Tag Archive for: John

New John Deere Appointment

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New John Deere Appointment: Michael Grey has been appointed the new strategic account manager for turf and other non-agricultural equipment at John Deere Limited, replacing Brian D’Arcy.

Working from the John Deere Limited headquarters at Langar near Nottingham, Michael is now responsible for maintaining existing and developing new relationships with strategic and key account customers throughout the UK and Ireland, with support from the company’s national dealer networks.

New John Deere Appointment

Michael Grey studied Agricultural Business Management at Reading University and joined John Deere in January 2012 as an area aftermarket manager covering Ireland, Wales, the West Midlands and south-west England. He was then promoted to territory manager for central and southern England in 2015 before taking up his new role at the beginning of October.

“Michael’s customer and dealer experience gained over nearly seven years on territory will serve as a very good foundation for his new position as strategic account manager,” said turf division sales manager Chris Meacock.

After joining the company as a demonstrator in 2007, Brian D’Arcy was promoted to product sales specialist in 2008, then territory manager for Wales and the West Midlands in July 2009 before taking on the strategic account manager role in 2014.

Brian has recently been promoted to the post of product manager for compact & utility tractors in Region 2 (Europe, CIS, North Africa and the Near & Middle East), based at Deere’s European HQ in Mannheim, Germany.

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.co.uk

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John Deere Among Best Brands

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John Deere Among Best Brands: John Deere has again been named among the world’s most valuable brands in an annual ranking undertaken by leading brand consulting firm Interbrand. John Deere is now ranked 88th in the Best Global Brands research announced in October 2018, rising four spots from a year ago. Interbrand estimates the John Deere brand to now be worth approximately $5.4 billion, a 12 per cent increase on last year.

“A decade after the global financial crisis, the brands that are growing fastest are those that intuitively understand their customers and make brave iconic moves that delight and deliver in new ways,” said Charles Trevail, Interbrand’s global chief executive officer. Interbrand said its brand valuation is based on three key areas – financial performance of the brand; the brand’s influence on purchase decisions; and the brand’s strength to create loyalty and sustainable customer demand.

John Deere Among Best Brands

“This recognition emphasises the success of our 70,000 employees worldwide who work each day to deliver on the company’s core values of integrity, quality, commitment and innovation,” said Samuel R Allen, Deere & Company chairman and chief executive officer.

John Deere has been included in the Best Global Brand ranking since 2011, when Interbrand estimated the value of the John Deere brand to be $3.65 billion. The Interbrand methodology was the first of its kind to be certified by the International Organisation for Standardisation requirements for monetary brand valuation.

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.co.uk

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Taddy’s John Deere Partnership

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Taddy’s John Deere Partnership: Since the start of the year, Tadmarton Heath Golf Club near Banbury in Oxfordshire has seen investment in a new management team, strategic changes to the course under the eye of course architect Ken Moodie and its first ever course maintenance equipment fleet deal with John Deere and local dealer Farol Ltd.

The avowed ambition of golf operations manager John Stubbs, course manager Jim McMurdo and general manager Matt Draper is to achieve a place in the UK’s top 100 golf courses. Already ranked at #91 in National Club Golfer‘s Top 100 courses in England, Taddy – as the locals call it – is a classic heathland layout featuring gorse and broom, with an ‘inland links’ character. It has been described by NCG editor Dan Murphy as “absolutely delightful and quintessentially English, with a pretty stone clubhouse at its centre.”

Taddy's John Deere Partnership

The new machinery has been bought on a five-year John Deere Financial lease deal, including PowerGard maintenance and protection. The package features 12 John Deere machines, including 220SL walk-behind and 2500E electric hybrid greens mowers, A Model fairway mowers, a 1600T wide area mower and Gator utility vehicles in addition to a Tru-Turf greens roller, Fleming trailers and a Weidenmann Super 600 three-in-one flail mower, collector and verticutter for the rough.

“We wanted to rationalise the existing machinery fleet and deal, which was coming up for renewal,” says John Stubbs. “As part of the tender process we met the Farol team for the first time, including golf & grass director James Moore and area sales manager Mike Wheeler. We were looking for a completely open, honest and transparent deal at the best possible price, and we found that Farol and John Deere were very easy to work with all the way through the process.

