New Dealer Network Promises More From Trimax

Trimax Mowing Systems has restructured its New Zealand dealer network and brought the number of dealers down from around 300 to 36 Elite dealers.

This is part of a strategy aimed at aligning its brand positioning across all of its operations in New Zealand, Australia, the UK, Europe, and the US.

Trimax marketing manager Tim Fanning says the structure of having fewer dealers was driven by the company’s international position as a premium supplier of mowers and by its repositioning in what it calls the SMORT market - Sport Municipal, Recreation and Turf.

He says European markets are quickly expanding for Trimax. In the UK the company has around 30 percent of the municipal market while being positioned at the top end in terms of price.

“In the UK municipal markets our products are recognised as giving a better cut and being more robust than competing products which gives them a longer lifespan. That’s something customers appreciate when they do an economic analysis that shows we are likely to be more expensive to buy but more economic over the lifespan of the equipment.”

He says it is therefore important to ensure Trimax puts a lot of effort into supporting its dealer network to understand the economics of Trimax equipment which focuses on design, high quality materials and solid manufacture leading to longer life and lower costs over time.

“With over 300 dealers in New Zealand it was difficult to support them all well, so what we are doing is reducing the number down to those who are focused in the sport, parks, recreation, turf, horticulture and lifestyle sectors as we are.”

Fanning says Trimax has learned from its offshore operations and wants to bring that experience back to New Zealand.

“We’ve learned that in the design process it is vital to be able to listen to what customers are wanting, which becomes more difficult and confused the larger the number of dealers you have.

“We are a relatively small company by international standards and so we can be lighter on our feet with product development. But we need to be sure we are getting the right messages back from customers.”

He says part of this new arrangement will be a built-in ability to interact with customers so the company can be very tuned in to future trends.

Company founder Bob Sievwright says a lot of thought has gone into this change and in some cases it has been difficult.

“I started this company nearly thirty years ago and a lot of the relationships we have date from that time so for me this is very personal. But I agree with the logic as do most of the dealers that we ensure our network in New Zealand has the training and marketing support they need,” he says. “It means we can give those dealers a lot of attention.”

“We are still very involved with horticulture in New Zealand which is where we started so we have chosen dealers with that in mind as well. It is just that our sports, recreation and turf area is growing very quickly.”

Sievwright says internationally sales are holding up reasonably well which is pleasing as times are tough in many places.

He says the European market is still moving well with good sales into Scandinavia, France and the UK. But the US market is more variable as local municipalities are quite constrained by a lack of cash.

“Sales are still happening though and in some cases new markets are opening up for us, so we are well positioned for when the cloud lifts. We are using this downturn well to ensure we are as efficient as we can be and very focused on where the opportunities are.”

He says Trimax has been doing a lot of work restructuring its manufacturing processes which has led to a more efficient production capacity.

“We are now realigning our marketing capacity to reflect our global reach.”