A farmer hates to waste time, especially when he is running an efficient, award-winning farm such as Kleinjan Gasekoma does. Gasekoma made history in 2015 when he was the first black farmer to win the BKB Commercial Farmer of the Year award. John Deere pride themselves on delivering fast and efficient aftersales service to ensure that a farmer returns to his work as quickly as possible.
Angie Khumalo, presenter of Mzansi Wethu’s brand new show African Farming, interviewed Gasekoma on his farm in the North West province, to learn more about the principles his business is built on. Gasekoma farms with Braunvieh cattle and also has a game farm. Khumalo admitted she had a hard time keeping up with Gasekoma, even though she is much younger than him.
That is why she wanted to know from Marc Davids, John Deere Dealer Representative, if John Deere can keep up with busy farmers who don’t have time to waste when their farming equipment suddenly breaks down.
“They would want help quickly and efficiently,” she said during the studio interview.
“As a company we understand how important it is for farmers to be as efficient as possible, that is why John Deere pride themselves on delivering excellent aftersales services,” Davids said.
“In 2013 the company opened a 20 000 m² warehouse in Kempton Park that stocks 76 000 different part numbers.”
The warehouse employs 33 full-time staff members and replenish their stock daily by sea- and airfreight delivery. To make things run even smoother, dealers have access to an emergency number. This enables branches across the country to order emergency stock, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“Let’s says a tractor breaks down, we will be able to send out a service vehicle in no time,” he said.
John Deere have been conducting business in South Africa for the past 50 years. In November 2009 they branched out into Sub-Saharan Africa and now support customers and dealers in 48 countries.
Therefore, they have a vested interest in the whole of Sub-Saharan Africa. Africa is a core market for John Deere, that is why the company opened a R150-million state-of-the-art parts warehouse at Plumbago Business Park, Johannesburg, in 2013. The facility serves more than 60 John Deere dealers in South Africa and more than 40 dealers on the rest of the continent.
For information: Contact your nearest John Deere dealer, or John Deere’s office at 011 437 2600. Visit the website, www.deere.com/sub-saharan/en
