MEMBER PROFILE
Making his Mark There’s the one about the Russian diplomat who stole a nude calendar from the workshop. There’s the one about driving across the USA in a Ford Model T. Mark Weatherhead, a former BAGMA president and current BAGMA Council member, has a lifetime of anecdotes… but the subject he keeps returning to is the lack of loyalty towards independent dealers from the big American machinery manufacturers MARK WEATHERHEAD, 77, is still working in the agricultural and garden machinery dealership that bears his name. After nearly 60 years in the industry, he could retire. He could sell the depot in Cambridgeshire and become rich overnight. He could spend more time on the golf course trying to improve his 18-handicap. He could spend more time walking and exercising his two new hips. He could let his son Edward, a graduate from Harper Adams, take the reins... But Mark loves the industry and loves selling machines of all shapes and sizes. The forecourt at the main depot in Hardwick, near Cambridge, displays a used Vicon sprayer and new DeutzFahr tractor. The showroom offers Isuzu pickups and Honda ATVs. In a field out the back there are used Massey Ferguson tractors and a variety of farm implements. Mark Weatherhead Ltd also sells products from Krone, Pottinger and Nugent. It also has “a flourishing” Fixed Equipment arm specialising
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in agricultural builds, grain handling, storage and drying. “I’m happy,” Mark says. “I’ve always got eggs in several fires.” It’s a policy that has paid off over the years, as various manufacturers have terminated their contracts with Mark Weatherhead Ltd. “We’ve had Fiat terminated, Caterpillar terminated, Komatzu terminated, and Massey Ferguson terminated – all to suit the manufacturer,” Mark says. “All they want you to do is get the thing popular in the area and if they can get someone else to do it, then you’re off. There’s no loyalty to the company that has done them a good favour and sold their products well.” One of his fitters cried when Massey Ferguson ended its contract 18 months ago after seven decades together. “We were Massey Ferguson dealers for 70 years, giving a very good service and on farmers’ forums people were very shocked about it and very complimentary towards us as a company,”
Mark says with pride. “We have always given very good service. But it’s the way with big American companies – they want to have huge standalone dealers who, right now, we’re finding the standard of service is appalling. And we are now benefitting from that. Our level of service work has gone up because these other dealers are not capable of fulfilling the service job. They haven’t got the staff to do it. “We had one farmer ring us last week. He’d been waiting six months to have warranty work done. Another one called me last night at about 7pm. He was fed up with waiting. There will be one of our fitters with him at 11 o’clock this morning. “We’re servicing tractors and combines all over because of this.” In his workshops at Hardwick are six agricultural fitters, one horticultural fitter, one Isuzu pick-up truck fitter and two apprentices. “We’re reaching a point with these big superdealers where their service is so bad because they haven’t got the staff that something is going BAGMA BULLETIN NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2017