P & D Engineering Joins McCormick's National Tractor Sales Network
31/05/07

The partners and employees of agricultural machinery firm P&D Engineering (Bredon) are looking forward to the new business opportunities that will come from joining the retail dealer network of one of Britain’s top four farm tractor makes.

McCormick south-west England area manager Steve Cann (left) welcomes Mike Pullin of P&D Engineering to the McCormick tractor retail dealer network.

According to Mike Pullin, who runs the business in partnership with his wife Penny, becoming an area dealer for McCormick Tractors International Ltd, the Doncaster-based manufacturer, opens up new possibilities.

“McCormick produces a range of tractors that will interest our existing customers because they’re ideally suited to the different types of farming and other rural businesses we have in this area,” he says. “But we also hope to attract owners of the large population of these and similar tractors in the territory as new customers.”

P&D Engineering’s offices, parts stores and busy service and repair workshop are located at Fleet Lane, Bredon near Tewkesbury, Glos, which is at the heart of the McCormick territory stretching from Droitwich and Redditch to the north, Stroud to the south and between Ledbury in Herefordshire to the west and Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire to the east.

“We’re right at the centre of this area and thanks to good road connections our four service vans have no more than a 45 minute drive to reach customers for on-farm servicing or repairs,” explains Mr Pullin. “This is important to us because we put a great emphasis on the standard of our service back-up.”

Steve Cann, south-west area manager at McCormick, confirms this was a key factor in choosing P & D Engineering for the network: “Reliable and quick-response service back-up is crucial to farmers, contractors and other users of tractors and farm machinery because they rely on them pretty much every day of the week,” he points out. “Mike Pullin and his team have an excellent reputation as far as service is concerned and will complement their neighbouring dealers Uphill & Son at Radstock to the south, Collins Bros at Pontrilas to the west, and Burgess to the north of the territory.”

Parts manager Jason Middlecote is assisted by Penny and Mike Pullin’s daughter Vickie, who is gaining experience in all departments of the business, while Heather Williams works alongside Penny in the office.

Experienced technicians Steve Perrins and Nigel Barnard are supported by apprentice Dan Morris who studies agricultural engineering at Warwickshire College, Moreton Morrell. A fourth technician is being recruited.

On the sales front, the new business partnership with McCormick has got off to a flying start. Within four days of lining up a selection of tractors on the forecourt, Mr Pullin had taken two orders.

A 102hp CX105, which is McCormick’s best-selling tractor in Britain, is destined for a local livestock farm while a 152hp MTX150 – McCormick’s most popular six-cylinder model – will be used at G H Hussell’s Ashbury Farm, Kemerton, near Tewkesbury for farming and contract work.

“It will be our first McCormick and our biggest tractor; my father Gordon and I are pleased to be supporting a local supplier,” says Paul Hussell of Ashbury Farm. “We’ll be using the tractor for silage baling, which we do on contract to local farms, and for ploughing and power harrowing at home when we’re re-seeding grass pastures for our beef and sheep enterprises.”

Mike Pullin says these two models are typical of the size and power of tractor likely to be most popular with farmers in the area, along with the high-spec mid-range MC models and the F Series specialist tractors designed for fruit and commercial horticulture. He also anticipates keen interest in McCormick’s high performance XTX tractors, particularly the 145hp and 167hp additions to the range due to be launched later this year.

“I’m very optimistic about our prospects as a McCormick dealer,” he comments. “The response we’ve had from our customers so far has been nothing but positive.”

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