NSW government buys CommanderAg-Quip sheep handling equipment

Director Charles Jackson's father Bruce, launched the company, now known as Commander Ag-Quip in 1985, after working as a field service mechanic, at many well-known Western Australian machinery dealerships such as Boekeman Machinery.

He (Bruce) started working independently as a farm mechanic in the late 1980s, but after son Charles finished school, they took to manufacturing under the name Commander Ag-Quip.

The first products to be developed were the Grain Commander auger range, and only five years later, livestock handling equipment joined the repertoire.

It was a rapid period of development which saw Mr Jackson, his father and siblings move the company to Albany in the early 2000s.

Now, the business operates a factory and customer service office in Mount Gambier, South Australia, branching out to clients in the Eastern States.

"We were fairly new to running a business, it was quite a big thing for us to employ people and train them, particularly when you're young yourself - training guys that are older than you," Mr Jackson said.

Looking back on those years that led Commander Ag-Quip to where it is today, Mr Jackson said it felt like a natural evolution.

"It was back in the days when you didn't have much of a plan, everything just sort of happened organically," Mr Jackson said.

Now the family business is in its third generation, with involvement from Mr Jacksons' two sons, Hamish and Brodie, and two daughters, Sharni and Monique.

Mr Jackson and his two brothers, David and Roger make up the team of directors, and Mr Jackson's nephew, Jordan, is also involved.

It might be difficult for some families to work together but Mr Jackson enjoys having everyone close together.

"Do we always agree with each other? No we don't, but you can always have a beer together at the end of the day," he said.

"I've seen businesses where they (family members) couldn't get on and it just collapsed, and we're conscious of that.

"We just make it work, and the third generation are supportive of that - none of them are clambering for a top position, they're just happy to do their bit."

Hamish, Jordan, Brodie and employee Martin Buggins started out on the workshop floor early in their career after finishing high school.

Mr Buggins was working for his father making furniture for a couple of years before wanting to learn new skills, including metal fabrication.

This pathway developed Hamish and Mr Buggins, now sales managers, into well-rounded employees with a first-hand understanding of the products.

Jordan and Brodie went on to become operational managers, handling the logistics and post-manufacturing processes.

In more recent years, Mr Jackson and David have moved out of sales slightly and into the nitty gritty of business management and product development.

Working with people and customers

The foundations of Commander Ag-Quip's sustained growth and success can be pinned down to people power.

However the business journey hasn't been without challenges, and like anything within the agriculture sector, the changes can hit hard and fast.

David said often the company dealt with the same problems as when it was much smaller, such as seasonal variability.

However, now bigger in scale and with a strong team, it's easier to ride the waves.

"That's right, good people in the right positions taking care of your customers," Mr Jackson agreed.

He said one of the key building blocks of the company's work culture was trust.

"Trust is reciprocal, if staff can see that you're trusting them, they appreciate that and respect that," Mr Jackson said.

"Even if they're not family members, they treat the business as their own, and that's integral to growth.

"Look after your staff, reward them, thank them, and appreciate the work that they do."

There's not just a strong connection between Commander Ag-Quip's employees, but also between the employees and clients too - so much so that David said it would be more accurate to call their sales team, a customer service team instead.

Mr Buggins said it was satisfying to provide solutions to customer's needs.

"We feel what our customers are feeling at the same time," Mr Buggins said.

A new deal over east

New South Wales' Department of Primary Industries has been a customer of Commander Ag-Quip for the past 10 years, however earlier this year, the department placed a massive order with the family business.

This was for the V-Express Hydraulic Sheep Handler which allows for quick and hassle-free handling of sheep, and is used for drenching, crutching, classing or backlining.

The machine minimises bending and lifting, and has been used to drench more than 1000 sheep an hour.

Being on a trailer, the V-Express is also portable.

The revolutionary piece of equipment has been a part of Commander Ag-Quip's range for almost 15 years, but after seeing great results over the years from live export clients, decided to push its' marketing.

For a long time, Commander Ag-Quip was unknowingly backing a winner.

In early 2022, there was a panic around foot and mouth disease.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries approached a sales representative on the east coast, interested in the product as a means of controlling a potential disease outbreak, due to the amount of sheep that can run through the V-Express per hour.

"They wanted to be able to manage different quarantine areas if needed, and the machine is perfect for that," Mr Buggins said.

"In the event of a disease outbreak, things can be handled very quickly."

After several months an agreement to buy 12 V-Express Handlers, valued at $40,000 each, was signed, sealed and - as of this week - delivered.

It's a huge deal for the company, which doesn't typically sell volumes of this size to anyone but a dealership.

"It went quiet for a while but our guys forensically followed up the leads, to their credit, and kept in contact with the department," Mr Jackson said.

A road train set off across the country last Thursday morning, delivering two V-Express Handlers each across six locations - Tamworth, Glen Innes, Orange, Trangie, Wagga Wagga and Condobolin.

Perfecting the products

The concept and overall mechanics of the V-Express Handler has remained the same over the years, albeit has undergone some fine-tuning.

Like all Commander Ag-Quip products, the team takes on feedback and always strives to make its products up-to-date and efficient as possible.

When Mr Jackson described David as being "IT savvy", David jokingly said it was only because he showed Mr Jackson how to use the printer.

But David had always been interested in business automation and development.

At high school he studied technical drawing, and went on to teach himself and become proficient in computer aided design and drafting.

"I'm the type of person who likes learning different systems at different businesses," David said, and mentioned learning computer systems used at friends' businesses.

David enjoys the collaboration between himself and farmers that helps fine-tune the products.

Working on larger jobs, such as shearing shed fit- outs, are some of the team's favourite projects.

"When you work with a client they have a vision at the start of it, and when you see that complete it's very nice," Mr Buggins said.

While the designing and building process takes the longest, once the equipment is pre-assembled and ready to go to its destination, it takes less than a week to be assembled on site.

"It's a long process, so you're working with a client for what could be over 12 months, from the first enquiry which is good relationship building," David said.

"They're really rewarding, it's a massive project and when it's finished they look magnificent," he said.