Business Central July 2021

26 | T to page 28 Manawatu - CEDA: Norwood Norwood - keeping farmers moving T Richard Loader Norwood is New Zealand’s largest importer and retailer of farm machinery. REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT N orwood is New Zealand’s largest im- porter and retailer of farm machinery and technology based solutions for agriculture, but the legend of Norwood is forged in iron and fired on a passion for deliv- ering good old-fashioned customer service. That ethos is as true today as it was when Norwood’s journey began by helping Kiwi farmers seven decades ago and the name Norwood has now become synonymous with New Zealand agriculture. Norwood was initially founded as an impor- tation business in 1948, when Charles Norwood, later Sir Charles, com- menced the importation of Massey Ferguson Tractors. “Irrespective of what the farmer is driving or using, if it goes down, it needs to be up and it needs to be up as quickly as possible, hence the dealerships we have.” Massey Ferguson was the first tractor to adopt the three-point linkage that enabled it to pull farm implements and was critical to delivering the mechanical benefits Charles had envisioned. From its origins as an importer of Massey Ferguson tractors, the business enjoyed rapid growth when Charles identified that the ma- chines needed to be serviced. “Simply selling a tractor with no back-up service was going to be a problem for whoever purchased the tractor,” says Tim Myers, Norwood’s CEO. “So about six Service Centres, as they were known then, popped up round the country. Today those Service Centres are known as dealerships and there are 26 of them through- out New Zealand.” With a focus on customer support as a point of criticality Norwood has a very clear aim of being no more than 90 minutes to a blade of grass in New Zealand. Over the years brands have come and gone and the Massey Ferguson brand that the busi- ness was founded on was replaced by Ford, which eventually became New Holland, still one of the brands represented by Norwood. “Dealerships are the staging points for our products,” explains Tim. “Norwood New Zealand is the import agent for CNH Industrial and Norwood is the agent for their two primary tractor brands, which are New Holland and Case International Harvest- er. At a dealership level we also represent Kubota.” In addition to the work horses, Norwood stocks a full line of implements and equip- ment to carry out anything from cultivation to planting seed, to mowing and making hay and balage. SUPPORTING NEW ZEALAND BUSINESS, RAIN OR SHINE We’re proud to be Norwood’s finance partner of choice to support rural New Zealand and help your business grow. So if you need to upgrade or replace equipment, we’re ready and waiting with flexible, hassle-free equipment finance that will keep you and your business moving. TALK TO YOUR LOCAL NORWOOD DEALER TODAY udc.co.nz/equipment | 0800 322 888 UDC Finance Limited