GROUP The company that eats, sleeps and talks farm machinery, till the cows come home!
“I’ve been dealing with Burden Bros ever-since they started their business and have found their after-sales service to be extremely good. “I recently bought the John Deere 5100GF fruit tractor because I wanted something that was heavy enough for roadwork – pulling a ten ton trailer and, it needed to be small enough to work in our orchards. “It’s a little tractor with a big tractor attitude and it works just fine for us. “The company has a lot of loyalty to its customers and that’s something you don’t find every day. “I’d definitely recommend Burden Bros Agri to other growers and producers. “They are a good local firm that you can rely on, and that’s just what we need.”
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hen John Deere was looking to appoint a main dealer for its product lines in Kent, Surrey and Sussex, they chose Burden Bros Agri Ltd., essentially because of the breadth of experience the business group had established within the agricultural marketplace. Stemming from a highly productive farming enterprise and agricultural contracting business, coupled with a major second-hand farm equipment trading business that operates on the international marketplace, the group understands every aspect of farmers’ needs. The farming industry demands stability and reliability from a company that serves their seasonal production demands and Burden Bros Agri Ltd., provides total sales, service and parts back-up from a
dedicated team of highly trained professionals. With two major dealer premises based in Stockbury, Kent (near the M2/A249) and Framfield, Sussex, farmer customers have easy access to all ‘after-sales’ needs, especially through busy harvest periods. On-farm servicing covering John Deere equipment and all other leading brands of farm machinery, including Pottinger, Bunning, Merlo, Cook Trailers and Sumo, ensures that farmers can rely on Burden Bros Agri Ltd., to keep their equipment in tip-top condition. And when it’s time to trade-up to the very latest machinery, you can be sure that the sales team at Burden Bros Agri Ltd., will make skilful recommendations on machine performance and suitability, making for the best investment and long-term pay-back.
“We’ve been selectively adding high quality team members to our staff in order to keep our business ahead of customer demand” exclaimed Dale Burden, Managing Director. “As our business has grown and more customers come to us for parts, service and new or used machines, so we have invested in people and premises to give our customers a better buying experience.”
Four brothers run the group today; John who is responsible for the Contracting and farming enterprise; Guy who has built and is still expanding the used machinery business; Alex who has established a very successful catering and hotel venue; and Dale who steers the success of the agricultural machinery dealership. The Burden family group have established significant core values that will see their foundation grow and strengthen through the evolution of their businesses. Family is at the heart of everything they do and you can feel their passion for doing what is right, for, together and with each other. Quality ranks
alongside, because they believe in exceeding the needs of their customers and this can only be achieved by having their eyes focussed on their number one goal, quality of service. They take Pride in everything they do and it shows in the quality of their work and the dedication to their cause. Consistency sets the scene, sets the belief, because without consistency, there is no quality,
there is no substance. And last but not least, Commitment because it reflects the personal responsibility that each member of the family has towards meeting their goals, fulfilling customer expectations, working alongside business partners and staff to bring about a meaningful accomplishment. Continued overleaf >>>
In-stock, on-time and next day deliveries, reflect improved Parts service
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s an overview, approaching two-thirds of tractors sold in Kent today are from John Deere. One might claim that it would be relatively easy to sell ‘the’ market leading product, but the truth is that farmers wouldn’t buy the best unless it had the proper after-sales back-up. And after-sales is top priority at Burden Bros Agri Ltd. A team of dedicated parts personnel who have all undergone thorough product and parts management training, can be found at both depots in the group. Expansion of facilities is already well advanced at the Stockbury depot and will be fully operational before harvest to increase stock levels, parts lines and fill rates. But in the rare event of a common part not being available, there is always emergency supply from John Deere for next morning delivery. ‘There’s nothing worse than having a machine stood idle in the middle of harvest or when drilling conditions are just right, purely because a simple component is unavailable,’ said Dale Burden. ‘We are farmers too, so we know how important it is to have the proper after-sales parts back-up to minimise any downtime. Most machines will, at some time or other have a breakdown, and it’s our job and our commitment to make sure we fulfil the needs of our customer and ensure we can provide the right backup when it’s needed.” Although the main franchise is John Deere, the parts department at both Stockbury and Framfield carry components for the full range of ancillary equipment and spare parts for most other common makes of tractors, including oil filters, belts and special oils. It’s truly a ‘one-stop-shop.’ If you are unable to get what you want at your usual supplier, it’s quite likely that Burden Bros Agri will have the right components to get you going again – so, if you haven’t already, you might consider giving them a try.
