Continuous growth and ambitious objectives
Pekass has been working as a dealer for agricultural machinery for more than 30 years. What started as an idea of three friends, in the meantime has become a well-established constant in the Czech Republic. Right from the start, it was important to be close to the customers and there are clear objectives for the future. Sales manager Vojtěch Pivnička talks about the past and future path of the company.
The story of Pekass starts in 1991 when three friends – Miroslav Pilz, František Srb and Miroslav Švingr – decided to found a company that was to shape farming in Central Bohemia sustainably. Their objective was to create a sales network which did not only ensure the sale of machines but also their maintenance and their proper use. The vision of the three founders was clear: Pekass was to become a partner of the farmers in the Czech Republic.
After a short time, the young company had seven employees and soon the first branches were opened to be closer to the customers and to be present in different regions. This strategy proved to be very successful and led to a continuous growth. The opening of the new headquarters in Uhříněves in 1994 marked another important milestone. Since then, Pekass has been focusing on the cornerstones sales and maintenance of machines as well as selling spare parts. The customers particularly appreciate the smooth supply of spare parts and the professional service.
The years following the global economic crisis were characterised by a slump in all economic sectors. In 2010, however, the turnover started to rise again which among others is due to an enormous growth of the spare parts business and the increasing service work in the sales and service centres. To keep up with the demand, Pekass built well equipped workshops with a total area of 6,000 m².
In 2021, on the occasion of the 30th company anniversary, the tenth branch was opened. With an annual turnover of 1 billion CZK (40 million Euro), Pekass also achieved a major aim it had been working towards for a long time. Today, Pekass has eleven branches and headquarters as well as 150 employees and has grown well beyond the borders of Central Bohemia. The company currently is managed by Miloslav Kozák, Radek Mašek, Vojtěch Pivnička and Zdeněk Volmut.
Co-operation with HORSCH
Previously, Pekass sold machines from the brands the customers asked for. In the beginning, these among others included Överum, John Deere and Zetor. In 2004, the contract for the sales of HORSCH machines was signed. This marked the beginning of a successful partnership that has already been lasting for 20 years. “For a lot of our customers, HORSCH was a new company but thanks to Michael Horsch’s ideas and visions, we were able to convince them of the new technologies”, sales manager Vojtěch Pivnička who has been working for Pekass since 2009 says. The co-operation developed fast. While HORSCH continuously expanded its product range and a new sector was added with crop care technology, the Pekass sales network also grew increasingly.
“We now sell a mixed bag from all product sectors. The Terrano is very popular among our customers, but the Joker and especially the Pronto, too, are real top sellers. Especially the Pronto convinces our customers as it is a universal machine that is easy to operate and works excellently in almost any condition”, Vojtěch Pivnička explains. If, with regard to sales, you had to draw a comparison between tillage machines and seed drills, it would be 60 % tillage and 40 % seeding technology. Plant protection technology, too, now plays a major role. In addition to the self-propelled sprayers, the trailed models Leeb AX and LT are particularly popular among the customers.
Optimum customer support
Which machines are sold to the customers differs from branch to branch. While some specialise in tillage, others rather focus on seed drills and crop care sprayers. This allows for responding in an even more targeted way and even more specifically to the requirements of the customers and to ensure optimum advice and service.
“It is not only important to sell machines, but also to support the customer when he is working with the machine. This is particularly relevant for new customers as there are sophisticated concepts behind the machines. This is why we have to spend more and more time to show the customer how to operate and use the machines correctly to achieve optimum results”, Vojtěch Pivnička points out. The basis for this comprehensive knowledge is a well-trained service staff that regularly attends intensive training courses. “In season 2022/2023, we had a total of 10 trainings which always consisted of a theoretical and a practical part. We are planning roughly the same number of trainings for this season”, David Fabiánek, head of service, states. “We always say that the first machine is sold by the sales staff and the other machines by the service team. They have to be convincing and always support the farmers”, Vojtěch Pivnička adds and thus emphasises the importance of the training courses. In addition to the specially organised own events, Pekass regularly takes part in sales and service trainings held by HORSCH to be always up to date and to pass on this knowledge to the customers.
Exchange and communication
Exhibitions and field days are an important part of the daily work in order to interact with the customers. “There is a big field day in the region once a year. This year, HORSCH itself organises a big event which we will attend. In the past two years, we organised similar events ourselves.” In 2023, for example, a large field day with about 500 visitors took place at a customer’s premises at Osluchov where among others Michael Horsch gave a speech. The same event took place in Dymokury in 2022.
“But we also organise smaller events in several regions where we show different machines and how they work in the respective conditions. We set ourselves a target in advance which we want to achieve, and we consider which region we want to focus on. Such events are an optimum opportunity to present the machine portfolio. On the other hand, they also allow for focussing on different technologies. This is why we can give the events a special title, e.g. StripTill or NoTill. After a while, we can then finally measure the success of these events based on the number of machines sold.”
These events also are an opportunity for the farmers to discuss the technology with each other: “The confidence of the customers or of the potential customers is enormous”, Vojtěch Pivnička comments. “At the last two events, Michael and Philipp Horsch held a speech. For many customers, this is also a reason to attend the events and to me personally, it is very important that HORSCH has a face for our customers and that the founder still is available and takes his time to talk to the customers. This is why we are very happy about this support as the most important part of a good partnership is communication – between the customer and Pekass, but also between HORSCH and Pekass. It is important to communicate things that are going well but also to discuss issues that are not going so well – in fact promptly. For if something does not work as planned, it should be dealt with at a time when you can still react. I really appreciate this straightforward communication when working with HORSCH.”
Common growth
Pekass has been selling HORSCH machines for 20 years and together, they have always found professional solutions for any challenge. “15 years ago, when I joined Pekass, the atmosphere still was very familiar and HORSCH, too, was much smaller. We always were in contact with the same people, and we often were on site in Schwandorf to discuss things face to face and not by e-mail or telephone. To this day, a lot has changed in both companies as a result of the growth. HORSCH has become a leading global company with an enormous influence, but we, too, have grown considerably and have achieved a strong name in the Czech Republic. And I think that this will continue. 15 years ago, HORSCH only was a part of our portfolio, today it makes up almost 50 %.” At the moment, Pekass is focussing mainly on machines from JCB and HORSCH. “If you want to do something well, you have to focus on it”, Vojtěch Pivnička adds.
HORSCH does not only celebrate the anniversary of the partnership with Pekass this year. Within the scope of its 40th company anniversary, HORSCH invited its sales partners to Schwandorf. Pekass employees, too, attended the event: “40 years are a short period of time to build up such a company and become a global partner in agricultural technology.”
Looking ahead to the coming years, Pekass remains ambitious and future-oriented: “What we want for the future is that the company grows. And we definitely see that this is possible. In the past years, we also expanded our sales map, and we are trying to become active in regions where HORSCH is not yet represented so strongly. This means that we are working even more intensively and more closely to our customers. And we still see a lot of potential.”