Combines are an essential part of any grain farm, and a local business has sold more than any other. Maple Farm Equipment has been named the number one combine dealer for John Deere of Canada.
Larry Hilworth, General Sales Manager, says the award is proof that the business is doing right by its customers, both at the initial sale and once the combine is in customer's hands.
"It shows to our staff and to our customers how we look after the business. We've sold the most, but selling it means we've got to look after it. So it's a testimony to all of our staff about the excellent service we have, the excellent parts department we have, and how much trust we have in our customers that they would entrust that much business with us again," Hilworth says.
The service starts from the used combine department, he explains. All used combines need to be certified and tested before they are sold. As a result, Hilworth says that customers are buying a reliable product and have the confidence to continue with the dealer.
"That's translated to the new side. Customers who have been used buyers in the past look at it and say 'I like what you guys do, so I'm going to trust in you the business that we do and move into the new.' Some guys are constantly repeat buyers of ours and flip every year because we look after them."
The focus is on keeping the farmers in the field during harvest time. If a combine is down for over 24 hours, Hilworth explains, farmers will get a loan unit in order to stay in the field.
"Farmers today are stretching the machines to the maximum they can. When they have a short window of harvest and a short window of spring like we have now, every hour is critical," Hilworth says.
He also credits the John Deere brand with the dealer's success. With the largest market share in North America, he says that the brand is proven and reliable, which makes them easier to sell.
The large sales came in spite of a year which saw many farmers in the area unable to seed or get the full value of their land. Hilworth says that, for the sake of the customers, he doesn't want to see another year like that, but since the business has expanded to a wide number of locations it allowed them to move people around, and service the areas which were not so hard hit and which had a good year.
"Ideally you would like every shop to be percolating at 100 per cent. But that's the reality today, and as a business owner and an owner of the company, I look at that as spreading my risk," Hilworth says.
The biggest factor in the win, Hilworth concludes, is the team, and he says that the people who work for him are among the best in Canada in their field. While he admits that, like all businesses, it's not always perfect, he prides himself on the way the company handles problems and focuses on making the customers satisfied.