Machine breakdown gets fast response from highly-trained technicians
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ome farmers like to carry out their own intermediate servicing, but when it comes down to repairs of technical components, it’s usually left to fully trained technicians – the professionals. Farm equipment today is unlike those machines of yesteryear, there are far more technical advancements and electronic gadgetry behind much of the operating systems today – and unless you are fully trained or qualified, it’s not for the feint-hearted. The service facilities at Burden Bros Agri Ltd are manned by fully trained and qualified professionals many of whom are qualified to LTA (Land-based Technician Accreditation) standard – the highest level in the industry. They have a young company, a young team of enthusiastic and very capable technicians, with specialist skills to focus on individual machine groups. For example there’s combine specialists, self-propelled forage harvester specialists, technicians for sprayers, small tractors, large tractors and also for the latest precision-farming systems using AMS. As technological advances continue to strive forward, product today is becoming less serviceable on the farm therefore much investment has to go into training technicians to deal with these new technologies. Although machinery today is more complicated in construction, it’s actually becoming easier to identify and diagnose faults or errors because these technicians use the latest diagnostic equipment to access operating and error code data. As through the rest of the organisation, Burden Bros Agri are investing heavily in new service staff, to expand their servicing capabilities and to meet customer demands, especially through the peak periods. Every time you visit their facilities, it’s likely you will meet new team members and this reflects the massive amount of investment the company is making in staff and facilities for the long – term commitment to customer satisfaction and the best customer experience.
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FARMS/CONTRACTORS
The service facilities at Burden Bros Agri Ltd are manned by fully trained and qualified professionals many of whom are qualified to LTA (Landbased Technician Accreditation) standard – the highest level in the industry.
Cutting-edge farming, benefits landowners and growers Ask anyone about the attention to detail and commitment that the Burden Bros group apply to their farming and contract farming business and they’ll tell you that it’s second to none. The Burdens farm some 1600Ha of their own, rented and contract farming sites growing rotations of Wheat, OSR, Maize, Grass and Oats. In fact they are one of the largest Maize producers in the UK at 640Ha. They produce all their own feed for a 1000 head suckler unit with followers, which are all grazed on 2000Ha of conservation grass. Their operation attracts numerous farmer group visits from the UK and Europe and also from local schools – they represent modern farming at the cutting edge. In fact, currently, they are the only farming enterprise in the UK, trialling variable nutrient application with a new, cutting-edge technology from Fritzmeier of Germany. Their contracting business serves the entire Southeast of England where they specialise in drilling, cultivating, spraying, fertiliser spreading, forage harvesting, combine harvesting, straw baling, and muck spreading, to name but a few. Every prime
mover in their fleet is geared-up with John Deere’s ‘AutoTrac’ for the ultimate in precision farming techniques. The John Deere 7450i Self-propelled forage harvester boasts the latest ‘HarvestLab’ analyser which enables each customer to receive an accurate print-out of factual crop data for proper alignment to production techniques. This is an important service to their customers as they forage harvest around 1600Ha of crop every year. Working in co-operation with Agrovista, the Burden Bros enterprise is the only farm hosting OSR trials in the UK, other than at agricultural colleges, and so they receive many farmers and growers throughout the South of England at three annual open days. Like with all the other sectors in the Burden Bros group, much attention is given to expanding the team of professional operators, who are trained to get the best out of their high output machines. At the end of the day, the company’s goal is maximising customer satisfaction. They have an ethos that states – a good job done today, secures the work for tomorrow.
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MACHINERY
Farmers always buy from a reliable, trusted source
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hen farmers purchase their new machinery from Burden Bros Agri Ltd, they invariably trade-in used equipment surplus to requirements. Some of the equipment is retailed back into the area where customers are looking for good used equipment, but for 30 years now, Burden Bros Machinery has been developing markets across the UK and Ireland as well as on the international stage, to supply used equipment to discerning customers. Used machinery undergoes a careful assessment of condition and performance capabilities to ensure satisfied customers, be they in Tonbridge or Timbuktu. They not only handle used equipment from the Stockbury and Framfield depots but also deal with farm machinery dealers across the UK. Dealing with whole-good machines of every make and colour and, breaking equipment for good spare parts, the export business for the company is enormous and it has
become one of the UKs largest used machinery and spare parts businesses. “We are currently breaking over two hundred combines , eighty tractors, tele-handlers and balers at the moment” said Guy Burden “ so there is lots of choice for our customers in the worldwide market. “I travel the UK quite a lot, looking for good quality second-hand farm equipment to fill the needs of my customers in the UK and countries all around the world.” Having a good outlet resource for used equipment is essential for successful machinery dealers and Burden Bros Machinery has proven instrumental in maintaining a good flow of equipment to strong second-hand markets in North and South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East, India and Australasia. Their reputation precedes them and many established dealers throughout the UK have come to rely on the specialist capabilities of Burden Bros Machinery, for fair prices and reliable transactions.
