Advertiser of the Month January 2023 / Hysbysebwr y Mis Ionawr 2023
Every month we will be finding out a little bit more about one of our Agri Trader advertisers…the business, the people and what they do. First up is Edwards Machinery in Bridgend.
Pob mis byddwn ni yn darganfod mwy am un o hysbysebwyr Agri Trader – a’r cyntaf un, Edwards Machinery o Benybont.
Edwards Machinery
Name of Business: Edwards Machinery Ltd
Contact: Robbie Edwards 07855 301107 / 01656 664155
What do you do? We are an agricultural machinery dealer, selling new machinery plus a range of used machines, including tractors. In addition to machinery sales, we stock a large range of spare parts, consumables and tools. We also have a fully equipped workshop to provide an after sales service to our customers. Our primary market is agriculture but we also have a number of customers from other business sectors, including recreation (such as golf courses) and local governments. Our USP is the range of services we provide in our geographical area.
When was the business started and by whom? Edwards Machinery was formed in 2008 by myself, Robbie Edwards, and is still running today as a family business.
How did the business start? After a number of years travelling in the UK and abroad, I came back to South Wales in 2004 to support my father in managing his business, Glamorgan Farm Supplies. As the name implies, the customer base for this business was strongly biased towards agriculture and during my interactions with these customers I identified a business opportunity to “trade” second hand machines. Prior to 2004 I had worked for an agricultural machinery dealer in England and had built up a good knowledge of a broad range of machines.
What’s been the biggest change in the business or biggest change in what you sell in that time? Technology has made a significant improvement to the efficiency of many farm machines designed for seeding and crop care. With Kverneland and other major manufacturers at the forefront, this technology has enabled our customers to save time and money.
What’s the best thing about the brand(s) you sell? The brands we are selling today have to offer a number of key factors that are important to our customers. In priority order these would be reliability, efficiency and also excellent resale values.
What does your average day look like? Like many other jobs there is no typical day – something that I really enjoy as part of running the business. There are, however, things that I need to focus on every day to ensure things are operating properly. These priorities will be managing my log of machine sales, following up leads and talking to suppliers. I also need to ensure the spares business is in tune with what we are doing in machine sales and that the workshop has a schedule of work in the pipeline. There are other regular activities that need my attention, including any staff issues, marketing and general management of the business. Each day is varied, comes with different levels of stress, but most importantly gives me the opportunity for a sense of achievement.
What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Be straight and honest and sell what the customer needs to improve their business. The agricultural industry is very tight-knit and therefore reputation is key if you want to survive.
What has been the most memorable moment in the business? There have been many moments that make me proud of my efforts. Selling a machine that makes a transformational change to a customer’s business always makes me happy, especially when the customer takes the time to call back and thank you for your help.
What’s the funniest/strangest question a customer has ever asked you? Some of the items that we have been asked to take in part exchange have raised a few eyebrows. We always look to help our customers but second hand fencing, ancient machines (where replacement parts are no longer available) and even a boat have all been offered.
What would you say to potential customers about why they should come to you? They will get many years of experience and advice which is honest and aims to give them the most cost-effective solution to improving their business and lifestyle. We have a very capable team in our parts store and first-class engineers in our workshop.
What are the most exciting developments to come in agricultural machinery in the next few years? It’s interesting to predict what is going to happen next – but I think two things will continue the trend of recent decades: technology will continue to revolutionise agricultural machinery and machines will get bigger to save time and therefore money for farmers.
What’s coming up for the business? We have our open day coming up on 16th March which is a great opportunity to come and see where we are and what we have to offer everyone. We will have representatives from all our major suppliers on site to talk about their machines (and hopefully secure some special offers for customers placing orders on the day).
See what machines Edwards Machinery have available at AgriTrader.
