REGIONAL Rural Bank representatives got an insight into the important revenue-raising end of their woolgrower clients' businesses last week with a tour hosted by Elders wool division.
Elders wool sales managers north and south, Tim Burgess and Alice Wilsdon, showed seven bank representatives who deal with woolgrowers, over the AWH wool stores at Bibra Lake where they saw bales being cored and samples tested to establish wool specification.
Their tour then moved to the Elders' show floor, the dumping operation where three bales are compressed together into about the original size of one bale for shipping and the adjacent Western Wool Centre (WWC) sale room.
The bankers seemed impressed by the fact wool auctions turned over about $600,000 in the few minutes they watched from the viewing room.
Garry Harvey, Rural Bank agribusiness relationship manager, said the tour gave them a better perspective of how the industry many of their clients were involved in operated, particularly the preparation and sale of wool.
"It was good for us to see how the second stage of the supply chain operates - I for one was surprised at the amount of manual handling involved, particularly with overweight bales - it makes us more knowledgeable when we are discussing their business with wool producers," Mr Harvey said.