willowfarm-machinery.co.uk
Tel.01529 460 332
Sean Stanfield.07789 683 625
Willow Farm Machinery, Little Hale Fen, Sleaford, Lincolnshire, NG34 9BG
Willow Farm Machinery
National Farmer Company Profile
In the short period since it started trading some 19 months ago, Willow Farm Machinery has become a recognised and respected name, having grown from a part-time machinery import business to a significant supplier offering quality brands. Based on a farm in north Lincolnshire the business is the official importer for brands including Carre, Rozmital, SMS and Ino, offering a specialised range of equipment from mowers to tedders, and drills to precision-guided vegetable hoes.
O
wner of the business, farmer David Nickol has always had an interest in agricultural machinery and had a parttime business sourcing, importing and selling on a variety of products. “It was more of a hobby really, and we had a small stand at Lamma, ran a few small adverts and handled four or five pieces of equipment a year, mainly from SMS and Rozmital,” he said. “The business ran well along-side our 1,200 acre family farm on which we produce cereals, sugar beet and onions, but it was clear there was the potential there for a successful stand-alone business if the time and resources could be put into it.” In June 2010 agricultural machinery sales representative Sean Stanfield was taken on to run the business. A successful area sales manager for a large agricultural dealer selling tractors and implements to local farmers, he knew and understood the market well. “I had known the Nickols family for many years and knew about their machinery sales business. I was used to selling large machinery to farmers in Lincolnshire and understood what was required of a dealer to satisfy farmers’ needs. Although there had been the parttime business running, trading as DE Nickosls, I knew it would be a case of starting from scratch and having the systems in place and the resources to get the business up and running. The brands with which David had been dealing offered excellent products, but we would need additional ranges too, and during my time as an agricultural sales representative I had made contacts and seen machinery at shows that I felt would be useful to us. We started trading as Willow Farm Machinery, set up an informative website, and booked to attend major shows and working demonstrations, as well as advertising the products we offer.”
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One of Sean’s first triumphs was securing the Carre brand. The company hadn’t exported previously and there were several products to appeal to specialist vegetable
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National Farmer Company Profile
>>> Continued from page 27 growers as well as the range of drills. “The self-steering hoe using a Claas camera guidance system is excellent, and I knew it would be popular with specialist growers,” said Sean. “Some 60 percent of the company’s equipment is for mainstream agricultural use, including traditional harrows and light cultivation equipment, and the products are especially popular with organic growers in France.”
Scallop levelling
The harrow has two rows of slitting tines, which will work down to 8-11cm if needed, followed by a scallop levelling board, then there are two rows of finger harrows. A mounted seeder unit can be fitted delivering seed behind the slitting tines. Shaun said that although the harrow was launched after the traditional spring drilling time, it has been immediately popular and has sold well. “It’s a three-in-one single pass machine for grassland farmers. In recent years grassland has become more valuable and farmers now look after the crop as arable farmers look after theirs.
Popular
The Carre Precicam guidance system is another popular tool in the range. It is basically a toolbar onto which the hoe, or other device, to be steered is mounted and which uses a Claas Laser Pilot camera, or mechanical sensors, to follow a line or row, and combined with the automatic row-alignment system provides very accurate inter-row hoeing. Shaun said this not only ensures extreme accuracy but also saves operator fatigue, particularly when large areas have to be worked each day. Rozmital products have been sold by David for many years, but since the investment in shows and the extra marketing during the past year, sales have increased massively. “We took the products to Lamma, the Welsh machinery show, Grassland, Beef Expo and the Royal Highland as well as attending one-day specialist shows, and farmers have been impressed with the products and have placed orders. The rakes and tedders as well as the new disc mower on static display at Grassland have been especially popular in Wales and Somerset and the range has features and a price that appeals to smaller farmers. We work well with Rozmital, it’s an excellent relationship.
First time
BORDER PLANT SALES is long established and as a 'family' business we pride ourselves on our professionalism and experience. We specialise in buying/selling new and used plant & equipment, and offering commercial sales for import/export, depending on local needs and legislation on a global basis.
Website: www.borderplantsales.com Telephone: 01477 500305
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Ino products were displayed by Willow Farm Machinery at Lamma and it was the first time many of them had been displayed in the UK. Sean said the company’s range of flail mowers is ideally suited to the needs of fruit growers and sales in Kent have been excellent. Until recently the offset mowers have been available only in right-hand format, which has meant their use for roadside maintenance has been compromised, but Sean has persuaded the company to produce a left-hand version which he believes will greatly increase sales. “They are all sold with a two-year warranty, it’s an excellent quality product, the ones in use perform very well and users like them, and now with the left-hand offset, many more users will be able to take advantage of the excellent features.” New products coming from the manufacturer, and for which Sean believes there will be a ready market, include fertiliser and salt spreaders and, due to be announced at Lamma, a new maize and sugar beet drill. Having displayed the Ino equipment at Lamma, Sean was keen to promote the benefits to his dealers, and after seeing the quality of engineering for himself, wanted his dealers to see the care that goes in to the manufacture.
Established
SMS is a manufacturer predominantly of cultivation equipment and as well as its established subsoiler range there are new Cambridge rolls being launched at Agritechnica, which Sean
National Farmer Company Profile
believes will be well suited to the UK market. Sales of the company’s products are growing and he says that expanding the range on offer will increase its appeal. Willow Farm Machinery’s growth has been so rapid that already extra staff are being taken on. David Nicholls and son Peter both help out at shows and during busy periods, and a product specialist, Andrew Warriner, joined the company in August. A full-time apprentice, David Smith, helps assembling machines and is also available to assist at working demonstrations, and helps out on the farm too when needed. Sean was always confident that the new business would be a success, but even he has been astonished at the response from dealers and customers. “We were just too busy to cope at Lamma. As well as assistance from the manufacturers we brought in as many extra people as we could to help, but we just didn’t stop for the two days. Grassland was very successful too, and that was when we gained a lot of additional dealer enquiries. We don’t demand huge stock orders, but will help by providing consignment machinery and accepting low-value stocking orders to help the dealers become established.”
trusted by farmers. The dealers like representing us as we conduct ourselves well, and provide them a professional service. The good website is a help as dealers can refer customers to it for product information. It’s a whole package, we are a serious business. I am very lucky the Nickols family has backed me and trusted me to build the business. I am very passionate about everything we do, and delighted that the response from dealers and customers has been so positive so quickly.” Sean Stanfield says he is very lucky to have been allowed to get on and build up the company in the way that he wanted to. Having started off doing all the administration himself, the sales workload has grown rapidly, and now he is assisted with accounts by Caroline Nickols. The future for WILLOW FARM MACHINERY looks to be that of growing the business further by not only supplying more machines but also by possibly adding staff in the future and possibly another brand with a product line up that will complement the currents products. Sean also tells us that he is very keen also to inform us that at this years grassland event they hope to launch a uk built product that has been designed in conjunction with a small manufacture soley for WILLOW FARM MACHINEY.
Berry Farm Services
Something for most
Sean says the good mix of machinery offered as well as the specialist products means there is something for most types of farm, arable, livestock, grassland, fruit, vegetable and organic too, as well as products for amenity maintenance. “We are getting talked about more now and our name is familiar and
Cultivators & Drills • Cultivators & Subsoiler’s • Mowers & Rakes • Spreaders & Slurry Tankers • Spreaders & Trailers • Diet Feeders • Flail Mowers • Sprayers
Chris Boyd Area Sales Manager
Telephone: 01256 384 208 Mobile: 07961 461 340 NATIONAL FARMER
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