It could be said that the service department is the lifeblood of the dealership. Yet, the service department often presents the most challenges for dealers.

Chris Werner views how the BCP Equipment Dealership Network, which includes BCP Equipment, Sunset Kubota, Valley Kubota and Cache Equipment, operates as an upside-down triangle.

Almost 8 years ago, as we were test-driving a singular themed concept for the 2nd Dealership Minds Summit — The Next Generation — the editors of Farm Equipment interviewed 8 up- and-coming dealership leaders who were being groomed to run the business.

A little over a week ago, I received an email from a lawyer who had reached out to me in the past looking for some information about the farm equipment industry. He was passing along the antitrust suit that was filed against Deere in the U.S. District Court in Chicago.

The joint boards of the Equipment Dealers Assn. (EDA), the Midwest-SouthEastern Equipment Dealers Assn. (MSEDA), the United Equipment Dealers Assn. (UEDA) and the Western Equipment Dealers Assn. (WEDA) have voted to move forward with a proposal that would consolidate the four associations.

Dialog on “on-average” marketing spending led Farm Equipment to dust off its own survey data of farm equipment dealers from 2018. 

If he could find them, Dave McCarthy, Titan Machinery’s southwest regional manager, could easily hire as many as 40 experienced service technicians for the 16 stores he oversees.

A key step to tackling the technician shortage starts with convincing high school kids that their post-secondary education does not need to be at a 4-year institution for them to be successful and make good money.  

The shortage of service technicians isn’t a new problem facing the farm equipment industry — but it is a growing concern and a challenge that is getting harder to overcome.