“Their approach gave us confidence that they could deliver what we needed to help achieve our ambition of becoming the premier all year round course in this area. We had plenty of help and advice on which machines would provide the most efficient and affordable solution for the golf course and the club, and in the end the decision to partner with John Deere and Farol was a very straightforward one.”

As it boasts one of the last remaining areas of proper heathland left in the county, the course has undergone a five-year regeneration project as part of the club’s vision to put the traditional heath back into Tadmarton Heath. More recently all the bunkers have been redesigned or rebuilt, and Jim McMurdo has begun a process of improving the greens, reducing the more punitive rough areas and raising the overall standard of the course presentation.

“The initial aim has been to make the golf course look a lot more professional and make the greens and rough fairer,” he says. “One of the first jobs was to bring the fairway cutting height down to 13mm, which made a massive improvement straight away – the increased differentiation means golfers now find it easier to see where to play and where to avoid.

“We’ve also opened up all the bunker areas and defined the run-offs around the greens, to help improve the overall playability. It’s really a very simple approach – it’s about uniformity and attention to detail, so that everything in the eye is set up the same way, to create the best overall impression.”

John Stubbs adds: “The new investment created an amazing wave of interest in the improvements – people regularly come up to me to say how pleased they are with the way things are going, and new members are joining all the time. It was certainly a great confidence boost for us to get the Board’s approval to spend what is admittedly a large sum of money for a private golf club.

“It was also good for Jim and his greenkeeping team to know that every single recommendation that was asked for has been delivered. Our goal is to maintain the traditions of the golf course, with its history and heritage, but packaged in a forward thinking way, while also providing a welcoming and relaxed atmosphere as well as first class service throughout the club.”

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.co.uk

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John Deere Revolutionary Technology

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John Deere Revolutionary Technology: Available in Europe from 2019 exclusively on John Deere’s ZTrak 900 Series commercial zero-turn rotary mowers, the new Michelin X Tweel Turf airless radial tyre means customers may never need to buy rear tyres for their zero-turn mowers again.

Unlike traditional pneumatic tyres, the Michelin X Tweel Turf virtually eliminates tyre downtime and is nearly maintenance free. A new Z994R model equipped with X Tweel Turf tyres makes its UK & Ireland show debut on the John Deere stand (E080) at SALTEX 2018 at the NEC, Birmingham in November, alongside the company’s latest compact tractor and lawn tractor developments.

John Deere Revolutionary Technology

Offering a combination of operator comfort, productivity and a high-quality finish, the Z994R is designed to cater for customers looking for a more compact solution to working in restricted spaces. It features a powerful 25hp (18.4kW) diesel engine together with a heavy-duty frame and a belt-driven deck for optimum power efficiency. High output is further achieved by the 137cm (54in) 7-Iron PRO side-discharge rotary mower deck.

“The Z994R excels in the toughest mowing conditions while also providing the fuel economy, compact size and durability that commercial customers value,” says John Deere’s European turf sales & marketing manager Carlos Aragones. “It also offers a range of options designed to increase operator comfort and reduce fatigue during long working hours, as well as delivering lower operating costs and improved performance.”

These options include the exciting new Michelin X Tweel Turf tyre, which avoids downtime from punctures when compared to traditional pneumatic tyres. It has the same dimensions and bolt pattern as a standard tyre and features automotive rubber technology, allowing the tread to last up to three times longer. The Tweel also reduces ground compaction and increases ride quality, which is enhanced by the mower’s new ComfortGlide seat.

Using pioneering technology first introduced by John Deere on its agricultural tractors and other self-propelled equipment in 2001, a top of the range 4066R compact tractor can also be seen for the first time equipped with a StarFire satellite receiver and AutoTrac Universal automatic steering system. This is now being made available on the company’s compact tractor range to help operators achieve higher levels of accuracy and input cost savings when working with implements such as amenity turf sprayers and spreaders.

An enhanced range of high-capacity commercial mower decks has also been  announced for the popular John Deere X940 Series diesel lawn tractors. These are designed to increase performance and further improve operator convenience.

The robust construction of these decks, which are stamped from a single steel plate, ensures that they are built to last and serve the needs of demanding commercial operators. Available with cutting widths of 137 or 152cm (54 or 60in), the decks are uniquely designed to handle high volumes of material.

