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Andrew Giltrap, dealer principal of Giltrap Agrizone, says it’s been a time of enormous change.
Nearing twelve months since CNH Industrial cancelled its distribution agreement for Case IH and New Holland products with CB Norwood Distributors on July 1, 2022, followed by the establishment of a new retail footprint for New Zealand, with Norwood now having departed from the CNH Industrial dealer network in January 2023, the events have ushered in some big changes that are creating more positive outcomes for customers across the country.
For the remaining CNH Industrial dealers – many of them Case IH dealers, with the exception of R&R Tractors in Te Puke – the departure of Norwood meant they assumed responsibility for the NH brand in a caretaker capacity, to ensure customers continued to receive the service and support they needed.
For Andrew Giltrap, dealer principal of Giltrap Agrizone, it’s meant some dynamic changes and added responsibility, alongside some reflection on the fact that the business was a NH dealer at one time.
“It has been a time of enormous change that’s been challenging at times, but my team have stepped up and are doing everything they can to meet the needs of both our existing customers and former Norwood customers,” said Andrew. “Up to now, we’ve had really good feedback from customers on the service we’ve been able to provide and the issues we’ve been able to resolve, which has been very pleasing.”
Andrew said they also want their Case IH customers to know it is “business as usual” for them, and they could be assured the high level of service and support they had come to expect would continue.
Dealer principal of Cochranes, South Island, Chris West agrees it’s been a big few months, but like Andrew, he can see the changes bring some big opportunities for dealers, and for CNH Industrial, as a whole.
“Since the changes in July, it’s been great having more CNH Industrial staff on the ground and supporting the dealers, and customers. Moving forward now with both Case IH and New Holland brands, I expect that support will only become greater,” Chris said. “The customers have been positive about the changes, and are looking forward to receiving the service and assistance they need and expect. We have had a number of New Holland customers ordering new equipment in the past few weeks, so it’s great to see that level of confidence already there.”
Good levels of stock are available in their dealerships at present, and a new finance deal is said to be fuelling additional interest and opportunities.
Both dealers have taken the opportunity to recruit more staff, particularly in their technical and service teams, with both looking to further expand their teams once CNH Industrial finalises the New Holland retailing arrangements over the coming months.
Since July 2022, CNHI has also introduced parts hubs at CNHI dealerships around the country.
“The Case IH hub being in place meant we’ve had a lot of slowmoving parts, that we may not usually stock, sitting here ready for harvest if required for combines and balers,” Chris said.
Andrew said for customers it means there’s always more parts in stock, so there’s a faster turnaround when there are issues.
“We obviously can’t have everything, but the inventory that we have to pick from is much more, with substantial additional parts holdings. There’s a more robust level of support for customers than compared to 12 months ago, there is a more robust level of support for customers, so when there’s a breakdown, there’s a greater chance of turning it around straight away,” he said.
Aaron Bett, general manager for Case IH Australia/ New Zealand, said it had been gratifying to see Case IH dealers respond to the need to support New Holland machinery and he said there was no need for concern from existing Case IH customers.
CNH Buys Tech Firm
CNH Industrial has bolstered its satellite guidance systems’ accuracy after purchasing Hemisphere GNSS, a part of the UniStrong Science and Technology Co. Ltd., of Beijing.
UniStrong was founded in 1994 to develop Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) for all sectors of industry and commerce and is now a parent company for many smaller businesses, including Hemisphere GNSS.
Tractor manufacturers, in a race to adopt digital technology, are increasingly keen to present their software suites as being seamlessly integrated into the machine’s operating systems and hardware.
Along the journey, many manufacturers are suggesting that third-party solutions became less focused upon their individual requirements. To remove this problem, one answer is to develop expertise from within, or to purchase existing companies that already have the necessary digital capabilities.
CNH Industrial has chosen to pursue the latter, having recently bought Raven Industries, and complementing it with Hemisphere GNSS.
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