MANY country kids grow up to work for the family business, but it's rare that the situation is reversed and parents join their child's company, but for Dylan Crane that is just the case and he loves getting to see his folks in the warehouse everyday.
Mr Crane grew up on a mixed cropping and cattle farm at Bolgart, completing primary school in the town, where at one stage he was the only kid in his year, before heading to boarding school at Aquinas College in Perth.
Having spent his childhood on the farm and enjoying the wide open spaces, he always planned to return, so when the opportunity arose to start an apprenticeship instead of completing year 12, he grabbed it.
"My parents supported me no matter what career path I wanted to pursue but I knew I was always going to go into an apprenticeship of some form so I could take a trade back to the farm and a diesel mechanic was the best one I could think of to capitalise on," Mr Crane said.
"At the time, boarding school was a big expense and I already knew what I wanted to do after school so the decision was made to leave early and start an apprenticeship.
"I felt that I was mature enough and that I was ready to leave and move on with the next phase of my life."
Starting full-time work at 16 was an eye opening experience for Mr Crane and while it was confronting, being around grown men at such a young age, it taught him a lot of life lessons, mainly in terms of what not to do or what he didn't want to become.
By the time he finished his apprenticeship and became qualified, he had already been working out of a ute doing field services and decided he didn't want to keep going with the same company.
So Mr Crane returned to the family farm and after six months he decided to start his own business and become a sole trader.
"It was a great combination because it allowed me to work for myself as a mechanic six months a year and then farm back with the family for six months during seeding and harvest," he said.
"It was tough to start with to get consistent work, but I started to find there was a lot of work out there and people were really happy to be able to use a local person."
After starting as a sole trader, Mr Crane soon discovered field research equipment and started working on their services and repairs in the research industry.
After doing that for a little while, he was approached by a German company that manufactures the field research machines and he signed up as a representative to do sales and service for them in Australia.
It ended up being the catalyst he needed to expand the company, it included a training trip to Germany and led to him being busier than ever.
Then in 2018, the decision was made to sell the farm at Bolgart after the family realised that it wasn't big enough for the number of people that were on it.
While it was a tough decision for them all, they came to the conclusion that Mr Crane had created a business they could all capitalise on, if they banded together.
So with that, his dad Bryan and mum Karlene joined the company and DC Tech became CNE AG Innovations.
"It's not too dissimilar to a farming operation and we do nearly run it like that," Mr Crane said.
"I initially pitched the idea and as the managing director I do have a little bit more say, but ultimately we're all equal and we all make the decisions together.
"It's been pretty smooth, we're a super close family and my parents are open minded people, so it all works very well."
The company's vision is to provide a sustainable solution for all farming machinery and equipment needs, with the intention to utilise local small businesses, promoting growth and sustainability to all rural communities.
They do that while also providing a service for all farming businesses that is not only a cost effective option but also a personable solution by doing business with fellow local Western Australian country people.
"We set out to build a successful business, one that myself and my family can be proud of that aligns with our values and passions within the ag industry," Mr Crane said.
"We haven't set out to build an empire, rather a genuine family business that ultimately supports farming families and rural communities.
"For the family, it's a perfect balance because we get to live in Perth and see family and friends, but we've stayed involved and attached to agriculture and our roots which means so much to us."
That desire to stay involved with and support agriculture led CNE to develop its expansion plan which revolve around a partnership support network.
That network consists of local sole traders or companies, just like Mr Crane used to be, that are committed to ensuring a high-quality service and breakdown assistance in their area zone, to minimise any machine downtime.
"Those people or businesses can sell and service any of the supported products and we back them to do that, with the aim simply being to help them grow," Mr Crane said.
"At the moment we've got five partners scattered around WA, but if we can double that, then it's more local support for farmers in those areas, which ultimately supports local communities to stay alive."
Along with the partnership support network and his parents, Mr Crane also employs three other staff and the company has a reputation of being a quality family business that has a strong background in agriculture that involves farmers dealing with farmers, just the way it should be.
While field research is still a big part of the business, CNE AG Innovations is also one of the State's most reputable suppliers of Hardi sprayers and CGS spreaders, both of which are the focal point to broadacre farming.
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