Machinery delays continue
Agricultural machinery suppliers across the Wimmera are still dealing with delayed access to stock after global supply chains slowed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
With thousands of people expected at the Wimmera Machinery Field Days next week, the event’s post-covid-restriction return, some machinery dealerships will have limited equipment on display.
Several dealers will be staying away from the field days because of nationwide delays to machines and parts, which has made field-day displays difficult.
Jodie Eagle, manager of farming equipment retailer Wimmera Mallee Ag, said she felt ‘at times’ Australia was ‘at the end of the food chain’ when it came to manufactured equipment.
“I thought supply chains were improving, but that depends on what, and from where, the imports are coming from. Sometimes things are near impossible to get at the moment,” she said.
Mrs Eagle said supply was ‘easy’ to navigate when she dealt directly with several Chinese businesses, while motors and mowers supplied from northern America had also improved since pandemic restrictions eased.
“Often US wholesalers will allocate us supply based on our previous sales records – so that equipment remains easier to obtain,” she said.
Mrs Eagle said while the business did not deal directly with Danish manufacturers, supply from Denmark remained ‘slow’.
She said slow supply of equipment was an ‘industry-wide’ problem.
“Everyone in the industry is aware of the delays and farmers are understanding of the situation,” she said.
“Farmers are forward planning their work knowing that delays are inevitable. They are ordering what they need early.”
Bellevue equipment dealership manager Justin Ward said while his team would attend the Wimmera Machinery Field Days, the ‘new world’ meant having full displays of shiny new machines at the event was tough.
He said stock would always ‘roll’ through and he believed most customers were becoming more accepting of global freight and labour obstacles that were limiting supply.
“Probably 90 percent of our customers
understand the situation and the fact they need to purchase any new equipment well and truly before they need it,” he said.
“It is no different to buying a car – expecting to make a purchase and then walking out with the machine is not going to happen.
“It doesn’t change the way the machinery industry operates, but it does change how customers budget and plan their season.”