How do I sign up?

Book now to secure training for 2018/19 If you would like to attend a Kramp Academy course or would like a Kramp Academy 2018/19 course prospectus, please contact your account manager or send an email to: krampacademy.uk@kramp.com

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PINBOARD

LOCAL NEWS NEW SHOP FOR HRN TRACTORS LTD

Kramp Retail Services have recently installed a new shop at HRN Tractors Ltd, managing the whole process from design through to installation. Kramp Retail Consultant Leo Copping and Account Manager, Fraser Durno, supported the installation of racking, helped to select the range, volume and then merchandise the stock.

FOCUS PRIZE WINNER

Congratulations to Beth Ladds from Cornthwaite Agricultural Ltd! The lucky winner of last issues quiz page, Beth has won herself a Kramp socket set!

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition, for your chance to win turn to page 31.

DON'T FORGET WE'RE ON FACEBOOK!!

Keep up with the latest news, events and competitions at our Facebook page @kramp.uk We are always excited to see your photos from shows, open days or customer visits, if there is anything you would like to share on our page then please send to marketing.uk@kramp.com.

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PINBOARD

KRAMP FUN DAY

In July we hosted a Kramp fun day for our employees and their families, including a five-a-side football tournament. Congratulations to everyone who took part!

LONG SERVICE AWARDS

We have recently celebrated the following long service awards: • John Muir- Operational Purchase Manager- 20 years • Mike Lindsay- Product Specialist - 20 years • Stephen Falcus- Account Manager - 5 years • Claire Cook- Warehouse Operative - 5 years Laura Riley- HR Services Administrator - 5 years

WANTED!

We are looking for participants to product test our new clothing range. If you would like to be a product tester, send a picture showing your reason why you need new clothing to marketing.uk@kramp.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM KRAMP!

All of the employees at Kramp would like to wish you a very merry Christmas and a happy New Year. We look forward to continuing our partnership with you in 2019.

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MOSAIC

Expert Opinion on‌ Drones Hummingbird Technologies are an advanced crop analytics and artificial intelligence company, founded in the UK in 2015. Focus Magazine spoke to Alexander Jevons, CMO, to ask five questions about drones.

Who are Hummingbird Technologies and what is their business focus?

We are a software business specialising in data and imagery analytics. We use unmanned aerial vehicles, commonly known as drones, light aircrafts and satellite to capture aerial images of crops, which are then processed by our cloud platform using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques to measure crop health and provide a suite of maps tailored for farmers usage. The farmer is provided with this information within 24 hours of the flight, in fully downloadable files that can be inserted into farm equipment.

Why is drone technology important for farmers?

Whilst precision agriculture has existed for many years, we have found that it isn’t being used to its full potential, or historically provided information that farmers can utilise.

In comparison, we are providing products and services that we believe will add value on the farm. They can receive substantially more precise data, on a much larger area of land in as good as real time, by using drones which can fly up to 500 hectares per day.

What are the main benefits of using advanced crop analytics and artificial intelligence for the agricultural industry?

A common misconception is that we are using this technology to replace farmers or agronomists; we aren’t trying to replace anyone that works on a farm, we are just providing them more data so they can make better informed decisions. Our

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main aims are to aid in increasing yields, reducing input, for example using less fertilizer, and as a consequence increase environmental sustainability.

What are the main challenges your company face?

Like all new technology, many people are currently sceptical about the advantages it can bring.. We know part of our job is building that relationship and trust between farmers and the technology, which will come in time.

What is your vision of the future?

As they are fairly new, drones are currently quite expensive, but I think that over time they will become an integral piece of kit on a farm. We are also constantly developing what we do; currently we work with wheat, barley, oil seed rape, maize, peas, potatoes and soy but we always have more in development due to consumer demand. I think the future looks exciting, for there is huge potential.

For more information contact Hummingbird Technologies at +44 (0) 20 8123 2389 or sales@hummingbirdtech.com

QUIZ

PICTOGRAM Say what you see in these pictures to work out the British foods. Guess the correct answers and you could win an 8 piece Kramp combination spanners set, all you need to do is email marketing.uk@kramp.com with the answers.

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Terms and Conditions: Closing date will be 31st January 2019. No purchase is necessary. The winner will be drawn from the correct entries at random. The editor’s choice is final – no correspondence will be entered into or phone calls taken. No cash alternative is offered. Kramp reserves the right to substitute the prize for an alternative prize if necessary. The winner’s company name will be published in the next edition of FOCUS. The competition is open to Kramp customers only.

WIN AN 8 PIECE COMBIN ATIO SPANNE N RS SET

COLOPHON Editorial Address: Kramp Varsseveld Breukelaarweg 33 Postbus 9 7050 AA Varsseveld

Photos:

Editing: Marketing Kramp E-mail: focus.bnl@kramp.com www.kramp.com

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