The strength of the John Deere brand both locally and globally gives Brandt Rotorua sales consultant Richard Edwards a lot of confidence each time he turns into a farm driveway. Whether it's an existing or potential client, Richard enjoys helping them to achieve the most efficient and economical solution for what is often one of their largest capital purchases. Until October last year Brandt Rotorua traded as Cervus Equipment Rotorua, but is now part of the wholly owned subsidiary of the Canada-based family-owned Brandt Group. The expansion by Brandt Group through the acquisition of Cervus Equipment in Canada, Australia and New Zealand has made it the largest privately owned John Deere distributor in the world. Brandt Rotorua offers an extensive product range of John Deere products that includes large and compact tractors, agricultural equipment, residential and commercial ride-on mowers and turf products, as well as Lemken cultivation equipment and Giltrap farm machinery. The business also provides comprehensive after-sales support, parts, servicing and finance through John Deere Financial. Richard transitioned into a sales role last year part-time after having been a tractor technician since 2007. He started full-time as a sales consultant at the beginning of this year. “It's great; definitely good to learn another side of the business, but also to have the understanding of the machines from the inside out. Having a well rounded understanding of the mechanics as well as the customers business helps to build that trusting relationship we've always had. “I think it's especially true for some of those more technical questions and the more specialised setups; some clients require certain set-ups to optimise their machines for their business structure. From his experience, John Deere equipment is well-built, has excellent ease of operation and good ergonomics for the operators. “You can put anyone into them and they can go and do a day's work. Their serviceability and reliability is great and it's not too often that our clients have down-time. “In the event they do, we've got the backing of John Deere. This means we can get information easily and we have the assurance of parts readily availability throughout New Zealand, normally overnight, or Australia. If there's anything major we can generally get a tractor going quickly.” As one of the largest John Deere dealers in New Zealand, Brandt Rotorua have the inventory to maximize field time with access to more than $4 million in parts. For some farmers and contractors, renting or leasing a tractor can be a good option instead of an outright purchase. This frees capital for other purposes or to have an extra tractor if needed without the long term commitment, while paying per hour allows expenditure to match income. From his conversations with farmers, Richard describes the rural economy as quite positive. “They are reasonably optimistic about next season, it's still looking quite good. As long as next season carries on the way it's shaping up to be, I think it will make a big difference.” Meeting high expectations
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