Satisfied customers

The dealer Jaraguá Máquinas in Brazil relies on two trump cards: HORSCH machines and a unique customer support.

Within 50 years, Brazil has transformed from a food importer to a global exporter of grains, fibres and animal protein. In several areas, for example coffee, Brazil is the world’s leading producer. This is the result of a combination of investments in technology, increased knowledge of the soil and state-of-the-art farming methods which allow for the cultivation of the Brazilian savannah.

According to Embrapa, a Brazilian agricultural and livestock research company, Brazil produced 46 million tons of cereals in the past. For the cultivation year 2022/2023 the national supply company Conab expects a production of 300 million tons – an increase of more than 500 % in five decades. The figures only reflect cereal production. Fruit, vegetable and other crops are not included. Brazil, thus, is the fourth largest exporter of agricultural products worldwide, right behind the EU, USA and China.
Against the background of this development, HORSCH entered the Brazilian market at exactly the right time. The solutions offered by the manufacturer were decisive for the progress in arable farming, as they made all work more efficient. The machines optimised the required time, the sowing itself and the application of fertiliser and in addition increased yield. A visionary entrepreneur quickly managed to combine these two aspects: a flourishing agriculture in Brazil and the state-of-the-art technology of the German company. “My father has always been looking for new ideas, other farming methods and new fields of activity. For us, it was clear that we had to adapt the portfolio of our agricultural machinery trading company in Luís Eduardo Magalhães in western Bahia.” During his numerous trips, he got to know HORSCH and the products and quickly realised that HORSCH did not only have the right machines, but that the business model matched his own convictions," Fábio Martins, Managing Director of the HORSCH exclusive dealer Jaraguá Máquinas and son of the company founder Osmar Martins, remembers.

How it all began

The company Jaraguá Máquinas was founded in Paranaíba, Mato Grosso do Sul, in 1964. Initially, the company dealt with the trade of agricultural products. In 1991, Osmar Martins bought the shares of his other partners. At that time, the small company has already expanded its line of business and sold agricultural machinery. Osmar’s focus always was on the customer. And he attached major importance to tackling the challenges the farmers had to face. The soil is their means of existence. This was true in 1964 and it still is today.

“This is how we were brought up. And I think that the farmers see us in a different light when we arrive on their premises – as a team and with dirty boots. You can see immediately that we do not want to sit on the porch and make small talk. We go out into the field together to understand how the machines are used. This is what we have in common with the Horsch family – despite their high positions in the company they are not afraid of getting dirty in the field if it helps to understand the requirements of the customers. This is why our relationship is far more than a mere business relationship. There is a special connection. We work in exactly the same way. And the farmers notice it”, Fábio emphasises.  
Jaraguá Máquinas is a family-run company that is managed by Osmar and his sons Fábio and Marcelo Martins. The company works in the Matopiba region. The sales area covers parts of the federal states of Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí and the Western part of Bahia. Last season, about 34.6 million tons of cereals were produced in this region on an area of 9.3 million hectares. The company’s headquarters are located in Luís Eduardo Magalhães, Bahia, with branches in Uruçuí (Piauí), Palmas (Tocantins) and Balsas (Maranhão). 60 people are employed at Jaraguá, 30 of them in the service and spare parts sector and the rest in sales and administration.

Due to its company structure, Jaraguá can quickly react to the requests of the customers: “As a family business we are very close both to our team as well as to the customer. This is why we attach major importance to offering the customer an added value in every respect – and this is what the HORSCH products we sell do too. Something should change to the better for the farmers. We do not want to do what everyone else does. With regard to sales, we strongly rely on demonstrations to show the customers what HORSCH has to offer and how the machines differ from other machines. This allows for intensely addressing all the questions of our customer. We can explain everything in their own conditions, in their own environment. And they can assess the performance directly on their farms. We do not only want to sell machines, we want to offer the customers the best solutions so that they are able to do their job in an optimum way. Our sales team is highly skilled and optimally trained with regard to the technology. Our objective is to build up a stable and permanent business relationship. And it works. The customers keep coming back“, Fábio Martins confirms.
The service and the spare parts department work in exactly the same way. The focus always is on preventive measures. And, of course, everything is done to support the customers whenever they need help. “Due to the geographical size of the country, it is enormously important in Brazil to have a well-stocked spare parts warehouse to guarantee a quick service. This accelerates logistics and complements the spare part deliveries from the HORSCH branch. Thus, our customers are always supplied quickly and in an optimum way”, Fábio points out.

Continuous training

Jaraguá invests a lot in the training sector. They take place on the premises of the farmers to provide them with detailed information about the machines and the optimum workflow. This guarantees that the machines are used correctly and that the farmers and drivers in case of maintenance or minor issues know exactly what to do and do not have to interrupt their workflow considerably. As such a training takes place at least once a year, it is no problem if a driver leaves the farm and is replaced by a new one. The new driver quite simply will be trained in the same way and thus, utmost efficiency with regard to the use of the machines is guaranteed. “We have already trained more than 800 people”, Fábio Martins explains.

In addition, training courses are held for the dealers by HORSCH do Brasil – online and in presence, seminars for the sales and the service team. “Our calendar is pretty full with a lot of modules and different certification levels. Everyone who works for us attends this programme“, the managing director assures.
Measures like preventive training, intensive sales consulting and meeting the requirements of the customers are not only normal business practice for Jaraguá Máquinas but also part of the marketing strategy of the company. The participation in trade fairs – five will take place this year – and the use of digital marketing tools like social networks also are part of it. According to Martins, Jaraguá constantly shares tutorials, marketing and promotional content in the social media platforms. This, too, is another important channel to interact with the customers.
“We time and again organise trips to the HORSCH sites in Brazil and in Europe. We want our customers to be in contact with HORSCH and to get to know the factories and the team. And, of course, the company founders so that they get a feeling for what makes HORSCH tick. This is why we spare no money and no effort for these trips. In addition, we organise events like “Campo em Ação” last year – practical field days that take place in Luís Eduardo Magalhães. They include speeches and we demonstrate the machines in the field. With such campaigns we were already able to gain quite a lot of HORSCH fans. Some owners of the largest HORSCH machinery worldwide belong to our sales area”, he proudly states.

Jaraguá constantly and intensively works on increasing the brand awareness. Fábio Martins thinks that HORSCH will expand its product range in Brazil with machines that are in line with the local agricultural structures. Always, of course, under the aspects of stability, innovation and practicality. “We are really happy that the new factory has been opened. It will increase production capacity. The demand for sprayers increases constantly and I think we will soon see more autonomous machines in the field”, Fabio says. Jaraguá works in a specific and large market segment and HORSCH provides the appropriate, state-of-the-art technology for professional farmers. “We have a large range of products and work in the best economic sector of Brazil – agriculture. This is why we will always find our place in the market. This is our opinion as a dealer“, Fábio Martins summarises.