Fifth Agwest Machinery branch in Western Australia is now complete

After 14 years in Katanning trading as Kerr Ag, Brian and Jill Kerr in December sold their agricultural machinery business to Agwest Machinery which has other branches at Geraldton, Northam, Corrigin and Esperance.

Signage to identify the Creek Street dealership as Agwest Machinery Katanning, was completed last month.

In early March widely-recognised Narrogin identity Graham Broad joined Agwest Machinery Katanning as territory sales manager.

A fortnight before that, new branch manager Ryan King joined the existing team of parts manager Wayne Munyard, workshop manager Matt Collis, workshop technician Jock McLeary and Porongurup-based salesman Travis Hawkins.

Mr Munyard has been selling agricultural machinery parts for 41 years and knows more about which parts suit which models than many computerised systems.

Mr King and his partner Rebekah, who works in health care, came over from New Zealand and joined Agwest early in the year so Mr King could take up the branch manager role at Katanning.

"I've got an agriculture background," Mr King said.

"I was a tractor mechanic for 10 years in New Zealand and then for the past 18 months-two years I was branch manager at a Honda motorbike dealership over there.

"We (he and Rebekah) have settled into the Katanning community, we are living in the town and have got involved in the community.

"It's been really good, we had Wagin (Woolorama) as our first public event under the new banner here and that was great getting out and about and meeting local people - putting faces to the names of customers.

"We've already got some sales under our belt (two tractors delivered last week).

"Everyone (from the other Agwest branches) have been very helpful - there's a lot of experience and knowledge in the company and having 'Broady' come onboard has been great - he knows everyone," Mr King said.

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In his own words "born and bred in Narrogin", Mr Broad has spent his working life there, starting as superviser at Narrogin Residential College for seven years, a position that provided plenty of regional contacts from across WA, as up to 250 students boarded at the college.

He has been on the college's board for about 40 years as just one of his many community involvements, which include four years as a Narrogin Shire councillor and two as deputy president.

Mr Broad then spent 25 years as Narrogin branch manager for the local Holden dealership under two owners, finishing up as dealer principal.

"Marley White & Co was the original company - a Holden, Isuzu truck and John Deere dealership and I did the Holden bit," Mr Broad said.

"In 2002 it became Edwards Motors."

With the demise of Holden imminent, Mr Broad joined Nutrien Ag Solutions and was its Narrogin branch manager for the past five years before joining Agwest.

"I have always dealt with farmers, my brother-in-law and father-in-law are farmers, I've always been a service provider to the Great Southern region," Mr Broad said.

"I'm very happy to come onboard with a growing company, with people who know agriculture and with our respected major brands in Fendt and Massey Ferguson."

Both Mr Ryan and Mr Broad said local people had accepted the change from long-standing family business to now one of five branches in a group owned by Western Australians and with a background in farming.

"It's not like we're a big corporate and we have retained that personal touch," Mr King said.

But customers will see substantial benefits from the dealership being part of a group later in the season, he said.

Agwest Machinery Katanning has access to group accounts and parts storage in Perth, to spare parts inventories at the other four dealerships and to a broad range of AGCO Australia parts from a closed warehouse, now stored at the Northam Agwest dealership, Mr King pointed out.

"I think the parts and service we can offer will be the big game changer come harvest time when people want parts in a hurry," he said.

"A standalone company isn't able to keep the comprehensive range of parts we as a group have access to."

For the same reason customers looking to buy new and particularly second-hand machinery, will find Agwest Machinery Katanning also now has more to offer, Mr Broad said.

"With five branches, we will have more used machinery becoming available and with a group order bank we will have order volume on new machinery," he said.

He believes agricultural machinery shortages was easing and Agwest Machinery Katanning has stock "coming through".

"People are becoming more accustomed to ordering ahead, they realise they have to plan ahead and forward order 12-18 months in advance," Mr Broad said.

"That's why it is important (for farmers) to pick a supplier they trust to deal with and to be tight with them so they build a relationship and they know what's going on."

To contact Agwest Machinery Katanning go to agwestmachinery.net.au or phone 9821 8787.