David Goodworth, Wrotham Water Farm
Likewise, farmer customers looking for a reliable source of ‘good’ used equipment, have found the company to be their first choice, based on previous dealings and recommendations from neighbouring farmers. Joe Forknall, Pleasant Acre Farm “I’ve been dealing with Burden Bros Agri because of the product line and the relationship I have with one of their salesmen. Their service is very good from the men on the ground to the support I get over the phone. The technicians knowledge is excellent and I’m very happy with the after-sales service. I would recommend anyone to consider using Burden Bros Agri.” Joe Forknall has purchased a John Deere 6930 Premium, two 7530 Premiums a 6330 Premium and a new 7450i Self-propelled forage harvester from Burden Bros Agri.
Fred French, Clements Reach Farm “The relationship I have with the sales team has been key to the purchases I have made through Burden Bros Agri. During the busy times of the year the service and parts departments have always provided the support I need, especially on emergency call-outs. Burden Bros Agri are the most proactive dealer in the area. The reliability on the S690i and 7530 Premium has been excellent and I really enjoy the simplicity and accuracy of the GreenStar system and the way it provides continuity between machines.” Fred French’s purchases have included four John Deere S690i combine harvesters, 7530 Premium and 6930 Premium tractors.
“I’d recommend Burden Bros Agri to any progressive farmer because of the all-round package you get of premium product and great back-up staff. “Call-out service has been excellent and the current John Deere line-up works very well for us. “The sprayer is a fantastic bit of kit and the ‘I’ package makes spraying a relative pleasure. “I’ve been dealing with Burden Bros Agri since they first opened as a John Deere dealer because I already had an established professional relationship with their sales team and I wanted to continue using a premium product and know that I could rely upon them to be there for me.” David Goodworth has purchased machinery including John Deere 6920 and 6930 Premium, C670i Combine Harvester and 732i Sprayer.
Robert Hinge, Ham Green Farm “I’ve been dealing with Burden Bros ever-since they started their business and have found their after-sales service to be extremely good. “I recently bought the John Deere 5100GF fruit tractor because I wanted something that was heavy enough for roadwork – pulling a ten ton trailer and, it needed to be small enough to work in our orchards. “It’s a little tractor with a big tractor attitude and it works just fine for us. “The company has a lot of loyalty to its customers and that’s something you don’t find every day. “I’d definitely recommend Burden Bros Agri to other growers and producers. “They are a good local firm that you can rely on, and that’s just what we need.” Robert Hinge has purchased machinery including John Deere 7930 and 7530 for his arable operations.
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Farming the FUTURE becomes a reality I
t’s all very well considering what you do or don’t have for now, but what of the future? We’ve already seen tremendous strides of innovation in growing techniques and farm machinery specification, but what does this all mean to the farmer of tomorrow? “Without sustainability, we have nothing” said Dale Burden. “Our ambition is to be here not only for tomorrow, but for years to come, so that our customers will always have high quality back-up. “We are building an enterprise that is long-lasting, something that is based on quality, that always gives the best customer experience.” Already going through planning stages are new, expanded facilities at the Stockbury branch, which in itself will considerably increase workshop and parts facilities. Someone once wisely said that ‘ the salesman makes the first sale, but for subsequent sales, the parts and service departments hold the key.’ That is not to suggest anything more than without after-sales back-up of the highest level, customers will not return and invest in more equipment. Sales, Parts and Service work together as an integrated team, providing the right choice of machinery for the progressive farmer, backing it up through the parts department with consumables and the service department being there if there happens to be a breakdown or component failure. New facilities will improve efficiency all round.
Better customer experience will mean more customers and greater demands on services. It’s an everchanging cycle that needs to be planned, strategised and managed on a regular basis. What worked well yesterday, doesn’t necessarily mean that it will work tomorrow and so the company must grow and evolve with the demands of the marketplace. “We are fortunate in as much as being a family, with companies that span most of the farming industry” commented Dale Burden (pictured above) “ we are living and breathing the changes that are occurring, and that helps us to see the future clearer. “Our farming and contracting business is already involved with technologies that are under trials and tests and we can pass on that experience to our customer users. “The used machinery business is gaining direct market feedback on a global basis, which means we can react faster to buyers in different markets. “But back here in the Kent, Surrey and Sussex area, Burden Bros Agri can pull on the experiences of our family businesses, John Deere and all of our high-quality suppliers to ensure that whatever we sell, back-up, service and trade, that the ultimate goal has to be around customer satisfaction, after-sales service and the best customer experience.”
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