Upgrades have been made to the drive-over ramps for even easier connection of the mower deck to the tractor. In addition, the X940 Series now comes as standard with a new deluxe seat featuring adjustable back support, with an air ride suspension seat available as an option. Both seats are now fitted with armrests.

The existing MulchControl feature, which allows simple changes between grass discharge and mulching, has also been enhanced by the addition of an optional hydraulic actuator known as One-Touch. This increases the speed of changing between modes for increased uptime and ease of operation.

All these new products will be available at John Deere dealerships in the UK and Ireland from spring 2019.

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John Deere Dealership Changes

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John Deere Dealership Changes: John Deere dealer Winchester Garden Machinery Ltd has decided to relinquish its professional golf & turf business at the end of October 2018, while retaining Deere’s full homeowner equipment franchise. Neighbouring dealers Farol Ltd and Hunt Forest Group will share WGM’s existing professional sales area of responsibility, with Farol’s Midhurst outlet covering West Sussex and Surrey and Hunt Forest Group at Chilbolton taking on Hampshire.

Winchester Garden Machinery has been supplying and maintaining garden and commercial grass care machinery since 1969. It will continue to trade as a main John Deere homeowner dealer, specialising in walk-behind mowers and lawn tractors, from its three domestic machinery sales locations at Winchester and Liss in Hampshire and Sunningdale in Surrey. The business also includes a Forest & Arb Sales division, which was introduced in the early 2000s.

John Deere Dealership Changes

“After over 20 years of supplying and supporting the professional golf & turf sector, Winchester Garden Machinery Ltd has taken the decision to relinquish the franchise for this side of John Deere’s business,” says WGM dealer principal Andrew Hoskings, the company’s owner and co-founder with industry stalwart Robin Nettle, who sadly died of cancer earlier this year. “This decision has not been taken lightly, and with the growth in other sectors of our business – domestic, forestry and commercial – we will continue to be strong trading partners with John Deere on homeowner equipment.

“We will continue to support John Deere’s professional machinery with warranty within the valid dates and undertake service work as required. Winchester Garden machinery is very proud of its association with John Deere and of our reputation as one of the UK’s largest specialist dealers of lawn and garden machinery, and we look forward to the future with confidence.”

Farol will now manage a total of six John Deere agricultural and turf dealerships from the Midlands down through London to the south coast of England.

“Being awarded the new area of responsibility for John Deere’s golf and turf product range in West Sussex is an incredibly exciting prospect for Farol Midhurst,” says managing director Matthew Vellacott. “We will look to continue and build on the high standards of service established by Winchester Garden Machinery, and aim to grow the business with the additional benefits of resources and specialisms that come from being part of a larger group.

“Since Farol’s debut in the professional golf and turf machinery business eight years ago, we have seen exceptional business and market share growth. This now contributes over £20 million to the group’s turnover, which makes Farol one of the largest professional groundscare machinery dealerships in the UK.

“We believe that our industry leading machine technology and aftersales departments have been key to this success, and we now look forward to demonstrating this support to our new customers in the south of the country. This latest addition to the group will undoubtedly take our golf and turf business from strength to strength.”

R Hunt Ltd and New Forest Farm Machinery Ltd recently signed an agreement to merge their two businesses under the new name Hunt Forest Group from January 1, 2019. R Hunt has been a John Deere agricultural equipment dealer since 1971 and currently runs four outlets covering Wiltshire, Hampshire, Berkshire, Surrey and the Isle of Wight. New Forest Farm Machinery trades from two outlets in Hampshire and Somerset and has been a John Deere agricultural dealer since 1979, and a professional turf dealer since 1986.

“This new area of responsibility sees our business expand its professional turf coverage and capability into Winchester and East Hampshire by adding the John Deere turf franchise to our existing Chilbolton facility,” says Hunt Forest Group managing director Tim Hunt. “We will be providing full sales, service and parts support for all John Deere professional turf products from Chilbolton, alongside our other outlets at Blashford, Sparkford, Tilshead and Isle of Wight, from November 2018.

“Following the recent news regarding the creation of Hunt Forest Group, we are able to quickly leverage the experience and staff within our new organisation. We are pleased to say we have immediate coverage for the new professional turf area of responsibility in Hampshire, with knowledgeable staff who will already be very familiar to many customers. We are very excited about the opportunity this brings and look forward to our customers and Hunt Forest Group growing together.”

For more information, visit: www.JohnDeere.co.uk

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