Hi everyone!
It’s crazy to think that here we are in mid-December already, what a chaotic year it has been!
All in all, 2022 has been a very productive year for us, but of course it hasn’t been without its challenges. We’ve had some fun with demo units of all kinds, delivered some beautiful bits of kit to new homes and most exciting of all, is that we have started relationships with a lot of new customers this year. All our branches have introduced new team members too which is always great to see, and we continue to expand and grow right across the business.
On the challenging side of things, the global supply chain issues have continued to keep us on our toes, so much so that we are seriously considering shares in a crystal ball manufacturing company as they’ve been in high demand! Lengthy lead times have meant we have had to commit to stock very early and think a long way down the track to support our customers as best we can. The introduction of new tractor models has compounded this issue, however I don’t think any of us would take back the amazing product releases we will see come to fruition in 2023.
For you, our customers it’s been a year of ups and downs too, strong payout figures have been tempered by increased on farm costs with the likes of fertiliser being priced more like a luxury item rather than a necessity. Looking forward to 2023 many of you are sharing mixed feelings, a general feeling of positivity is mixed with some uncertainty around legislation and continued financial pressures.
Christmas time is right on our doorstep and it’s a great time to reflect on the year that was and look forward to 2023. We have an election not too far away, we’ve had a good (maybe too much!) amount of rain to get us well into summer, and for us personally we have never been so excited about the new products we are about to release. While things may not look perfect (not that they ever do) it sure could be a lot worse, and moving forward with acceptance of our ‘new normal’ some good planning from us all, and a unified voice, I think that 2023 has real potential to be far more positive than not.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, and a sincere thank you from our entire team and their families. In a world full of choices, we do not take it lightly when you choose us and our products to be a part of your business or home.
Best wishes, travel safe and we will see you in 2023!
Regards,
Team Piako
Branch - Piako Northland (Whangarei)
Role – Dealer Principal/Co-Owner
I first met Murray Bale about 6 years ago as the owner of Bryant Tractors in Whangarei, a business with a fantastic reputation built over some 37 years at that point. I won’t lie, Murray intimidated me with his ridiculous amount of knowledge, his incredibly strong sense of duty to look after his customers and his work ethic which I thought was bordering on a little too strong!
Murray began his career as an apprentice at McBreen Jenkins, this was his only ‘get out of school card’ and it led him to spend his days working on CAT bulldozers and motor scrapers. Murray’s upbringing on a dairy farm in Tauraroa gave him a head start with the necessary kiwi ingenuity of a farm kid being a part of Murrays DNA that’s visible to this day. This service background has been a mainstay of Murrays approach to business, with customer support being the number one priority.
Fast forward a few years and in 1972 a man by the name of Bill Bryant started a little business at home, Bryant Tractors. Murray soon found himself in Bills employ and spent the next 29 years growing within the business and eventually purchased Bill’s shares in 2008. Hit the fast forward button one more time and Murray is now co-owner of Piako Tractors Northland, it retains all the core values of Bryant Tractors and we are fortunate as a company to have Murrays endless amount of knowledge and dedication attached to the Piako name.
While Murray is known for his dedication to the business and his customers, he’s not all work, Rugby was a big part of Murrays life and diving, snow skiing, deer stalking, and squash were all regular weekend past times. Murray also owns a farm not too far out of Whangarei that his neighbour leases, this gives Murray the opportunity to flex his mechanical mind with the usual repair jobs that any dairy farm encounters. Murray and his wife Linda have been bitten by the travel bug over the years with overseas trips for work giving the opportunity to see a lot of what the world has to offer, and when Murray decides to hang up the keys, they plan on travelling a lot more and ticking off parts of the globe they have missed.
When I asked Murray ‘what do you most enjoy about your job?’ it was a simple answer, “I just get satisfaction out of helping someone sort a problem with any tractor or machinery” what more could you ask for from a business owner?
Every now and then you stumble across products that make you think “how in the heck did I not know about this?” For many people in New Zealand Valtra is still one of the products that conjurs this very response… when I learned about Valtra it went right there in my mind next to MV Agusta motorcycles, Jalapeno Poppers and Quartz Reef Pinot Noir as noteworthy discoveries!
Valtra, is a tractor brand that hails from Finland and has been manufacturing tractors since 1951. However, the companies origins date back far greater than that, back to 1832 infact when it began life as a division of the Eskilstuna Mekaniska Werkstad (workshop) which was itself a partnership of Finlands Valmet, and Swedens Vovlo BM.
Today Valtra offers a fantastic range of tractors ranging from 75hp specialty machines through to 405hp heavy duty beasts. The brand is known for its technology and high quality finish, as well as its ridiculously robust construction. Something you may expect from a brand that has built its name by working in the hard forestry environment of the Nordic region where it dominates the market.
But ‘you don’t see many in New Zealand’ I hear you say, while it may be true that theres not as many Valtras out in the countryside as there are Masseys and Fendt, when you start looking at the real testing parts of the New Zealand tractor market such as running big rock crushers or massive reach trimmers, youll be surprised how often these machines bear the big Chrome ‘V’ on the front of the bonnet. If you have a bit of European travel stamped on your passport no doubt you have seen many of these machines right across the region, France especially.
In the recent years Valtra have been expanding their offering to suit our Dairy farming and Ag contracting market. Models like the A, G and N series offer varying levels of equipment but all with the Valtra flare, comfort and build quality. The AGCO power engine is one of these best performers on the market in both power and efficiency and if your doing serious hours the Valtra cab has to be one of the best places to be of all the globes tractor manufacturers. A G135 with front end loader has to be the flavour of the day if you’re a dairy farmer that appreciates comfort and quality.
Unique features like their Twintrac reverse steer and the Smarttouch interface really sum Valtra up, everything they do, they do it properly and without comprimise. Technology that often gets adopted by other global manufacturers after Valtra has shown the way.
Possibly the best example of what makes Valtra the brand what it is, is what they call the ‘Unlimited Studio’. Here, the limits of the available options are almost endless including candy paint, flat panel style LED roof beacons, full forestry protection, subwoofers, snow plows and you can even dip interior and exterior panels to give a flame finish that would rival any hot rod that rolls out of Chip Fooses workshop.
Black leather seat? Sure!
Isobus on the front? Done!
Wheel weights painted bright Pink? Yep easy!
Manufacturing around 24,000 tractors globally per year, Valtra is no small fry in the tarctor world. So, if you havent at least considered a Valtra, I think your well overdue. I highly recommend you grab a Quartz Reef Pinot, scoff a handfull of Jalapeneo poppers and then jump on an MV Agusta and race into a Piako branch and take a seat in a Valtra cab. You wont regret it.
To learn more about Valtra, head to their website https://www.valtra.com/
